Why Should You Consume More Fiber to Keep Your Gut Bacteria Happy
“The human microbiome is complex, but the more samples we get, the sooner we will be able to unravel the many ways the microbiome is associated with various health and disease states.” Ob Knight, PhD
Gut bacteria are important to our health.
They produce enzymes to break down foods, help with digestion, regulate metabolism and fight pathogens. Besides the mechanical functions, the gut also regulates mood and higher cognitive functions and strengthens the immune system (70% of cells responsible for the immune system, also known as GALT, reside in the gut). Additionally, the microbiome is responsible for secreting serotonin, dopamine, GABA, melatonin and some vitamins, including B12 and K. Levels of melatonin influence stages of sleep. The connection between your gut and sleep is bidirectional. Not getting enough sleep will throw off your circadian rhythm and change the composition of the microbes. At the same time, if your microbiome isn’t balanced and nourished through lifestyle and nutrition, your sleep cycle will be negatively impacted.
Our modern lifestyles (antibiotics, sterile environments, not spending enough time in nature exposing our bodies to various bacteria, consuming processed foods) throw the microbiome out of balance.
Studies have shown the importance of eating a plant-based died.
The greater the variety of plant-based foods the greater the diversity of microbiomes in your gut. That is due to the fact that fiber, found in grains, seeds, legumes, fruit, and veggies (not any animal products) is the game-changer for balancing our microbiome. Daily, we should strive to consume between 40 to 60 grams in order to promote a more diverse mix of gut bacteria. It is also important to pay attention to the type of fiber that we consume. Most people consume foods rich in short fibers, which get digested before they reach the colon (where bacteria are concentrated). The foods that we should be consuming more of, are those known as prebiotics. Those foods contain fructan and cellulose fibers which can survive the GI track.
Fructans can be found in many veggies (leeks, asparagus, beets) and fruits (grapefruits, persimmons, plums, etc.)
Cellulose fibers are found in hard parts or stems of veggies and fruit (strings of celery, ends of asparagus, or stalks of broccoli). So next time you cook with those veggies, make sure not to discard those parts, as they are very beneficial to your overall health.
Satisfying your daily fiber requirements is easier than you think if you concentrate on adding veggies and/or fruits to every meal.
To put things into perspective, this picture is of our dinner I cooked up recently: vegan mushroom-eggplant “meatballs” and succotash. Other than the avocado oil which was used for cooking, those two dishes were combined of fiber-rich ingredients: 8 veggies, brown rice, and oats.