Gut Health: Boost Your Gut Microbiome! Challenge Yourself to 40 Types of Plant-Based Foods a Week
My blog updates are becoming slower and slower, haha.
I returned to Japan for about three weeks in May, and when I came back to winter in Sydney, I went into hibernation.
Before I knew it, it started getting warmer here too, the jasmine began to bloom, and I can feel spring is just around the corner.
Midsummer in Japan must be sweltering, I'm sure.
When it's hot, my appetite drops, and I feel like I could just live on somen noodles and cucumbers, but
it's important to make sure we eat proper meals so we don't get worn out, right!
Food is important not only for us but also for the bacteria working inside our bodies.
Everyone already knows how important gut bacteria are for physical and mental health, but
the other day, for work, I attended a training session for a gut microbiome testing service company,
and I got hooked on the world of gut bacteria all over again.
I've written about gut bacteria in previous articles, so please check those out here.
For those who don't have much time:
The ideal gut microbiome is unknown: An individual organ that differs from person to person
Improving the gut environment means nurturing the various bacteria that grow in your own gut (variety is key)
Therefore, rather than just "taking good bacteria," it is more effective to "consume dietary fiber that serves as food, or foods that work in a similar way"
There are many bacteria in the gut, but
Unbalanced diet
Stress
Lack of exercise
Medication (antibiotics, NSAIDs, etc.)
Due to various causes, the balance of resident bacteria is disrupted, and as a result, the environment becomes inhospitable for the bacteria that were living happily, causing them to decrease, or leading to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria.
So, let's try doing something of a "boost" nature to at least invigorate the bacteria living in the gut!
That is what this story is about.
That was a long introduction!
The main text is short, so please bear with me, haha.
The Purpose of the 40 Plant-Based Foods a Week Challenge
Two of my colleagues at the naturopathy clinic where I work recently earned a new certification called "Probiotic Advisor."
One of the ways to make gut bacteria healthy that the teacher who created that certification talks about is
the "40 Plant-Based Foods a Week Challenge."
As I have written many times on my blog, it is very important not to eat the same things, but to be conscious of variety (aim for the colors of the rainbow!) in your diet.
Because you can get various nutrients
Because it provides balance
and so on, but this is also "because it is good for gut bacteria."
As I wrote earlier, the recognition that gut bacterial diversity is good for the gut environment = leads to health is becoming established.
And the diet that gut bacteria prefer differs depending on the bacteria.
A wide variety of ingredients (mainly plant-based foods) is essential for the diversity of gut bacteria.
The purpose of the 40 plant-based foods a week challenge is "to consciously try to consume a wide variety of plant-based foods!"
So, it's not that your gut environment will change just because you ate 40 types for one week.
And as you will see when you try it, 40 types is quite a lot.
If you can't do it this week, try again next week!
If writing it all down becomes a hassle, I think it's fine to just keep in mind that you should try to eat a wide variety of ingredients.
It's easier to keep going if you think of it as a casual, small challenge.
The important thing is to keep at it!
How to do the 40 plant-based foods a week challenge
✳️ Plant-based foods (grains, legumes, mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, seaweed, nuts)
✳️ Seasonings and spices are generally not included
✳️ Refined products (like white rice or wheat flour) are not included
✳️ Count by type, not by frequency
Following these rules, try writing down how many different types of food you eat in a week!
That's what it's all about.
Points to note:
For example, for someone who eats tofu and miso soup every day,
it's not 7 counts of "tofu" and 7 counts of "miso," but one type: "soybeans." Please count by food item and type.
My thoughts after actually trying it
I'm entering my fourth week now, and here is what one of my weeks looked like.
My handwriting is messy, and I'm embarrassed by the typos, omissions, and spelling errors.
And I didn't even reach 40 types!
Even though I talk big, this is how it really is.
What I founddifficultabout this challenge is
It is difficult to increase the variety of ingredients for a single serving
I often eat the same things because I do a lot of meal prep
It is even harder when eating out (including at friends' houses)
The good things are
I have become more conscious of seasonal vegetables and fruits
I have started to enjoy cooking
I might not reach 40 types this week either💦
But I plan to try again next week!
Can I feel the effects?
Ideally, I would do a gut microbiome test several times,
a baseline (before starting)
and then test again after a period of several months or half a year
to find out, but that costs a lot of money, doesn't it?
Of course,skin radiance, physical health, and mental statecan also be used as measures, but
the quickest way is, after all,to look at your "bowel movement condition", isn't it?
Please take a good, close look and check.
It is a good idea to compare it with the Bristol Stool Chart, which checks the shape and state of your stool.
The goal is Type 4.
In conclusion
Since starting this challenge, I've been reaching for ingredients I've never eaten before,
and looking up recipes to go with them,
and I feel it's quite a fun challenge.
Without overthinking it too much,
even though there are times (often) when I slack off,
it has become an opportunity for me to think again
about ingredients, about meals, and about my body.
Why don't you try taking on this little challenge with me?
I would be happy if there is anyone who would like to try it together.
