What is the gut microbiome and does it matter?

The trillions of microorganisms in the intestine, influencing digestion, immunity, vitamin synthesis, and possibly mood. Diversity is supported by a varied high-fibre plant-rich diet. Commercial microbiome tests currently offer limited actionable information.

Diversity of plant foods is the most consistently useful lever — aiming for a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and whole grains across the week.

Commercial microbiome tests currently cannot tell you what to eat with any reliability, and results vary between companies for the same sample.