Healthy eating: Six tips on how to keep your microbiome fit

nutrition
Strengthen your microbiome with these six tips

The composition of the gut bacteria also seems to play a role in weight. Thin people have a very diverse bacterial colonization, which is favored by a healthy diet.

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The microbiome also decides whether we get fat or stay slim. It can also trigger diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks or Parkinson’s. Diet is especially important if you want to keep it healthy.

The fact that diets fail in the vast majority of cases has now been scientifically well explained. Mainly because the principle is based on coercion and the body is forced to starve. Sure, first you lose weight with a diet – but according to a study, 95 percent of all those who have tried to reduce their weight in this way have all their pounds back after five years at the latest – and many even more. The compulsive abstinence from food works deep in the body. Also on the microbiome – i.e. the bacterial film that lives in us and on us. Studies have now shown that normal-weight people have a much more diverse microbiome than overweight people. That’s why it’s more important to pay attention to what you eat than how much you eat. Here are the top tips on how to keep the microbiome healthy with the right diet:

Tip 1: Eat like a gardener

The British epidemiologist Tim Spector, who has been researching the microbiome for many years, advises eating as varied a diet as possible. In a study involving 11,000 people, he examined how good fruit and vegetables are for the microorganisms on and in us. However, it should not always end up with your favorite spinach on the plate. Spector’s advice: “Eat 20 to 30 different plants a week.” That may sound like a lot, but every type of grain in muesli, every type of nut, every spice – except salt – counts as a separate plant. If you want to keep your microbiome healthy, “you should eat like a gardener,” says the expert.

Tip 2: High-fiber diet

Choose foods that contain as much fiber as possible. Our intestinal bacteria are then quickly saturated and send corresponding signals to the brain. Such a diet strengthens the good bacteria and ensures a healthy balance in the microbiome. Legumes such as lentils, beans, peas or oatmeal, nuts contain a particularly large amount of fiber.

Processed foods are unhealthy

Tip 3: Stay away from ready meals

You should avoid industrially processed foods as much as possible. Frozen pizza, instant soups and fries are suspected of damaging the microbiome. The dishes contain numerous additives, and it is far from clear what reactions they trigger in the body. A lot of sugar is added to improve their taste. Ready meals are usually very high in calories and fat.

Tip 4: Avoid sugar and sweeteners

Avoid sugar. Apparently, it promotes the growth of bacteria that make us continue to eat even though we are already full. Bacteria need the sweet stuff to survive and stimulate our appetite. Sweeteners do not seem to be a good alternative. Research suggests that they, too, unbalance the microbiome and increase food cravings.

Poor nutrition can cause many diseases

Tip 5: Strengthened by fermented foods

Eat fibrous foods like sauerkraut or kimchi. Fermented foods strengthen the microbiome and are easy to make at home. You can find instructions online. If you buy products in the supermarket, pay attention to the list of ingredients. It often contains sugar and preservatives.

Tip 6: Take longer breaks from eating

Take longer breaks from eating regularly. Especially the sugar-hungry bacteria are kept small by this time without food. They are pushed back and the bacteria that are good for us can recover and multiply. Experts recommend so-called intermittent fasting. With the very popular 16:8 variant, you do not eat for 16 hours. And eats normally during the eight hours. In concrete terms, this means: You skip breakfast and only eat between 12 and 8 p.m

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