While no one food can ‘fix’ your gut — remember that it’s important to eat a diverse range of plant-based foods each week.
This handful of foods is a good place to start!
1 Anything from the onion family
Think shallots, leeks and garlic as well as onions and spring onion. They are a good source of fructo-oligosaccharides — or FOS for short. That’s a prebiotic fibre that remains undigested until it hits the large intestine, where it encourages the growth and activity of ‘good’ bacteria.
2 Legumes
As well as providing a slightly different form of prebiotic fibre called galacto-oligosaccharides, legumes also contain resistant starch. That’s a fibre-like substance which promotes the production of a short-chain fatty acid called butyrate.
3 Oats
These are a rich source of beta glucan, a form of soluble fibre that’s been shown to improve cholesterol levels and act as a food source for good gut bacteria.
4 Pistachios
As well as delivering a hit of insoluble fibre, pistachios also work as a prebiotic. In one study, people who ate some every day had noticeably higher levels of beneficial butyrate-producing gut bacteria after just 19 days.
5 Grapefruit
Rich in fructans, another type of prebiotic, grapefruit are available all year round in Australia and New Zealand, but are officially in season now, during winter.
For more advice on gut health, we recommend:
- Your complete guide to boosting gut health
- Top foods for a healthy gut, according to science
- Fermented foods 101: Revitalise your gut
- Gut health and mood: What you need to know
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