Episode 5: Feed Your Gut with Jeannette Hyde
Healthily | 08/20/20
In this conversation with fellow nutritional therapist Jeannette Hyde, we cover ways to embrace delicious food as a means to improving gut health. With its links to the brain, weight, skin and immunity, our guts are crucial to how we feel both physically and emotionally. We cover fermented foods, the role of fibre, and how colour can make all the difference to overall health. This episode really celebrates food. Prepare to leave feeling hungry!
TAKEAWAYs
✔️ The Gut Microbiome: Why Diversity Matters
The gut microbiome contains trillions of bacteria, mainly in the colon, which weigh ~2 kg.
Diversity is key: A wide range of bacteria improves immune function, mood, digestion, and overall health.
Strategies to enhance diversity:
Include 30–70 different plant foods per week (vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, seeds, pulses).
Include fermented foods (e.g., kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha).
Minimize ultra-processed foods with additives like emulsifiers or methylcellulose, which may harm gut bacteria.
✔️ Practical Food Guidance
Sourdough bread: Traditional sourdough (flour, water, salt, starter, fermented 2–3 weeks) is easier to digest than fast-produced bread; check labels and buy from artisan bakers if possible.
Fermented foods: Look for refrigerated products to ensure live bacteria; avoid pasteurized options. Examples:
Sauerkraut
Kombucha (without added sparkling water, properly fermented 8–10 days)
Certain cheeses (unpasteurized: Roquefort, Parmesan, Manchego)
Avoid elimination-only diets (e.g., low FODMAP for long periods) as they may reduce microbiome diversity; instead, add variety slowly.
✔️ Approach to Dietary Change
Encourage gradual dietary changes to prevent bloating or digestive discomfort.
Start by removing artificial sweeteners (e.g., diet sodas) and replacing with probiotic alternatives like kombucha.
Focus on plant diversity at every meal, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Use tools like diversity challenges to track the number of different plants eaten weekly.
✔️ Key Insights on Probiotics
Whole foods provide more diverse, sustainable probiotic exposure than pills.
Live fermented cheeses and properly fermented vegetables provide varying bacterial strains with every serving.
✔️ Lifestyle Factors for Gut Health
Diet alone isn’t enough; microbiome is influenced by:
Stress management
Exercise
Age and early life (e.g., breastfeeding)
Environmental microbial exposure
✔️ Practical Consumer Tips
Read ingredient lists carefully; avoid items with unrecognizable additives.
In real-life scenarios (e.g., eating out), focus on fiber, protein, and natural fats.
Even small changes, like adding a side of vegetables or a spoonful of sauerkraut, can benefit gut health.
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