\u201cPlant foods are a massive group. Of course, we think of fruits and veggies, but also what they include is things like pulses, seeds, spices, coffee, chocolate, oils – so, it\u2019s actually a whole spectrum of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here, Biddick shares some simple ways to swap in more gut-friendly foods into your daily diet.<\/p>\n
The key? Take small steps, says Biddick. <\/p>\n
Aim for wholemeal or wholegrain bread, cereals<\/p>\n
You can boost your fibre intake by making swaps in the bread<\/a> and cereal<\/a> aisles. <\/p>\n \u201cSay you were having a wholemeal bread, can you go for wholegrain? If you\u2019re having white bread, go for wholemeal. Make small steps,\u201d Biddick suggests.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re having rice bubbles or cornflakes, swap to Weetbix. These are simple ways that we can just start to make a pivot to get some more of those grainy whole foods in our diet.\u201d<\/p>\n These changes don\u2019t have to be drastic, she says.<\/p>\n \u201cAdding a small amount can make a massive difference to not only your gut health, but your cardiovascular risk.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s always a choice to be made, even if you\u2019ve got takeaways – you often can pick a healthier option that might give you more fibre or grains with it, [like swapping] white rice for brown rice in your sushi.\u201d<\/p>\n Swap your usual apple for a different fruit<\/p>\n We can get into the habit of reaching for the same kind of fruit every day, but Biddick says it\u2019s important to switch it up regularly.<\/p>\n \u201cDifferent plants give us different fibres and different nutrients,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you add one more serve of fruit or veggie a day? Some good ways to do that are just adding in some extra vegetables. If you make a bolognaise, can you put some grated carrot and chopped-up spinach in it, if you didn\u2019t normally do it?\u201d<\/p>\n A fun way to do this as a family is trying a new fruit or vegetable together. And if more fresh fruit and vegetables aren\u2019t in your budget, try the freezer section – they\u2019re frozen at peak freshness and are just as nutritious.<\/p>\n Another way to up your fibre intake is to leave the skins on, and prepare them to suit. \u201cYou might not want a boiled carrot with skin on, but a roast one\u2019s pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to do this gradually for digestive comfort, Biddick adds.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, start with an extra piece of fruit and serve of vegies a day, then build on this with further changes.\u201d<\/p>\n Swap in plant proteins<\/p>\n Plant proteins like chickpeas, beans and lentils are \u201cpowerhouses\u201d for your gut when it comes to fibre, Biddick says.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can tag team your pulses with a nice bit of meat. So maybe get that nicer cut of mince, add some pulses to it and save money,\u201d she suggests.<\/p>\n You can also swap out the butter on your sandwich for hummus, or replace your protein powder with a plant-based one to increase your intake.<\/p>\n Swap chips for roasted chickpeas, nuts and seeds<\/p>\n Many ultra-processed foods are found in the snack aisle, but there are plenty of alternatives that are better for your gut.<\/p>\n \u201cDo some nice roasted chickpeas instead of chips if you need a salty hit,\u201d Biddick suggests.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re more of a sweet tooth, try snacking on some chickpea-based bliss balls.<\/p>\n \u201cNuts and seeds are full of fibres. The gut really likes omega-3s. We get those from oily fish, [but] hemp seeds, nuts and seeds are rich in them too.\u201d<\/p>\n Swap fizz for low-sugar kombucha <\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of drinks, water\u2019s best,\u201d Biddick says – but if you are craving a carbonated beverage, she suggests reaching for a low-sugar kombucha rather than a fizzy drink or soda.<\/p>\n Other fermented foods, like low-fat yoghurt, miso, and kimchi can help support gut health by providing probiotics.<\/p>\n \u201cCan we use kefir in a smoothie? [It\u2019s] full of amazing microbes … Can you boost up a meal with some sauerkraut on top?<\/p>\n \u201cAny kind of pickled vegetable, that\u2019s a really good thing to put into the diet.\u201d<\/p>\n Bonus: Add your gut health \u2018boosters\u2019<\/p>\n Biddick likes to add \u201cboosters\u201d to a meal for better gut health. <\/p>\n \u201cPut a little sprinkle of seeds on your salad. Use spices – spices are classified as a plant food, and again, they can support the gut. Certain spices are associated with anti-inflammatory properties, things like ginger, turmeric.\u201d<\/p>\n Dressings or garnishes like fresh or dried herbs, extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil and avocado oil can all count towards your plant intake.<\/p>\n Bethany Reitsma is a lifestyle writer who has been with the NZ Herald since 2019. She specialises in all things health and wellbeing and is passionate about telling Kiwis\u2019 real-life stories.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Processed foods tend to have less fibre – soluble, insoluble, or starch-resistant – than whole foods. These types…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271235,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[277],"tags":[2055,829,36961,24869,18,39488,6452,138199,3075,39603,7717,135,5249,18268,19,17,138200,6106,25515,508,138197,138198,36960,17705,95094,1213,51565,1210,21003],"class_list":{"0":"post-271234","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-about","9":"tag-and","10":"tag-boost","11":"tag-does","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-ever","14":"tag-fibre","15":"tag-fix","16":"tag-foods","17":"tag-gut","18":"tag-have","19":"tag-health","20":"tag-healthy","21":"tag-hearing","22":"tag-ie","23":"tag-ireland","24":"tag-mean","25":"tag-microbiome","26":"tag-more","27":"tag-nutrition","28":"tag-simple","29":"tag-swaps","30":"tag-talking","31":"tag-than","32":"tag-thinking","33":"tag-to","34":"tag-were","35":"tag-what","36":"tag-your"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115851043975741774","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271234\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}We should be aiming to eat around 30 different plant foods a week, gut health experts say. Photo \/ 123RF<\/p>\n
Roasted chickpeas can be just as crunchy as chips.<\/p>\n
If you don’t want to (just) drink water, kombucha is a good option. <\/p>\n