Experts are increasingly recognising the significance of gut health as a cornerstone for overall wellbeing, with a consensus forming among scientists, doctors and nutritionists.

Your gut houses a unique microbiome, teeming with trillions of bacteria and other microbes that play a pivotal role in many aspects of our health, from bolstering the immune system to impacting mental health and aiding in digestion.

Medical website Healthline highlights the fact that there are “more bacterial cells in your body than human cells”, describing these microbes as an additional organ that is instrumental to our health. These microbes are generally categorised into “good” and “bad” by scientists and nutritionists, with an excess of “bad” bacteria potentially leading to inflammation and illness.

Here are other ways in which the gut microbiome is integral to our health:

• It may affect heart health: a recent study found that the gut microbiome played an important role in promoting “good” HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while certain unhealthy species in the gut microbiome may also contribute to heart disease by producing a chemical that contributes to blocked arteries
• It may help control blood sugar, which could affect the risk of type 1 and 2 diabetes
• It may affect mental health: certain species of bacteria can help produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, an antidepressant neurotransmitter that’s mostly made in the gut
• It may improve your immune system: Science and nutrition firm Zoe says “scientists believe that the gut microbiome may be the central player that links chronic inflammation” to diseases like obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes and that “your gut microbiome can have a direct effect on your immune system, including on certain types of inflammation”.

It’s becoming clear to researchers that a robust gut microbiome is vital to our overall health, a concept that has only recently started to gain more widespread attention, reports Wales Online.

How do you know how healthy your gut is?

If you have a healthy and varied diet consisting of a wide variety of plants but few unhealthy or ultra-processed foods, there is a good chance your gut microbiome is in good shape. But there is only one way to really know for sure and that is to get it tested. To do this, I joined the Zoe programme, a nutrition programme that begins by testing the health of your gut microbiome (via a poo test) as well as your blood sugar control and blood fat control (via a blood test) — you can read more about that experience here.

When I first joined Zoe, I was already half a year into my journey of healthy eating, which included avoiding ultra-processed foods (you can read about that here). So, when I received my initial gut health score, it was a robust 82 out of 100.

Zoe then reassesses your gut health after six months, and this is when mine scored an impressive 93 out of 100, a result I was quite chuffed with.

What were my two golden rules?

I followed two general guidelines to improve my gut health score:

• I ate no ultra-processed food
• I ate at least 30 different plants a week

Scientists theorise that ultra-processed foods have a negative impact on gut health. Zoe suggests this might be “because ultra-processed food often lacks fibre, which plays an essential role in keeping your microbiome healthy”.

Its Predict study indicated that “eating a diet rich in highly processed foods was associated with an increase of ‘bad’ or potentially harmful gut microbes”.

A study published in the journal Nature highlighted that “evidence shows that some emulsifiers, sweeteners, colours, and microparticles and nanoparticles have effects on a range of outcomes, including the gut microbiome, intestinal permeability and intestinal inflammation”.

On the other hand, scientists believe that consuming a wide variety of plants, as well as fermented foods, promotes “good” bacteria and enhances the health of your gut microbiome.

Here’s how I boosted my gut microbiome and how you can do the same:

• I ate at least 30 different plants: A diverse range of foods can lead to a diverse microbiome, which is an indicator of good gut health. Although 30 may sound like a lot, it’s actually very achievable when you think that we’re not just talking about fruit and vegetables here. Also included are the many different kinds of beans (like butter, cannellini, black, kidney, pinto), grains (like oats, quinoa or bulgar wheat), nuts (like almonds, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts and pistachios) and seeds (like chia, pumpkin or sesame). Furthermore, herbs and spices also count, and plants like coffee and cocoa also contain good chemicals which help your gut microbiome.
• I tried to get at least 30g of fibre a day: Legumes like beans and lentils, as well as vegetables and fruit, contain lots of fibre., which is linked to protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer, better blood sugar control, digestion, weight management, and immune function.
• I ate fermented foods: Fermented foods include yoghurt, cheese, kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir, which all contain healthy bacteria.
• I stopped eating ultra-processed foods: As noted above, scientists believe ultra-processed foods affect gut health and stimulate the growth of unhealthy bacteria.
• I altered the balance of plants and meat in my diet: While I have not stopped eating meat, I drastically reduced my intake of processed meat and red meat, instead eating more fish or simply eating vegetarian or vegan meals.
• I ate foods rich in polyphenols: Polyphenols are plant compounds and you can increase the range of compounds by eating as many different coloured fruits and vegetables as you can. But other foods rich in polyphenols include red wine, coffee, dark chocolate and olive oil.