Supporting gut health is a topic I am fascinated about and discuss regularly in clinic. Recent research shows that eating a variety of different plant foods has been shown to have the most significant impact on gut health.

The more diverse, whole plant based foods you eat, the more likely you are to boost the diversity of your gut microbiota (the trillions of microbes living in your gut). Maintaining a happy, healthy and diverse microbiome is crucial in supporting overall physical and mental health.

Rather than focussing on ‘the best’ vegetables or what you could remove from your diet, I encourage you to focus on all the goodness you can add in (there is lots of it around)! This includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts and seeds of all colours, textures and flavours! Here are a few suggestions of how you could increase the variety of plant foods during the week to keep your gut bugs happy:

Adding 1 more vegetable to your meal: Frozen veg e.g. peas, edamame, carrots & spinach are always helpful to have stored in the freezer to throw into dishes.
Dark green leafy veg e.g. kale, spinach, chard, cavolo nero keep well in the fridge and take a minute to cook (blanched, steamed, sautéed or added to most dishes just before serving). They taste delicious seasoned with a little salt, herbs and olive oil.
Roasting a large tray of a variety of different veggies at the beginning of the week e.g. cauliflower, courgette, peppers, tomatoes, squash etc. and leaving in an airtight container in the fridge means you’ll have veggies ready to add to meals during the week.
Adding herbs and spices when cooking e.g. dried oregano and rosemary to your roasted veg, ground cumin and turmeric in a curry etc.
Sprinkling nuts and seeds onto dishes
Cooking with a variety of different grains e.g. rice, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur wheat etc.
Adding beans & pulses into dishes (extra protein too!) e.g. soups, stews, dips, salads etc.
Adding a new fruit or veg you haven’t cooked with or eaten for ages into your shopping basket each week
If you’re already having your 5 a day (great work!) - try aiming for 30 different plant foods each week.