The Science of Gut Health (& Why It Matters)

Summary

This video script explores the significant impact of gut health on overall well-being, including digestion, immune function, and mental health. It features expert advice from Sophie Medlin, emphasizing the importance of a balanced gut microbiome. The script offers actionable dietary tips, such as consuming 30 different plants weekly and 30 grams of fiber daily, while cautioning against processed foods, artificial sugars, and restrictive diets. It also discusses the gut-brain axis and the role of probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids in maintaining a healthy gut.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Gut health is not just about digestion but also impacts physical health, including the immune system, and mental health, affecting concentration and productivity.
• 🌱 The gut, or gastrointestinal tract, is home to trillions of microorganisms known as the gut microbiome, which are essential for breaking down food and producing nutrients.
• 🔬 A healthy gut is characterized by a well-balanced and diverse gut microbiome, which can be influenced by the foods we eat and their fermentation by gut bacteria.
• 💡 Gut health is linked to mental health through the gut-brain axis, involving chemical, hormonal, and physical connections that influence mood and behavior.
• 🛡️ The gut plays a crucial role in the immune system, with 70% of immune cells residing in the gut and interacting with gut bacteria, affecting immune responses.
• 🥗 To improve gut health, aim for 30 different plant-based foods per week to encourage a diverse range of beneficial bacteria.
• 🍽️ Variety in diet is key for gut health, promoting a more diverse gut microbiome compared to a consistent diet of the same foods.
• 🌾 Aim for 30 grams of fiber daily to feed the good bacteria in the gut, which can be achieved through fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
• 🍵 Probiotics, in the form of foods or supplements containing live microorganisms, may help maintain or improve the balance of good bacteria in the gut.
• 🐟 Include two portions of oily fish per week to provide omega-3 fatty acids that support good bacteria and control inflammation.
• 🚫 Reduce intake of red meat, avoid processed foods, artificial sugars, and fad diets or detoxes, as they can negatively impact the gut microbiome and overall health.
• 🔢 Be cautious of calorie counting for gut health, as it may not accurately reflect the nutritional value of food and can lead to imbalanced diets.

Q & A

What is the primary function of the gut?

The primary function of the gut is to break down the food we eat, absorb nutrients, and get rid of waste.

What is the gut microbiome, and what role does it play in our health?

The gut microbiome is a collective of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that live in our digestive tracts. They help break down food, turning it into nutrients our body needs and interact with our body in various ways, affecting our overall health.

How does gut health impact mental health?

Gut health impacts mental health through the gut-brain axis, which involves chemical, hormonal, and physical connections. The gut microbiome produces neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which regulate mood and behavior, and the gut communicates with the brain through the HPA axis and the vagus nerve.

What is the connection between gut health and the immune system?

70% of our immune cells live in our colon, and gut bacteria constantly interact with them. Studies with germ-free animals have shown a clear link between the gut microbiome and the ability to produce and develop immune cells and antibodies.

What are some actionable recommendations for improving gut health?

Recommendations include eating 30 different plants per week, aiming for a variety of diets, consuming 30 grams of fiber daily, considering the use of probiotics, and including two portions of oily fish per week.

Why is it important to eat a variety of plant foods?

Eating a variety of plant foods improves gut health by encouraging the growth of different species of bacteria, especially the healthy good bacteria.

What is the significance of fiber in a gut-healthy diet?

Fiber acts as a prebiotic in the large intestine, feeding the good bacteria and promoting a healthy gut microbiome. Most people consume less than half of the recommended amount of fiber daily.

How can probiotics potentially benefit gut health?

Probiotics, which are foods or supplements containing live microorganisms, can maintain or improve the good bacteria in the gut, potentially helping to control gut symptoms associated with stress and anxiety.

What are some foods or practices that should be reduced or avoided for better gut health?

It's recommended to reduce intake of red meat, avoid processed foods and artificial sugars, be cautious of diet fads and detoxes, and avoid strict calorie counting as these practices can negatively impact gut health.

Why might cutting out gluten not be beneficial for everyone?

Cutting out gluten can be beneficial for those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, but for the majority of the population without these conditions, it's more of a fad and doesn't offer significant health benefits.

What is the issue with relying on calorie counting for gut health?

Calorie counting doesn't reflect the nutritional value of food and can be misleading. Food labels can be inaccurate, and the body may not absorb all the calories listed due to differences in cooking and digestion processes.

How does the consumption of red meat potentially impact gut health?

High consumption of red meat can negatively affect gut health due to the metabolites produced from its breakdown, which are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Gut Health and Its Impact on Overall Well-being

The script introduces the concept of gut health, emphasizing its far-reaching effects beyond digestion, including impacts on the immune system and mental health. It highlights the importance of a balanced gut microbiome for overall health and productivity. The video aims to provide actionable recommendations from an interview with Sophie Medlin, a leading expert in gut health, to improve gut health and its associated benefits. The script explains the gut's role in breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste, as well as the critical role of the gut microbiome in these processes.

05:00

🥗 Dietary Tips for a Healthy Gut Microbiome

This paragraph outlines dietary recommendations for enhancing gut health. The advice includes consuming 30 different plant-based foods per week to promote a diverse gut microbiome, aiming for a varied diet rather than a consistent one, ensuring an intake of 30 grams of fiber daily to support beneficial bacteria, considering probiotics to maintain or improve gut bacteria, and including two portions of oily fish per week for their omega-3 fatty acids. The paragraph also addresses the potential benefits of probiotics in reducing psychological stress and the role of omega-3 in promoting good bacteria and controlling inflammation.

10:01

🚫 Foods to Avoid for Optimal Gut Health

The script provides guidance on foods to reduce or avoid for better gut health. It advises cutting down on red meat due to its association with cardiovascular disease and cancer, avoiding processed foods which contain additives and preservatives that can inhibit beneficial gut bacteria, steering clear of artificial sugars that may disrupt insulin production and increase hunger, being wary of diet fads and detoxes that can deprive the body of essential nutrients, and cautioning against strict calorie counting which may not reflect the true nutritional value of food.

15:02

📉 The Limitations of Calorie Counting for Gut Health

The final paragraph discusses the limitations of calorie counting as a method for weight loss or muscle gain in the context of gut health. It points out that calories do not necessarily reflect the nutritional value of food and that food labels can be inaccurate. The script suggests that focusing on physical hunger rather than calorie counting may be a more beneficial approach to eating for gut health. It also mentions the importance of considering the nutritional value of food over its calorie content and the potential inaccuracies in calorie tracking apps.

Keywords

💡Gut Health

Gut health refers to the condition and functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the stomach and intestines. It is integral to the video's theme as it is highlighted as a key factor affecting not only digestive processes but also overall physical and mental health. The script discusses how gut health impacts immune function, mental well-being, and even productivity, emphasizing the importance of a balanced gut microbiome for overall health.

💡Microbiome

The gut microbiome is the collection of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that live in our digestive tracts. The video emphasizes its role in breaking down food, producing nutrients, and interacting with our bodies to influence health. A healthy and diverse gut microbiome is presented as a sign of good gut health, which is crucial for digestion and the prevention of digestive disorders.

💡Gut-Brain Axis

The gut-brain axis is the bidirectional communication system between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. It is a key concept in the video, illustrating how the gut communicates with the brain through chemical, hormonal, and physical connections. The script mentions neurotransmitters produced by the gut microbiome, such as serotonin and dopamine, which are linked to mood regulation, as well as the role of the vagus nerve in this communication.

💡Immune System

The immune system is the body's defense mechanism against infections and diseases. The video discusses the close relationship between gut health and immune function, noting that 70% of immune cells reside in the gut. A balanced gut microbiome is shown to be essential for a robust immune response, with implications for overall health and disease prevention.

💡Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber is a type of carbohydrate that aids in digestion by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. The script recommends aiming for 30 grams of fiber daily, as it acts as a prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria that support gut health. Examples from the transcript include incorporating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds into the diet to meet fiber requirements.

💡Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms, often found in certain foods or supplements, that are intended to improve gut health by enhancing the balance of good bacteria. The video mentions probiotics as a potential aid in managing stress and promoting a healthy gut microbiome, with research suggesting their positive effects on gut-brain communication and stress reduction.

💡Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients that play a crucial role in brain health and controlling inflammation. The script advises consuming two portions of oily fish per week, which are rich in omega-3s, to support a healthy gut and overall health. For those who do not eat fish, alternatives like flaxseed or supplements are suggested.

💡Processed Foods

Processed foods are products that have been altered from their natural state, often containing additives and preservatives. The video warns against their consumption due to their potential negative impact on gut health, as they can inhibit the growth of beneficial bacteria and may contribute to inflammation and other health issues.

💡Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are sugar substitutes used to reduce calorie intake but can have unintended effects on gut health. The script points out that they may trick the body into expecting sugar, leading to increased insulin production and potentially affecting hunger and overall health, advising against their regular use.

💡Caloric Intake

Caloric intake refers to the total amount of energy consumed through food and beverages. The video challenges the common practice of counting calories for weight management, arguing that it may not be effective for gut health. It suggests that the nutritional value of food, rather than just calorie content, should be the focus for a healthy diet, as the same number of calories can come from foods with vastly different health impacts.

💡Diet Diversity

Diet diversity is the variety of different foods in one's diet. The script emphasizes the importance of consuming a wide range of plant-based foods to promote a diverse gut microbiome. It suggests aiming for 30 different plants per week, which can be broken down into approximately 4-5 different plants per day, to support gut health.

Highlights

Gut health is not just about digestive system but also impacts immune and mental health, affecting concentration, focus, and productivity.

Medical schools teach less about nutrition and daily gut health care despite its importance.

Gut is home to trillions of microorganisms known as the gut microbiome, which help break down food into nutrients.

A healthy gut means having a balanced and diverse range of microorganisms in the digestive tract.

Imbalanced gut microbiome can lead to digestive problems like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Gut health impacts mental health and physical health, with connections to various diseases and disorders.

The gut-brain axis is a strong line of communication involving chemical, hormonal, and physical connections.

70% of our immune cells live in the gut, interacting with gut bacteria and affecting immune health.

To improve gut health, aim for 30 different plants per week to encourage a variety of bacteria.

Aim for a varied diet rather than a consistent one to promote a diverse gut microbiome.

Strive for 30 grams of fiber daily as it acts as a prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria in the gut.

Probiotics may help maintain or improve good bacteria in the gut and have shown positive effects on the gut-brain axis.

Consuming two portions of oily fish per week promotes good bacteria and helps control inflammation.

Reduce red meat intake as it's associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Avoid processed foods as they contain additives and preservatives that inhibit good bacteria growth in the gut.

Artificial sugars can disrupt insulin production and may increase hunger, impacting overall health.

Be wary of diet trends and cleanses as they can deprive the body of important nutrients.

Counting calories might not be effective for gut health as it doesn't reflect the nutritional value of food.

Transcripts

when you think about gut health you

might picture uncomfortable symptoms

like bloating and gas and going to the

loo too often but it turns out that your

gut health doesn't just affect your

digestive system it also affects your

physical health like your immune system

and your mental health including how

well you can concentrate in focus and

your general productivity this means

that if we want to live healthier

happier lives which is what we're all

about here on this channel then it might

actually involve getting our guts into

better shape now as a doctor I've

learned a lot about the specific

diseases and pathologies that can affect

the gut but in medical school we learn a

lot less about nutrition and the basics

of how we can look after our gut day to

day so to learn more about this

connection between the gut and the body

I interviewed one of the UK's leading

experts on gut health Sophie Medlin is a

consultant dietitian specializing in gut

health chair of the British dietetic

Association and a lecturer in King's

College London and she regularly

features on TV here in the UK so in this

video we're going to be summarizing a

bunch of evidence into actionable

recommendations and I hope that by

applying these tips you'll not only be

pooing better but you'll also be

sleeping and focusing better as well so

let's start with the basics what the

hell is the gut the gut as you might

know is short for gastrointestinal

external tract and this is the long tube

that starts at the mouth and ends at the

anus where our poo comes out and the

primary function of the gut is to break

down the food that we eat to absorb

nutrients and to get rid of waste but

it's actually a lot more than that the

gut is also home to trillions of

microorganisms collectively known as the

gut microbiome and this includes all of

the bacteria fungi and viruses that live

in our digestive tracts and these traps

help to break down the food that we eat

turning it into the nutrients that our

body needs and how that works is that

when we eat various different foods so

let's take plant fiber as an example you

eat some fruits and vegetables they

travel the bits of it that you can't

digest the bits we can't break down

travel through to our colon where

they're fermented by different species

of bacteria and yeasts and other types

of microorganisms and in that

fermentation process they produce some

gas and they produce other things but

they put really importantly produce some

metabolites some things that interact

with our bodies so what does having a

healthy gut actually mean well basically

it means having a well-balanced and

diverse range of microorganisms bacteria

viruses fungi and so on in our digestive

tract and so if a healthy gut is a

healthy and balanced gut microbiome then

the next question is why should we care

about this at all and the most obvious

reason why your gut health matters is

that it affects digestive disorders like

when you've got microbiome is imbalanced

it can lead to digestive problems like

bloating and constipation and diarrhea

and irritable bowel syndrome

but the story doesn't stop there and in

the last 30 years scientists have

discovered that the effects of our gut

health goes way beyond our digestive

well-being because our gut has a massive

impact on our mental health and on our

physical health and our risk of loads of

different diseases and disorders and

actually the one we look at gut health

the more we realize that it isn't

impacting every part of our body and

every system in our body and the way

scientists know all of this is that

there's now a bunch of evidence that the

microorganisms in our gut that are used

for digesting food interact with other

parts of our body let's first take a

look at how our gut affects our mental

health you might have heard the gut

being referred to as the second brain or

you've probably heard the phrase

butterflies in the stomach which is kind

of describing the feeling of being

nervous and there's actually a good

reason for this so there is a very

strong line of communication between

your gut and your brain which we refer

to as the gut brain access and the

chattiest organ between your brain and

your gut is your gut your gut is

constantly telling your brain all sorts

of different things and throwing

messages up that it's got to deal with

so how does this gut brain access work

well it turns out that there are three

connections between the gut and the

brain that create this strong link first

there is a chemical connection the gut

microbiome produces neurotransmitters

like serotonin and dopamine which are

chemicals in our brain that make us

happy and help regulate our mood and

behavior and actually 95 of the body's

serotonin which is the happy hormone is

produced in the gut secondly there is a

hormonal connection through a link in

the brain called the HPA axis the HPA

axis is the hypothalamus pituitary

adrenal axis it's a complex set of

interactions between the hypothalamus

and the pituitary gland in your brain

and the adrenal glands which are just

above your kidneys and Studies have

shown that the bacteria in our gut

affect the stress response of our HPA

axis and thirdly there's actually a

physical connection between the gut and

the Brain through the vagus nerve the

vagus nerve is the main nerve of a

parasympathetic nervous system this

system controls specific body functions

like digestion and heart rate and the

immune system generally things that are

outside of our conscious control next up

let's talk about how our gut effects are

physical health and one really important

connection between the gut and our

physical health is through our immune

system the complex network of organs

cells and proteins that defend the body

against infection while protecting the

body's own cells so 70 of our immune

cells live in our small in our bowel in

our colon and your gut bacteria are

constantly interacting with them there's

a bunch of studies showing how your gut

affects your immune health and generally

what these studies do is take germ-free

animals like mice that are completely

free of any bacteria or other

microorganisms including those that we

normally find in the gut the scientists

then change the composition of bacteria

in these mice intestinal tracts and see

how their immune system responds yes it

is a little mean but it's the findings

from these studies that show a clear

link between the gut microbiome and our

ability to produce and develop immune

cells and antibodies so by now we should

know what gut health actually is and why

it matters so let's discuss how to

actually get a healthier gut now

recently social media has become a hub

for all things related to health and

nutrition and while there's some helpful

information out there there's also a lot

of fake news that can be misleading and

potentially even harmful and this is

particularly true when it comes to gut

health where people are often searching

for quick quick fixes and miracle cures

so with all that I also see a bunch of

questions about some recent diet and

nutrition Trends and she gave some solid

advice about what to follow and what not

to follow so we're going to be going

through five things that we can add and

five things that we can remove from our

diet to improve the balance and

diversity of bacteria in our gut which

as we all know by now is what makes up a

healthy gut tip number one aim for 30

different plants per week then the most

important thing for your gut health is

that you're eating 30 different plants a

week so trying to eat loads of variety

of different types of plants so eating

many different types of plant food

improves our gut health by encouraging

the growth of different species of

bacteria that live there especially the

healthy good bacteria now plants doesn't

just mean green leafs plants includes

all fruits and vegetables legumes like

peas and lentils and tofu and candle

dried beans grains like rice and corn

and barley and oats and wheat milks made

from nuts or grains like oat milk and

almond milk and nuts and seeds like

cashews and pumpkin seeds and pine nuts

now when I first heard this I was

thinking like how on Earth am I going to

get 30 different plants into my diet

every week but Sophie's tip is to break

this number down into days so over seven

days a week that's about 4 or five

different plants a day and then that

actually makes it feel a lot more

manageable for example for breakfast you

can have a whole grain cereal or oatmeal

topped with some seeds and nuts and then

some dried fruit on top and then you

already have three four or five of those

plants in there for the whole day and if

you have some fruit as a mid morning

snack and just make sure you have some

amount of veg with your lunch or your

dinner then you've covered your bases as

far as that goes tip number two aim for

variety of diet rather than consistency

of diet so a lot of diet advice aims for

consistency especially if you're trying

to lose weight or build muscle it's a

lot easier to just eat the same things

every day but if we want to optimize our

gut health what we should do instead is

to aim for variety rather than

consistency and this is very much in

line with the Whole 30 pounds per week

tip and if you have this Variety in your

diet then that encourages more diversity

and variety of the gut microbiome which

as we've already discussed is how we get

a healthy gut tip number three aim for

30 grams of fiber every day most people

in England eat less than half of what

they actually need in terms of fiber

every day so fiber is a type of

carbohydrate that we don't break down

and instead of being digested and

absorbed it travels to the larger

testing the colon and when it's in the

large intestine it acts as a Prebiotic

and Prebiotic means basically food for

the good bacteria in the body now it's

pretty hard to tell how much fiber

you're getting in your diet unless

you're a nutrition Pro so here are some

tips so the first day is a Rough Guide

aiming for five servings of fruit and

veg and having whole grains with two of

your three meals per day and including

things like seeds and nuts and dried

fruits for snacks will get you most of

the way there to getting all of the

fiber that you need secondly you can

find ways to swap out Foods in your diet

for a high fiber Alternatives so for

example whole grain rice is more high

fiber than white rice and thirdly if you

really want you can actually calculate

the amount of fiber in your diet and get

to the 30 grams and here are some

options of like different foods

throughout the day that would add up to

that 30 grams tip number four aim to

take a probiotic now probiotics are

foods or supplements that contain live

microorganisms that are intended to

maintain or improve the good bacteria in

the gut now this point is a little bit

controversial because the evidence is

not like wholeheartedly in favor of a

probiotic but there have been a bunch of

studies showing that they have good

effects so there's some great research

on probiotics and both the gut brain

axis so how when we're stressed we have

these gut symptoms and how probiotics

can help to control those gut symptoms

so one of particular there's 55 healthy

volunteers given probiotic another group

are given a placebo so we can measure

the difference the ones who have the

probiotic have a significant reduction

of psychological stress significant

reduction in cortisol so these like

chemical parameters of Stress and

Anxiety that we can measure so it's not

just how people say they're feeling it's

these objective measures now when it

comes to taking probiotics there's a few

different options out there they either

come in the form of tablets or in the

form of bottles but you've got to be

aware of what the manufacture and expiry

date is because if it's been seeing on

the Shelf rages then it might not be as

effective as it was when you first

bought it and actually conveniently the

company Heights has actually made a

smart probiotic which I take every day

and they are very currently sponsoring

this video now I've been taking Heights

the brain care smart supplement for over

two years now and what I love about

height the company is that they're very

very evidence based in what they do and

I like them so much that I've actually

become friends with the founder of the

company and I've personally invested in

the company because I was a customer and

then I thought hey this is actually some

really good stuff therefore I want to

invest in the company too and a few

months ago they released their smart

probiotic which is live bacteria for

your mind and your microbiome and the

idea is that you take a capsule every

day and it contains a few you different

strains of evidence-based bacteria which

are sourced from really high quality

labs and anecdotally I found that taking

this myself for the last few months have

meant that my poos are much more

consistent than they once were and if

you look on the heights website you'll

find like a ton of blog posts and

scientific papers and stuff summarizing

the evidence behind them and actually

Sophie was the one who helped formulate

the heights smart probiotic so if you

want to check this out you can use the

link in the video description and if you

use this code at checkout then that will

give you an extra 15 off the already

discounted quarterly subscription so

thank you so much Heights for sponsoring

this video and let's move on and tip

number five is to aim for two portions

of oily fish per week now oily fish

contains long chain omega-3 fatty acids

and our gut loves omega-3 it helps to

promote the population of good bacteria

that helps control inflammation in the

body we need two portion of oily fish a

week for our brain health it's really

really important for controlling

inflammation in the brain the structure

of your brain if you don't eat oily fish

it's a bit like taking out 25 of the

bricks of your house and replacing them

with polystyrene 25 of your brain wants

to be made from oily fish so salmon

mackerel and sardines count as oily fish

but unfortunately tuna and cod and sea

bass do not count as oily fish and if

you're vegetarian then you can replace

the fish with vegetarian sources of

Omega-3 so for example flaxseed or

flaxseed oil or canola oil or soybean

oil those sorts of things or you can

just take a supplement for omega-3 and

actually the heights drain care smart

supplement not this but actually has

omega-3 in it so that's nice and easy as

well okay let's now move on to five

things that we should avoid and to be

honest for most of these things it's

going to be hard to completely eliminate

these foods from our diet so generally

aiming to reduce our intake of them is

probably more realistic and more

sustainable in the long run tip number

one cut down on red meat so if like me

you're trying to get henshin built to

muscle then you've probably been told

that red meat is a great source of

protein you might have also heard of

people like Jordan Peterson claiming

that the carnivore all meat diet cured

him of his various health problems but

this diet seems to have stopped all of

that I don't have psoriasis all of the

pouches have gone yeah my gum disease

which is incurable I had multiple

surgeries to deal with it it's

completely gone but if we look at these

scientific evidence behind this it turns

out that too much red meat is not in

fact good for our gut health and the

main reason for this is that the

metabolites the breakdown products of

generally red meats those metabolites

are associated with a higher risk of

cardiovascular disease and other nasty

things like cancer so the world cancer

research fund says we should only have

three portions of red meat per week and

that's 500 grams 350 to 500 grams in

total otherwise we're putting ourselves

in total in total not every day no about

350 to 500 grams total a week otherwise

we're putting ourselves at higher risk

of bowel cancer tip number two is to

avoid processed food now this is

basically anything that comes in a

packet like sausages or bread or crisps

unfortunately piso

uh no thank you and the reason why

processed foods are generally bad is

that they contain a lot of additives and

preservatives and these things make the

food last longer but the way they work

is that they stop the natural bacteria

inside the food from making the foods go

off and so when we eat these

preservatives we also stop the good

bacteria from growing in our gut because

the preservatives generally inhibit the

bacteria one example of this is

emulsifiers which is actually found in

loads of processed foods including plant

milk emulsifiers that are in lots of

processed foods and also in lots of

foods that I've got a bit of a health

Halo like protein shakes and protein

products that kind of stuff emulsifiers

we think are disrupting the lining of

people's bowels so when we have too much

of those kinds of things the tight

junctions between the cells in your

bowel wall we think are being disrupted

and opening up a little bit allowing too

much inflammation into the body and

causing all kinds of different problems

but also disrupting that really

important mucosal layer in the bowel

that is the home before our good

bacteria obviously with inflation and

the cost of living crisis and generally

stuff getting a lot more expensive a lot

of people are relying on cheap processed

foods to get by and if you're in that

position then obviously meeting your

basic food requirements is going to be

the first priority before refining the

nutritional value of those food sources

which is kind of priority number two tip

number three avoid artificial sugars now

this one is kind of annoying because

before I had the conversation with

Sophie and we did all the evidence and

stuff for this video my go-to fizzy

drink for everything was a Diet Coke

because I thought hey it's not normal

sugar which is bad it's like artificial

sugar which is good but unfortunately

artificial sugars are not very good for

our gut health but what we do know is

that when we have artificial sweeteners

our body is anticipating having sugar

and things change to get ready to have

that sugar when it doesn't come that has

an impact so there's data to suggest

that it increases our insulin production

for example which makes us ultimately

ultimately a bit hungrier and can have

an impact on our General Health as well

so ideally sweeteners need to go in

there no thank you bucket as well tip

number four avoid diet fats and detoxes

now if you're on social media then

you'll know that there's constantly a

new diet and detox Trend that's supposed

to work miracles and make you look like

a supermodel or whatever in fact on Tick

Tock there is a thing called a gut talk

where people share tips for gut health

and Sophie generally recommends being

very wary of these kind of Trends

because generally they're not coming

from qualified medical professionals so

if you do something like a juice cleanse

you're actually depriving your body of

loads of really really important

nutrients meaning it's going to work

much much harder and in that process of

your body working much harder it's

releasing more things that we might

consider to be toxic like oxidative

stress and that kind of stuff and

another example is actually a

gluten-free diet now there are some

people in the world who are actually

intolerant to gluten or who have celiac

disease and for those people adopting a

gluten-free diet is super important for

their health but if you don't fall into

that one percent of the population with

the condition then there's not that many

health benefits to cutting out gluten

from your diet it's a bit of a fad and

tip number five avoid counting the

calories now if you're trying to lose

weight or get hinged then the immediate

thing that most people do is Count Their

calories but according to Sophie it

turns out it's not very effective when

it comes to gut health in particular and

the reason for this is that calories

don't really reflect the nutritional

value of what you're consuming for

example a medium-sized McDonald's chips

contains around 340 calories and these

other meal options contain approximately

the same number of calories so for

example this meal of chicken breast and

roasted vegetables comes in at about the

same calories this turkey sandwich with

fruit comes in at about the same

calories and this brown rice bowl with

stir-fried veggies and tofu comes in at

about the same calories but clearly they

have very different nutritional value on

top of that food labels with calorie

information is often wrong so food

companies and the people creating these

labels are allowed to be up to 20 wrong

about their numbers so if you're using

any kind of tracking app to count your

calories then you're probably going to

be at least 20 out and even if the food

labels are correct then the calories

that you end up consuming might not

actually be the same as what's on the

packet so for example calories in cooked

celery are different to calories and

uncooked celery and for example nuts

have a very high calorie count if you

look at them on the packet but actually

your body doesn't absorb all of those

calories because some of them are lost

in the process of digestion now this

final tip is one that I'm personally

choosing to somewhat ignore sorry Sophie

because I'm actually counting my

calories to try and get hinged with

macros and stuff but I'm keeping in mind

that calories are just one part of the

story they are not the whole story

ultimately if we could all go away from

the calories and start thinking about

are we physically hungry that would be

the best way to think about things

anyway if you enjoyed this and you want

to check out the full podcast episode

with Sophie where I ask tons more

questions and it's packed with even more

stuff around gut health and really

trying to explain it from a layperson's

perspective then you can check out this

video over here which is the full

episode and you can also find that on

the Deep dive podcast which is available

on all podcast streaming platforms so

thank you so much for watching and I'll

see you hopefully in the next video bye