Gut health is a hot topic that a lot of people are paying attention to right now, and rightly so. Taking care of your gut flora is essential for your overall health. A healthy gut has a whole host of benefits, including a stronger immune system and a reduced risk of anxiety and depression.
But if you’re wondering where to start, that’s totally understandable. I guarantee you that improving your gut microbiome won’t come from any fad diet. In a recent Instagram video, gastroenterologist Will Brusiewicz, MD, helped narrow down the key factors that more people should incorporate into their daily lives. Here are some weekly gut-health habits he wants you to try:
The #1 thing you should do every week for gut health
Diet has been shown to affect gut health for better or worse, so the best thing you can do for your gut health is to eat gut-healthy foods, but there’s a reason the plant-based Mediterranean diet is considered one of the best diets for gut health.
Specifically, eating a variety of plant foods each week can support your gut bacteria, provide enough fiber, and benefit your overall health, and recent research suggests that eating five different plant foods each day could help improve your long-term health.
How many different kinds of plants should you eat per week? Gastroenterologists recommend 30, with a 2018 study showing that plant diversity positively impacts your gut microbiome. While this seems like a big number and may seem impossible to achieve, Burcievich acknowledges, it’s not.
“We all know plant diversity is important for gut health,” says Brusiewicz. “The question is, how do you get 30 different plants per week without straining your back or your wallet?” There are some easy ways to sneak plants into your diet, plus a couple more pantry staples you might already have on hand that you might be overlooking.
How to eat more plants
First, by “plants,” we mean fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and other plant-based ingredients, so don’t limit yourself to just leafy greens (although they’re surprisingly nutritious). According to Brusiewicz, there are four cooking methods that make it easy to add plants to soups, salads, sauces, and smoothies:
“They are all [a] “You’re bringing plant diversity into your gut microbiome,” he explains. “Any time you’re creating something like this in your kitchen, you should be thinking, ‘How many more plants can I add?'”
Below are some recipes that each incorporate at least four different plants.
But if you’re still not sure what to buy on your next grocery run, Bulsiewicz has some suggestions.
Healthy and easy ingredients to incorporate into your diet
Here are some of the plants that doctors personally enjoy eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
His first choice is seeds. “Chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds should be in every smoothie,” says Brusiewicz. This is a good choice because these seeds all aid in healthy digestion. Plus, chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds are plant-based sources of omega-3s, so including them regularly in your diet can help reduce inflammation, support heart health, and improve cognitive function. For this reason, we think Brusiewicz would love our highly-rated Strawberry Peach Chia Seed Smoothie.
Next up: beans. “Incorporate as many different kinds of beans into your diet as possible,” gastroenterologists recommend. Beans are a nutritious canned food source, including black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, lima beans, and kidney beans. Eating beans can help you reach your weight goals, reduce your risk of heart disease (yes, that song is true!), and keep you full thanks to their high protein content. Our no-cook black bean salad is an easy recommendation. This meal is ready in 30 minutes. Eat well Dear readers.
And finally, while Bursiewicz is known for preaching about berries as the number one fruit, he doesn’t stop there.
“Why pick just one? They’re all so delicious,” he said. That means blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries are on the list. They’re all packed with antioxidants like vitamin A and polyphenols, which are good for your gut and help reduce inflammation in the body. Enjoy a handful of fruit as a tasty snack or use them fresh as a topping on yogurt or cereal.
Conclusion
Whether it’s sprinkling blueberries or chia seeds on top of your oatmeal or whipping up a hearty soup with seasonal veggies and canned beans, there are plenty of ways to incorporate more plants into your diet. Most importantly, prioritize both health and taste and enjoy every bite of gut-healthy food. “Have fun and eat well all the way to 30,” says Brusiewicz.
