Is this diet "hack" ruining your gut health?

There are so many "hacks" that people like to promote to help you lose weight. But one in particular that I have heard a LOT is :

"Just eat the same things every day, that will make macro tracking so much easier!"

Sure, this makes sense.

From calories in - calories out perspective and maybe even a decision fatigue perspective.

But if you are factoring in gut health in your wellness journey, this is one of the worst things you can do.

Optimal gut health relies on VARIETY and DIVERSITY. 

When it comes to eating the same foods all the time, even if they are "healthy" foods, we STILL need diversity.

Our gut microbiome is only as strong and resilient as the material we give it to work with(our food!), and if that's the same foods over and over again, it will likely result in an imbalance(dysbiosis). Some beneficial species of bacteria can disappear and this opens the door to more of the "bad" bacteria to grow in excess. 

For years I looked for the most restrictive diets I could find. Cut out dairy? Done! Cut out carbs? Done! Cut out legumes? Done! Cut out fat? Done!

This type of constant restriction(unless of course you have a food sensitivity/intolerance/allergy) gives the gut microbes less variety and can impact our energy, cognitive function, weight, workout recovery and immunity.

In working with clients with chronic illnesses like headaches, bloating, weight loss resistance, autoimmune disease, arthritis, or brain fog an elimination diet is often the first step to "clear the muddy waters". However, the reintroduction phase is almost as important as the elimination phase. Once the trigger foods are identified, you can consider leaving those foods out of your diet but adding back in the ones that didn't make your symptoms worse!

Studies show that obese individuals have less diversity in their microbiome than non-obese people, showing at least causation between weight and gut diversity.

"We report greater microbiome diversity among the metabolically healthy non-obese individuals relative to their metabolically unhealthy counterparts"

So how can you increase diversity without the overwhelming stress?

1. Cycle through different versions of your favorite recipes! For instance, if you eat chicken and broccoli daily for lunch substitute cauliflower, red cabbage, or other veggies  for the broccoli

2. I know it sounds cliche, but EAT THE RAINBOW!

3. If you love your daily protein shakes, great! But play around with adding different gut-healing foods to them like aloe vera, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, hemp seeds, avocado, MCT oil, psyllium husk or plantain flour(prebiotic)

4. Rotate your greens and buy organic.  Overloading on the same greens can actually be toxic, especially if you have oxalate sensitivity or are eating non-organic greens

5. Pick up a new veggie or fruit at the grocery store every week. Try something new! There are so many veggie and fruit options, but most of us get stuck eating the same ones week after week.