Don’t Ditch the Carbs! NHS Doctor Reveals Simple Swaps for Gut Health
NHS gastroenterologist and MasterChef winner Dr Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed reveals the truth about summer diets.
Gut health is fundamental to overall wellbeing, influencing digestion, immunity and mental health. The good news is that supporting your gut microbiome doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. With just a few simple changes to your everyday diet, you can help your gut microbiome flourish, making a real difference to how you feel both inside and out.
The Microbiome Matters
The gut microbiome is a vibrant ecosystem comprising trillions of bacteria that play a crucial role in maintaining overall health. A balanced and diverse diet can help these beneficial bacteria thrive. Eating a wide variety of foods, particularly fibre-rich fruits, vegetables, legumes, pulses, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, and spices, can nourish the gut microbiota and enhance its diversity, which is linked to better overall health outcomes.
A diverse microbiome may help protect against inflammation, support the immune system and may even influence mood and brain health, underlining the importance of what we eat each day.
The Basics: What to Eat More Of
One of the simplest ways to care for your gut is by increasing the diversity of plant foods you eat each week. Aim to consume around 30 different plant-based foods weekly, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs and spices, and wholegrains. Each type of plant offers unique fibres and compounds that feed different beneficial bacteria. Including fermented foods in your diet can also have a positive impact.
Fibre is a key nutrient for maintaining digestive health and overall wellbeing and comes in two main forms: soluble fibre and insoluble fibre.
Soluble fibre dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance and helps feed the good bacteria in your gut. It’s great for supporting digestion and can help lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer. You can find this type of fibre in foods like oats, apples, bananas, beans and root vegetables.
Insoluble fibre doesn’t dissolve in water and instead adds bulk to your stool, helping to keep things moving through your digestive system. It’s found in wholegrains, nuts, seeds and the skins of fruits and vegetables.
Our gut microbes feed on fibre but they can be fussy eaters, each preferring different types of fibre. To nourish your entire community of microbes, aim to include a mix of both soluble and insoluble fibres every day.
Dr. Saliha, on behalf of Yakult, shares the foods you should be incorporating into your everyday meals and why it supports your gut health:
Legumes are versatile, affordable powerhouses for gut health, helping to regulate digestion and nourish beneficial gut bacteria. A mix of lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans can count as three plant points, each bringing its own health benefits. For example, chickpeas are rich in prebiotic fibre, iron and protein; lentils provide folate and potassium, and black beans contain resistant starch, which fuels beneficial gut bacteria, promoting their growth and activity.
Fruits such as apples, bananas and berries are rich in essential nutrients and dietary fibre, which support digestive health. Including various fruits in your diet contributes to overall wellbeing and provides natural sweetness to meals. For example, apples contain pectin, a soluble fibre, while bananas offer potassium and vitamin B6. Incorporating different fruits can enhance the diversity of your diet. A fruit salad combining strawberries, grapes, and melon delivers three plant points and a wide variety of gut-loving nutrients in one bowl.
Vegetables like broccoli, carrots and leafy greens are vital sources of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. They play a crucial role in maintaining digestive health and supporting the immune system. Carrots are high in beta-carotene, and leafy greens provide iron and calcium. Aiming for a colourful variety of vegetables ensures a broad range of nutrients ensures a broad range of nutrients are absorbed.
Nuts, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, and cashews, are nutrient-dense foods rich in healthy fats, protein, and fibre. For example, almonds are a good source of vitamin E, walnuts provide omega-3 fatty acids, Brazil nuts are a top source of selenium, which is essential for immune and thyroid health, and cashews can contribute to a healthy digestive system due to their fibre content. A small handful of mixed nuts can deliver multiple plant points while being a satisfying and portable snack that contributes to heart health. Add them to overnight oats, use them to top salads or blend them into nut butter for added versatility.
Seeds like chia, flax, sunflower and pumpkin are tiny nutritional powerhouses. Packed with fibre, healthy fats and minerals like magnesium and zinc, they help support digestion and gut lining integrity. Add them to porridge or yoghurt, salads, or smoothies or use them to make your own seedy crackers.
Herbs can be used fresh or dry and are small but mighty when it comes to flavour and phytochemicals. Even small amounts count towards your plant points total. They can also provide antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatory compounds that support gut health. They can be stirred into soups, scattered over grain bowls, or blended into pesto.
Wholegrains are key sources of complex carbohydrates and fibre that feed beneficial bacteria in the gut. They also provide essential B vitamins, iron and magnesium. Swap white bread and pasta for wholegrain versions or add cooked quinoa to salads and bowls. Oats, especially soaked overnight, are a versatile breakfast option that supports steady digestion. Mixing grains like bulgur, barley and millet in one meal delivers multiple plant points and nourishes a broad range of gut microbes.
Fermented foods, such as yoghurt, lacto-fermented brined vegetables (cucumbers, sauerkraut, kimchi) and miso, can support gut health by introducing beneficial bacteria to the gut. However, not all fermented foods contain live cultures by the time they reach the shelf, and some are not scientifically proven to reach the gut alive. To ensure you’re getting the benefits, check the label for terms like “live cultures” or specific bacterial strains. The “friendly” bacteria can help correct imbalances in our digestive system.
Prebiotic foods, such as onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, beans and oats, can also help fuel the growth of beneficial bacteria by providing the fibres they thrive on.
Eat the Rainbow for Gut Diversity
Brightly coloured fruits and vegetables are not just for aesthetics – they offer a broad range of polyphenols and antioxidants that nourish different types of gut bacteria. Eating a variety of red, green, yellow, purple and orange foods throughout the week supports microbial diversity and boosts overall health.
For example, red peppers are high in vitamin C, yellow peppers provide carotenoids, and green peppers offer lutein and folate. Interestingly, three different-coloured peppers count as three plant points, which is a simple, tasty way to increase diversity.
Easy Swaps to Supercharge Your Gut
Small, mindful swaps throughout the day can easily boost your gut health. For example, opt for a bag of mixed leaves instead of one variety, and add mixed berries, not just blueberries, to oats. Choosing seeded wholegrain bread over white bread can significantly increase your fibre intake.
Bulk out your chilli, curry or pasta sauces by adding chickpeas or lentils – a simple way to incorporate more plant points into everyday meals. Even blending a spoonful of seeds or nuts into your morning smoothie can make a meaningful difference to your daily fibre intake and overall gut health.
Swapping snacks like crisps for a handful of mixed nuts and seeds means multiple plant points in one snack while supporting brain, heart and digestive health and providing a natural, fibre-rich alternative. Also, peanuts make for great finger food, but if you want to upgrade your snack game, then why not give walnuts a go? Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, such as alpha-linolenic acid, which contribute to maintaining normal blood cholesterol levels.
For a sweet treat, switching from milk chocolate to dark chocolate provides many additional nutrients. Dark chocolate is loaded with magnesium, iron and the antioxidant flavanols, and the higher the percentage of cocoa, the better, so aim for 70% cocoa or above.
Smart Shopping for Your Gut
Being savvy at the supermarket can help support your microbiome. When shopping, look for fermented products that specifically mention ‘live cultures’ on the label or specify the presence of specific bacterial strains. Not all foods have live bacteria by the time they reach the shelves. Remember, you are aiming for 30 grams of fibre a day in the diet.
Gut-Friendly Snacks On-the-Go
Snacking doesn’t have to be a missed opportunity for gut health. Choosing snacks like a handful of almonds paired with dried apricots offers a combination of fibre, healthy fats and natural sweetness.
Rice cakes topped with hummus and cucumber slices make for a refreshing and fibre-rich alternative to typical snack foods. Natural yoghurt containing good bacteria, topped with berries and seeds, provides a double hit of live cultures and plant diversity, supporting both the microbiome and overall nutrition.
Hydration: Essential for Gut Health
Maintaining proper hydration is another key component of gut health. Drinking sufficient water – aiming for around two litres per day – helps keep the digestive system functioning efficiently and can help prevent constipation. Staying hydrated ensures that fibre does its job properly in the gut, supporting healthy digestion and nutrient absorption.
In addition to drinking fluids, water-rich foods such as cucumbers, watermelon, celery, tomatoes and strawberries can also contribute to hydration. These foods provide fluid, fibre and essential micronutrients, making them ideal gut-friendly additions to snacks and meals.
Eating for gut health doesn’t require a radical diet overhaul or complicated plans. By making minor, mindful lifestyle adjustments, it’s possible to foster a healthier gut microbiome – and in doing so, support overall wellbeing. With easy swaps, smart shopping and a little more diversity on your plate, your gut will have everything it needs to thrive.
Recipe inspiration for Good Food, Healthy Gut by Dr Saliha:
Smashed Greens with Feta and Mint on Toast
Mediterranean Inspired Pasta Salad
Ras el Hanout and Orange Spiced Aubergine tray-bake with Herb and Orange Couscous
For further information and more tips on a healthy gut, please visit the Yakult website here: www.yakult.co.uk/gut-health/diet