Fiber Fueled

Diversity of plants is the number one predictor of a healthy gut microbiota

But not every microbe eats the same food. Each dietary choice you make will empower a specific group of microbes, while others will languish.

F: Fruit & Fermented G: Greens & Grains O: Omega-3 Super Seeds A: Aromatics (onions, garlic) L: Legumes S: Sulforaphane (broccoli sprouts and other cruciferous veggies)

Microbial metabolism leads to biochemical transformation of the food. In many cases, the healthy bacteria (let’s call them probiotic) will reward us by molding our food into something that reduces inflammation and promotes health and balance. We call the health-promoting compounds created by our microbes postbiotics. But the opposite can also be tr

But you don’t need to have diabetes to show an influence from your gut microbiota! In another study, researchers discovered that foods had a very different blood sugar response in each person. The gut microbiome was responsible for this unique response. Using solely an individual’s gut microbial profile, they were able to predict which foods would

What we discovered when we learned to study gut bacteria is a shockingly broad, expansive community of microorganisms that live inside us in harmony, in balance, and with a purpose. We call this community the “gut microbiota.” If we’re referring specifically to the genetic code of this community, then we use the expression “microbiome.” There are f

More than 99 percent of your DNA comes from microbes. Yes, your genes are less than 1 percent human! Further, our human genomes are virtually identical—up to 99.9 percent the same. But our microbiomes may be as much as 90 percent different from one person to the next.

Believe it or not, there was a 40 percent increase in healthy microbes with exercise. Similarly, in adult humans we see increased SCFA-producing gut microbes with regular exercise. The effect is lost when you stop moving.

If you permanently remove a food group, the microbes that thrive on that food will starve into extinction. They are procreating so quickly that the food choices you make in twenty-four hours will alter the evolution of fifty generations of microbes. It doesn’t take days or even weeks to change your microbes; it only takes one bite. But you control