I boosted my gut health score to 93 out of 100 with two easy rules

There’s growing agreement among scientists, doctors and nutrition experts that maintaining gut health is crucial for overall wellbeing. The gut houses the gut microbiome, a unique ecosystem of trillions of bacteria and other microbes within each of us.

The microbiome influences various aspects of our health, including our immune system, mental health and digestion, . 

Healthline, a medical website, explains that there are “more bacterial cells in your body than human cells”, functioning as an additional organ that plays a significant role in your health. Scientists and nutritionists generally categorise these bacteria into two groups: “good” and “bad” and say an excess of “bad” bacteria can trigger inflammation and disease.

The gut microbiome has several other important roles in health:

• It may affect heart health: a recent study found that the gut microbiome played an important role in promoting “good” HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while certain unhealthy species in the gut microbiome may also contribute to heart disease by producing a chemical that contributes to blocked arteries
• It may help control blood sugar, which could affect the risk of type 1 and 2 diabetes
• It may affect mental health: certain species of bacteria can help produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, an antidepressant neurotransmitter that’s mostly made in the gut
• It may improve your immune system: Science and nutrition firm Zoe says “scientists believe that the gut microbiome may be the central player that links chronic inflammation” to diseases like obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes and that “your gut microbiome can have a direct effect on your immune system, including on certain types of inflammation”.

It’s becoming increasingly clear to scientists that a healthy gut microbiome is vital for our overall health, a concept that many of us may have only recently become aware of.

How can you determine the health of your gut?

Firstly, the good news is that if you have a healthy and varied diet consisting of a wide variety of plants but few unhealthy or , there is a good chance your gut microbiome is in good shape. But there is only one way to really know for sure and that is to get it tested.

To do this, I joined the Zoe programme, a nutrition programme that begins by testing the health of your gut microbiome (via a poo test) as well as your blood sugar control and blood fat control (via a blood test) — .

When I first joined Zoe, I had already embarked on a six-month journey of healthy eating, which included abstaining from ultra-processed foods. So my initial gut health score was already a robust 82 out of 100.

Six months later, Zoe re-evaluated my gut health and I was thrilled to see my score had increased to 93 out of 100.

What two simple rules did I follow?

I followed these two simple tactics to improve my gut health score:

• I ate
• I ate at least 30 different plants a week

Again, there is growing consensus that ultra-processed foods can negatively impact gut health. According to Zoe, this could be due to the lack of fibre in these foods, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy microbiome. Their Predict study indicated that a diet high in processed foods was linked to an increase in “bad” or potentially harmful gut microbes.

Secondly, a study published in Nature highlighted that certain additives such as emulsifiers, sweeteners, colours, and microparticles and nanoparticles can affect various factors including the gut microbiome, intestinal permeability and inflammation.

On the other hand, consuming a diverse range of plants and fermented foods is believed to promote “good” bacteria and enhance the health of your gut microbiome.

Here’s how I improved my gut microbiome and how you can do the same.

• I ate at least 30 different plants: A diverse range of foods can lead to a diverse microbiome, which is an indicator of good gut health. Although 30 may sound like a lot, it’s actually very achievable when you think that we’re not just talking about fruit and vegetables here. Also included are the many different kinds of beans (like butter, cannellini, black, kidney, pinto), grains (like oats, quinoa or bulgar wheat), nuts (like almonds, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts and pistachios) and seeds (like chia, pumpkin or sesame). Furthermore, herbs and spices also count, and plants like coffee and cocoa also contain good chemicals which help your gut microbiome.
• I tried to get at least 30g of fibre a day: Legumes like beans and lentils, as well as vegetables and fruit, contain lots of fibre., which is linked to protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer, better blood sugar control, digestion, weight management, and immune function.
• I ate fermented foods: Fermented foods include yoghurt, cheese, kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir, which all contain healthy bacteria.
• I stopped eating ultra-processed foods: As noted above, scientists believe ultra-processed foods affect gut health and stimulate the growth of unhealthy bacteria.
• I altered the balance of plants and meat in my diet: While I have not stopped eating meat, I drastically reduced my intake of and red meat, instead eating more fish or simply eating vegetarian or vegan meals.
• I ate foods rich in polyphenols: Polyphenols are plant compounds and you can increase the range of compounds by eating as many different coloured fruits and vegetables as you can. But other foods rich in polyphenols include , coffee, dark chocolate and olive oil.