The ONE thing I would recommend...

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People often ask me the ONE THING I would recommend when it comes to food. I find it a loaded question, because there are so many different variables. We need vitamins, minerals and fibre from fruits and vegetables (although those on the carnivore diet would beg to differ); we want protein at every meal for a whole variety of reasons; some experts would say it’s more about WHEN we eat, not necessarily what we eat; and others would argue it’s all about mindset, as it doesn’t really matter what we put in our bodies if our stress levels (aka cortisol levels) are through the roof. And what about our eight glasses of water a day… SO important!

Did I mention it’s a loaded question?!

Everything above is important. But based on the ever evolving research of the trillions of bacteria we have in our gut, commonly known as our gut microbiome, and the profound impact these bacteria have on our body and our brain, I do have an answer to the question above – the ONE thing I would recommend.

Why is our gut microbiome so important?

Depending on how we treat these bacteria, they can make life pretty great, or can make things pretty bad. 
 
We have anywhere from 75-90% of our immune system in our gut. Think about that. Research shows our gut bacteria directly influences our immune system - potentially providing us (or not, depending on the make-up of our microbes) protection against COVID-19 and the many other pathogens that exist.
 
Studies are also telling us that microbiome diversity is a good indicator of a healthy gut.  And in addition, that there are links between our gut microbiome and a host of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, diabetes, obesity, Crohns, irritable bowel disease, Parkinson's and more.  On the flip side, other studies are showing the link between the Standard American Diet and its negative impact on our cognitive brain function (via the gut-brain connection).

In the elderly population, there is a clear relationship between the composition and diversity of their microbiome, and their health outcomes.   Specifically, elderly people with more diverse microbes had less indications of frail and cognitive health.  Conversely, those on a bland, processed and repetitive diet (sadly, the food served in many retirement homes), had a shrinking in their microbiome.

There are even recent studies reflecting compromised gut bacteria in individuals who became infected with COVID-19.
 
So what are you recommending?
 

Plant diversity.   

 
(Sorry… I wish I could make it sound more exciting).
 
But seriously, results coming out of the American Gut Project are showing that the number of plant species consumed is strongly associated with the diversity of our microbiome. Note this is MORE than following a particular way of eating, such as being “vegan” or “omnivore” - meaning it’s not associated with any particular diet, but simply the diversity of the plants we eat (including legumes).   
 
Further, plant consumption is also associated with a reduction in certain antibiotic resistant genes. Specifically, individuals who consumed more than 30 types of plants a week compared to those who ate 10 or fewer types of plants per week had significantly reduced abundance of antibiotic resistant genes.
 
Imagine microbes as little factories producing a huge variety of beneficial chemicals that enhance our health, or inflammatory chemicals that do the opposite. What we feed these microscopic entities is critical. 
 
It is estimated that there are anywhere from 500-1000 species of bacteria in our gut, with varying dependence on different plant species, so just eating broccoli or kale every day and thinking we are covering our bases isn’t really correct. We want to broaden our palate. Just focussing on so-called "superfoods" is great... but we want to think bigger.

So do I have to start eating 30 different plants a week?  Ugh.

No! Don’t be overwhelmed by thinking you have to start eating copious types of plants a week. First of all, it would be overwhelming. And secondly, we never want to radically increase our vegetable and fruit intake "overnight" - that can cause severe bloating and other discomforts. Rather, think more about how we tend to fall into our favourite “vegetable patterns”. For example, a friend said to me recently that he was a “broccoli guy”. Broccoli for lunch, dinner and even sometimes in his scrambled eggs for breakfast. Yes, he eats other vegetables, but broccoli was his “go to” vege.
 
I would hazard a guess that many of us fall into this pattern.  It’s awesome we are eating this healthy food, but like exercise, if we do the same exercise day in and day out (let’s say running), we’re missing some key parts of our body that need to be worked out as well (ie – weight bearing exercise for our upper body to develop muscles and help keep osteoporosis at bay). Plus the law of diminishing returns eventually comes into play.

I need ideas!

Slowly start increasing the number of vegetables that you buy and cook. I’ve included below a few examples of how you can incorporate them into your daily meals:

  • Load up your salad –

    • mix up your lettuces

    • add grated carrots, raw beets or radishes

    • add green, red or vidalia onion

    • add cucumber, mushrooms, coloured peppers, sliced fennel

    • add lentils, white kidney beans, or black beans (ANY bean for that matter… yes they count as plants, and are great protein at the same time)

    • add roasted vegetables (see list below)

  • Simple little things like adding onion and celery to your egg salad sandwiches (or enjoy your egg salad on a romaine lettuce leaf)

  • Load up your smoothies

  • Add sautéed spinach, onion, garlic, peppers, etc to your breakfast scrambled eggs (just sauté in the same pan then add the egg liquid)

  • Sauté greens, etc and put poached eggs on top

  • Roast almost anything – beets, sweet potatoes, squash (butternut great and you can buy already cubed), broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, cabbage (so good), any kind of onion, garlic, peppers, carrots, eggplant

  • Sauté beet leaves, swiss chard, kale, cabbage

  • Steam broccoli, cauliflower, the greens just mentioned above (the sweetness comes out in cabbage and is amazing with some butter and salt on top... so simple)

  • Sauté vegetables, starting with sliced onions (no need to dice) and garlic as the base (great prebiotics, which your microbiome loves), adding zuchinni and/or peppers and/or fennel... whatever you have.  Then perhaps toss in frozen peas or baby spinach or arugula at the end.

Honestly, don't think it through too much.   Just add more/different vegetables whenever you can.   As I've mentioned before, one of the easiest ways to cover your bases when you are shopping (and cooking) is to think of a rainbow of colours when it comes to selecting your vegetables.   

Given our times right now, we want to increase our immunity. Supporting our gut microbiome by eating a diverse number of plants, based on current research, is the way to go.   We also get all the added benefits of the diverse array of vegetables and fruit - vitamins, minerals, energy, fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals (over 5000 of them!). Note that each fruit and vegetable has its own profile. And in the process, we not only help protect ourselves from disease, we support our brain health at the same time.

And in the interest of staying healthy, I am launching 🌿gbwellness Walk and Talk, starting the week of  September 14th.  My goal is to get people out from behind their screens for a walk in nature while getting an hour of personalized nutrition coaching.   If you live close to midtown Toronto (or are willing to make the trek!), stay tuned... more to come next week.

As always, thanks for reading :)