It sounds like something straight out of a twisted sci-fi film, but the truth is that our gut and brain are talking to one another. This communication system is called the Gut-Brain Axis. There are actually millions of nerve endings in our gut, which constantly communicate with our gut microbes.

On the Women’s Health, Just As Well podcast, Professor Tim Spector, an acclaimed researcher in the field of genetic epidemiology and microbiome studies, explained how one can start working on gut health improvements within two weeks.

Optimise your Gut health in 14 days!

To promote good bacteria in the gut, Spector recommends three key dietary changes:

Eat a rainbow of colorful plants. The various colors in colorful vegetables contain various polyphenols that serve as nutrients for certain beneficial bacteria in your gut. Variety is crucial. Spector's advice is to consume 30 different plants a week. These plants can be nuts, seeds, herbs, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

He also advised to include fermented food, “anything with a live microbe in it that has a chance of being healthy for you.” Fermented food such as yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir can be added to your diet.

To Tim Spector, it is important to avoid highly processed food items and snacking. These are known to contain emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, which affect the lining of the gut.

Snacking also has harmful effects, so he urges people to cut back on that. Grazing prevents the body's migrating motor complex from cleaning the digestive system. He thus urges to keep an overnight gap of a few hours, at least.

Spector stresses the importance of when you eat, being almost as crucial as what you eat. But everything should have a certain balance, with focus on nutrition.

Maintaining a diet is difficult, and people usually give up after a few days of following any diet. He said an improved gut microbiome can be seen as a way to boost your resilience against those heavy days and friends’ late-night parties.

He thus advises: “Do that (diet) five days out of seven, but don’t pass up a friend’s party.”

So, why is it important to maintain good gut health?

Issues one can face with a disturbed gut

An upset gut not only leads to bloating but can affect a person's mood. Professor Spector refers to how anxiety, depression, and ADHD levels are only 25-30% genetic. This means the remaining percentage is affected by the environment, with diet being a huge factor.

In this regard, Spector discusses the study known as the SMILES trial, which was carried out in Australia. The study revealed that patients who suffered from moderate to severe depression and made a dietary change towards a friendly-to-the-gut or Mediterranean diet experienced a greater reduction in their depressive symptoms compared to those who only sought social support.

So now that this revelation has come forth, that changing one's diet can help alleviate depression, how would you incorporate the above in your life? If you have any tips and tricks of your own, share in the comments!

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Joyita Das