Gut-Loving Foods: How to Feed Your Microbiome One Meal at a Time

By Julie LeBoutillier, Naturopath – Casuarina Holistic Health

If you're looking to improve your gut health, one of the most powerful ways to do that is by increasing the diversity of plants in your diet. Research shows that the number of different plant foods you eat each week is one of the strongest predictors of a healthy, balanced gut microbiome.

In fact, the American Gut Project found that people who ate 30 or more different plant foods per week had greater microbiome diversity – and this is linked with better digestion, immunity, mood, and long-term health.

Here’s how you can start building up your gut diversity with everyday fibre-rich and gut-loving meals:

Breakfast: Cinnamon Apple Chia Oats

A warm, nourishing start to your day with plenty of soluble fibre, prebiotics, and healthy fats.

Ingredients

• 1 medium apple, chopped

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ¼ cup rolled oats

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• ½ cup water or milk (almond, oat, dairy – your choice)

• 1 tsp honey (optional)

• 1 tbsp chopped walnuts

• 1 tbsp chopped almonds

Method

1. Stew the apple and cinnamon in a splash of water until soft (keep the apple skin on).

2. In another saucepan, cook oats and chia in your chosen milk until creamy.

3. Stir through the stewed apple and top with nuts and honey.

Plant foods in this meal: apple, cinnamon, oats, chia, walnuts, almonds. This one bowl gives your gut 6 different plant foods before 9am!

Lunch: Avocado & Cottage Cheese Crispbreads with Pickles

This is my favourite lunch or a variation with sliced Havarti cheese instead of cottage cheese.

Fibre-packed lunch with healthy fats.

Ingredients

• 4 rye crispbreads (like Ryvita)

• ½ avocado, smashed

• ⅓ cup cottage cheese

• ¼ tsp cumin

• 1 sugar-free pickled gherkins, sliced (I like Ceres organic)

• 1 tsp sunflower seeds

Snack

• A handful of raspberries

• 2 tbsp natural Greek yoghurt

Method

1. Mix avocado, cumin and cottage cheese.

2. Spread over the crispbreads.

3. Add sliced gherkins and top with sunflower seeds.

   Finish with a side of raspberries and yoghurt.

Plant foods in this meal: avocado, rye, gherkin, cumin, sunflower seeds, raspberries.

That’s another 6 gut-loving plants!

Gluten-free option: swap to brown rice crackers with hummus.

Dinner: Stir-Fried Steak with Gut-Loving Veggies and Rice

A simple and delicious dinner that delivers prebiotics, resistant starch, and antioxidant-rich vegetables.

Ingredients

• 150g steak (or your preferred protein)

• 1 tsp grated ginger

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 cup cooked rice (cooled then reheated to increase resistant starch)

• Choose 5 vegetables (bok choy, green beans, red capsicum, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, Chinese cabbage)

  Method

• Sauté ginger and garlic in olive oil.

• Cook steak to your liking.

• Toss in veggies and stir-fry until just tender.

• Serve over the reheated rice.

Plant foods in this meal: garlic, ginger, rice, 5 veggies – that's 7 or more plant foods in one dish!

Optional dessert: 2 squares of 70% dark chocolate for a polyphenol-rich finish.

Why plant diversity matters.

Your gut microbiome feeds on fibre and prebiotics – and different species of gut bacteria thrive on different foods. Including a variety of:

• Fruits and vegetables

• Legumes and whole grains

• Nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices

• Fermented foods

• Prebiotic fibres

...is the key to building a resilient and diverse gut.

Some Powerful Gut-Loving Nutrients & Where to Find Them:

•  Pectin (feeds good bacteria, helps digestion)

  Found in: apples, pears, tomatoes, kiwi, sweet potato, citrus zest

• Inulin & FOS (prebiotic fibres)

  Found in: asparagus, onions, leeks, Jerusalem artichoke, beetroot, garlic

• Polyphenols (antioxidants that protect the gut)

  Found in: cherries, pomegranate, raspberries, capsicum (especially red), strawberries, turmeric, glove artichoke, capers, herbs (oregano, thyme), berries, black olives, black tea, eggplant, fresh figs, grapes, cocoa, flaxseed, nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts), species (cardamon, cinnamon, clove, cumin), green tea, dark chocolate (over 70%)

• Resistant Starch (feeds microbes in the large intestine)

  Found in: cooked-and-cooled rice or potatoes, green bananas, oats, legumes

• Fermented Foods (introduce live beneficial bacteria)

  Try: sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, yoghurt, kefir, pickles, tempeh

•  Omega-3 Fats (anti-inflammatory and gut barrier supportive)

  Found in: chia, flaxseeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, seaweed, oily fish

• Beta Glucans (immune-modulating fibre)

  Found in: oats, barley, mushrooms, seaweed

Start Simple.

As you can see from the above recipes, getting the 30 different plants per week is very doable. Start experimenting!

Need help determining which foods are right for your microbiome and body? Book a consult.

www.casuarinaholistichealth.com.au

Jules x

Reference:

Hechtman, L. (PhD). (n.d.). "You've Got Guts" Webinar 3 – The Digestive Microbiome Part 3: Case Study – Clinical Application. Nutripath Pathology.

McDonald, D., Hyde, E., Debelius, J. W., Morton, J. T., Gonzalez, A., Ackermann, G., ... & Knight, R. (2018). American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research. mSystems, 3(3), e00031-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00031-18

Julie LeBoutillier, Naturopath, Metabolic Balance Practitioner – Casuarina Holistic Health. Supporting gut health, menopause and healthy weight loss – now available online Australia-wide.