Food is all about gut, says Tim Spector. The founder of the app Zoe reveals that food is not just a fuel for the body. He strongly believes that gut microbiome is vital. It should be diverse and healthy for general well being and overall health.
Tim Spector and his new concept on food
Tim Spector is a British epidemiologist who founded the app Zoe. He feels that until now doctors and health experts considered food as a source of fuel. They calculated calories and split up the food ingredients into proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, proteins, and dietary fiber. Tim is of the opinion that this is all wrong. What is more important is the gut health and its microbiome.
Tim Spector (Source: The telegraph)The gut microbiome is the bacteria present in the gut. These could be good bacteria or bad bacteria. The good bacteria feed on the prebiotics and keep the gut healthy. They boost immune function and retard body inflammation. Thus, they prevent chronic body diseases such as heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, cancer etc.
The good bacteria should be more in the human gut. They should be diverse and of healthy type. Hence, he believes that to improve gut health should be our aim of eating. He provides 5 tips to boost gut health.
30 different plant foods per week
We are all aware that WHO states that people should have five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Tim goes one step further. He says that these fruits and vegetables should not be repetitive. They should be different and one should have 30 different kinds of fruits and vegetables in a week. This diversity will help in improving gut health. Whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, pulses support good bacteria and a healthy gut.
Colorful food
Tim Spector emphasizes gut health (Source: The guardian)Tim advises to have foods of different colors in one’s diet daily. These foods have fiber, minerals, vitamins, and also antioxidants. The good bacteria thrive on polyphenols and such antioxidants. Dark chocolates are also good for gut.
Fermented foods
Fermented foods such as yoghurts, kimchi have probiotics or healthy bacteria. These reach the gut along with the food and keep it healthy. The 4 Ks namely kefir, kimchi, kraut, and kombucha all boost gut health. Have some of it daily.
Have gut breaks
Avoid frequent snacking. Give the gut some rest gaps. During this time, the gut bacteria work on the gut lining and repair it. This prevents leakage and inflammation.
Restrict ultra processed foods
Tim Spector and his new concept of foods (Source: The Fermentation Association)A high amount of ultra processed foods means invitation for heart diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer etc. Since the processed foods are low in fiber, they deprive your healthy gut bacteria of their foods: the prebiotics. Hence the growth of the good bacteria gets hampered leading to varied diseases. The unhealthy high sugars, fats, and artificial sweeteners in these processed foods do not support a diverse or healthy gut organisms. They promote growth of bad bacteria in the gut and lead to low scores of health markers.
Read more: What is leaky gut syndrome? Foods to eat and foods to avoid in this condition!
Hence, for a general overall health, go with your gut. Eat to improve your gut health rather than solely based on calories or macronutrients proportions. Have a gut-oriented diet and reap the benefits in short and long term.