Yahoo News Professor Tim Spector's tips to boost your health and a day of gut-friendly recipes to achieve it
We are becoming more and more aware about how much of an impact our gut has on our health. Professor Tim Spector, the founder of Zoe, has helped catapult the term gut health into the mainstream.
He is an epidemiologist, medical doctor, and science writer and his passion for gut health comes from scientific evidence that shows most of our immune system lives in our gut. The gut is home to our gut microbiome which are trillions of microorganisms, many of which we are yet to discover.
These tiny microorganisms can be split into good and bad bacteria and research shows that those with a good bacteria usually have a good diet and those with bad bacteria have a poorer diet full of ultra-processed foods. But there are many simple steps you can take to diversify your gut health which will overall leave you feeling better for longer.
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Prof Spector's top tips to boost your gut microbiome, as described on Zoe.com, include:
To try and get 30 different plants in your diet each week – this includes nuts, seeds, pulses, whole grains, fruits and vegetables
Eat food rich in colour as they are rich in polyphenols, which your gut microbiome loves
Eat fermented foods like kimchi, natural yoghurt, and kombucha
Give your gut a break by reducing snacking and let your bugs rest overnight
Reduce ultra-processed food as they lack the nutrients to support your gut
A day of gut-friendly recipes
Breakfast
Start your day off strong by ticking off four out of your 30 plants of the week with this creamy yoghurt porridge from BBC's Good Food. All you need is 25g (or three tablespoons) of porridge oats (one plant) and 150g or your choice of natural yoghurt or you could even use kefir. Cook over a low heat stirring until thickened. You could also do this in the microwave.
Stir in the banana then top with blueberries and flaked almonds for added protein. This is a great gut healthy options as the blueberries, or any other choice of berries, are packed with polyphenols.
Prof Spector himself opts for a kefir yoghurt for breakfast and tops it with nuts, seeds, and berries. Each variety of seeds you use can count towards your 30 plants of the week which could see you get eight or even nine different plants by breakfast time.
Porridge is an easy and relatively inexpensive breakfast to start your day. You can also save money on the fruit toppings by buying frozen. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.
Lunch
These chicken and tzatziki wraps are a great option to add to your week if you need something for a packed lunch. You'll need just chicken, cucumber, Greek yoghurt, tomatoes, and wholemeal wraps for this one.
Mix the cucumber and Greek yoghurt together for the tzatziki and season well. Cook the chicken with seasoning until golden brown. Assemble your wraps with chopped tomatoes and you are ready to go. You can bulk this out with leafy greens too which are packed with polyphenols.
For a stay-at-home lunch we like the look of this kimchi scrambled egg on BBC's Good Food. You'll need two medium eggs, 40g kimchi, one tbsp milk, spring opinion, and a slice of wholemeal bread. Scramble your eggs then fold in the kimchi. Add your toppings to your bread or toast and once again you can add sides like mushrooms or even baked beans to increase on the number of plants you're eating. For the latest health and Covid news sign up to our newsletter here.
Dinner
This one might take you a little longer but it is great for meal prep and can set you up for the week of put in the freezer for those days you need something quick. This BBC Good Food sweet potato shepherd's pie recipe is pack full of gut-friendly ingredients.
By swapping out the traditional potato for sweet potato you are adding in a much more colourful vegetable that boasts more gut-loving polyphenols. You can also pack out your meat filling with red lentils adding another plant to your week.
The ingredients you need are: two onions, two garlic cloves, two carrots, two tbsp fresh thyme leaf, 400g extra-lean minced lamb or beef, 85g red lentils, 350g swede, two tbsp plain flour, 750ml beef stock, 200ml red wine, 350g potato, 650g sweet potato, 150g probiotic yoghurt, and a generous helping of nutmeg.
Heat your oil in a pan and fry off the onions until golden before adding garlic, carrots, thyme, and cook for a little longer. Stir in the mince until brown then add in the lentils and swede with the flour. Cook this for one to two minutes then add in the stock and red wine before covering to simmer for 35-40 minutes.
Boil your potatoes until tender and mash together with the yoghurt, nutmeg, and some black pepper. Put the meat mixture into an oven proof dish before topping with the mash mixture. Cook for 45 minutes.
You don't have to use the red wine if you would prefer not to and you can also leave out the white potatoes and just use sweet potatoes. Switch out any vegetable in the meat mixture with a choice of your own. This dish packs a hearty eight different plants, which you can increas by serving it with green vegetables.
