Gabrielle Morse eats 30 plants a week to support her gut microbiome.
© Gabrielle Morse/ Getty Images
- Research suggests that gut health is central to overall health.
- A prominent study found that eating 30 plants a week leads to a more diverse gut microbiome.
- Dietitian Gabrielle Morse tries to eat at least 10 plants at breakfast, including fruits, nuts, and oats.
From kombucha and kimchi to the countless products on grocery store shelves that claim to be good for your gut, knowing how to tend to your digestive health can be a minefield.
Gut health has become a buzzword in the health world, with emerging research increasingly linking a diverse gut microbiome, a term used to describe the trillions of bacteria and other bugs that live in our digestive systems, to good overall health.
“Looking after your gut health really lowers your risk of things like colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, and it can look after your mental health,” Gabrielle Morse, a gut health specialist and registered dietitian at The Gut Health Clinic, told Business Insider.
“There’s a gut-liver axis, so our gut health looks after our liver. There’s a gut-brain axis, so our gut and our brain look after each other. There’s a gut-skin axis, so our gut and our skin look after each other,” she said.
But there is still a lot that experts don’t know, and the space is fairly unregulated, meaning food manufacturers can make claims that might not be backed by science.
So Morse keeps it simple, aiming to eat 30 plant-based foods a week to keep her gut health in check, an approach that comes from The American Gut Project, a large 2018 study that compared the eating habits and analyzed the stool of around 10,000 volunteers. It found that those who ate a wider variety of plants had more diverse gut microbiomes, meaning they had more “good” bugs in their gut.
And the definition of plants is not limited to fruits and vegetables. It includes whole grains, legumes, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, and even dark chocolate.
“It’s not restrictive. It’s about crowding your plate with extra items. It’s about challenging you to look for new foods,” Morse said. “I just love the fact that the message is to go for color and variety, no calorie counting.”
Morse shared what she eats on an average day to look after her gut health with Business Insider.
Breakfast
Morse almost always has oats for breakfast, often meal-prepping portions of overnight oats for the week. This is partly because oats contain beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that has been found to lower cholesterol.
She mixes Greek yogurt or kefir, which contain live cultures that help support the microbiome, with oats.
Morse aims to get at least 10 plant foods into her first meal of the day, including nuts, seeds, and fruits, to reach her weekly goal of 30.
To make the overnight oats, she combines:
- 50g of oats
- Chia seeds
- 500g of Greek yogurt or kefir
- Frozen mixed berries
- Juice of an orange
- Grated apple
- Peanut butter
For the topping:
- A generous handful of mixed nuts, including pistachios, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, and pecans
- Peanut butter
Put the mixture in the fridge and divide it into portions the following day.
Lunch
For lunch, Morse either has leftovers from the night before or rustles together what she calls “taking lunch without making lunch.”
To make it, she buys a premade packet of mixed whole grains, which usually contain quinoa, buckwheat, and rice, she said. She’ll also pick up a bag of mixed salad leaves and some tinned mackerel in olive oil.
She mixes half the grains, fish, olive oil, and leaves together and seasons them with some black pepper and lemon juice. “And that would even be two lunches, so then I have the other half the next day,” she said.
Morse also carries a small Tupperware of mixed seeds with her so she can sprinkle some of those on top.
The dish is high in fiber from the whole grains and seeds, which is great for the gut, and high in protein and healthy fats from the fish and olive oil, she said.
Dinner
Morse approaches dinner by thinking about what food she has in the fridge first. “I can’t tell you that I have a spaghetti Bolognese or anything kind of conventional,” she said.
But she’s always thinking about how she can get as many plants as possible into her meal. “Virtually every dish, if I can, we’ll have some beans added into it for the protein, for the fiber, I know it helps me poop,” she said.
An example dinner is chopped onion, grated carrot and mushrooms sautéed with two different types of beans and some added stock and topped with cheese.
Morse pairs this with some quinoa, some buckwheat, and some rice.
The longevity diet: Easy, science-backed ways to eat (and drink) for a long, healthy life©MixMedia/Getty Images
- Eating for a longer, healthier life doesn’t need to be complex and expensive.
- Some of the most nutritious foods, such as beans, are cheap, accessible, and easy to cook.
- You can also conveniently boost your health by drinking smoothies, tea, and even plain water.
It’s boring but true: If you want a long and healthy life, you should try your best to eat well.
Studies on the healthiest people in the world — i.e., people who remain sharp, strong, and youthful well into their 70s, 80s, 90s, and even 100s — show that diet is key.
That means avoiding ultra-processed foods and instead eating home-cooked meals rich in protein, fiber, and cruciferous vegetables.
But putting that into practice isn’t so easy for most people with busy jobs, kids, and ballooning grocery-store prices.
So, if you can’t drop everything and relocate to a parallel universe with Sardinian hills and an abundance of fresh produce, here are some useful diet tips that you can incorporate into your meals little by little:
Eat beans — seriously
Beans are one of the most accessible, nutrient-packed foods you can eat, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, a registered dietitian and the author of “Read It Before You Eat It: Taking You from Label to Table.”
They’re full of protein and fiber and are easy to prepare in simple, healthy recipes such as soup, chili, pasta, and more, Taub-Dix previously told Business Insider.
“Beans are the most underrated food in the supermarket,” she said.
Beans are also a staple in “Blue Zones” diets, says Dan Buettner, an author who popularized research on the regions where people live the longest, healthiest lives in the world.
Buettner recommends eating at least half a cup of beans per day. He says he often gets his dose via a big bowl of soup, such as traditional minestrone.
And if you think eating beans is boring, think again — all it takes is a little know-how of proper seasoning and cooking techniques to make beans (and other plant-based dishes) delicious. Try snacking on them with recipes such as crunchy chickpeas. You can even sneak beans in dessert, as in this healthy chocolate-rich recipe.
Anti Aging ingredients to add to your grocery list
Step away from the supplements. Some of the best ways to enhance your health are in your regular grocery store. Blue Zones and other healthy diets routinely include common longevity-boosting foods such as:
- Olive oil, which is a versatile cooking ingredient. Research consistently shows it can help prevent early death in as little as a teaspoon per day.
- Honey, which can make sweet treats more healthful by providing a dose of antioxidants that help stave off dangerous diseases.
- Nuts, which are nutrient-dense powerhouses packed with healthy fats, fiber, and even some protein, making them worth the high calorie count.
- Starchy carbs such as squash and sweet potatoes, which are traditional Blue Zones foods that provide steady energy and fiber for more balanced blood sugar.
- Leafy greens, including herbs, which offer a wealth of lifespan-extending micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals as well as polyphenols, plant-based compounds linked to a lower risk of major causes of death such as cancer and heart disease.
If extending your lifespan via some kitchen wizardry feels daunting, don’t despair — smoothies are a tried-and-true longevity strategy backed by doctors, athletes, and biohackers, with no cooking skills required.
Dr. Mark Hyman, a 63-year-old longevity expert who says his biological age is 20 years younger, starts every day with a smoothie of berries, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and whey powder for a total of 48 grams of protein.
The tech exec Bryan Johnson is famous for his intense (and costly) anti aging routine, which involves a “Green Giant” smoothie each day. The ingredients include creatine, which evidence suggests can improve physical and mental performance. It’s also packed with plant-based nutrients linked to better health, such as cocoa flavanols.
Drink water — and cool it on the alcohol
Sorry, happy-hour enthusiasts — the best thing to drink for your health is water, and it always has been.
Despite a bit of evidence (and a lot of wishful thinking) that alcohol such as wine may be good for you in small doses, most research suggests it’s best to avoid imbibing for optimal health.
It’s also important to steer clear of too many sweet drinks, such as sodas and juice, which are linked to a higher risk of illnesses such as liver cancer.
Instead, aim to stay hydrated with between 90 to 125 ounces daily, on average, although the amount varies based on your personal stats and habits. You don’t have to be bereft of all bubbles, though, since seltzer counts as hydration. And coffee or tea is not only allowed but encouraged, offering extra antioxidants and health benefits beyond mere hydration.
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3 easy dinner recipes by a gut health dietitian who eats 30 plants a week.
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