It’s becoming more popular and trendy to improve your gut microbiome and for good reason. Our gut microbiome has been found to be critical in your immune system, mental health, energy, hormonal health and control of your body's metabolic balance. To improve the health of our gut we must think about our body like a garden. If we want the plant to be strong, healthy and vibrant, we need the soil to be full of all the nutrients and micro-organisms the plants need. These nutrients and good gut foundation can be disrupted though excess sugar consumption, antibiotics, stress and alcohol, leading to an overgrowth of just a few bacteria, rather than diversity of beneficial bacteria.

So how do we increase our gut microbiome diversity? Through food!!

- Fruits and vegetables: many fibrous plants contain an insoluble fibre known as inulin. Inulin is a prebiotic meaning it feeds the beneficial gut flora. Eating a combination of prebiotic and probiotic foods, helps build better gut health rather than just eating one or the other.

- Sauerkraut or Kimchi: raw fermented cabbage is rich in vitamins, minerals and probiotics. All you need is a couple of tablespoons as an added side dish to your main meals.

- Miso: made generally from fermented soybeans or grains, it contains many minerals and probiotics.

- Kefir: A fermented, slightly tangy drink, like a thin yoghurt. It is usually made from dairy milk or coconut yoghurt using live kefir grains that grown in liquid.

- Kombucha: a fizzy probiotic drink make from tea with a SCOBY comprised of a variety of bacteria and yeasts. Rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, antioxidants, digestive enzymes and probiotics. Just be weary of the sugar content on some brands.

- Tempeh: also made from fermented soybeans, is rich in B vitamins and is a complete protein

Consume small amounts of a variety of these foods daily, introduce them slowly into your diet. If symptoms such as bloating or discomfort occur, it may be a sign of other gut issues, and it would be advised to speak to your Naturopath or other health care practitioner.