Fruits and vegetables provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which support overall gut health. These plant foods are also high in fiber, promoting regular bowel movements and helping prevent constipation. Whole grains, such as whole wheat bread and brown rice, are another essential component of the Mediterranean diet.

They are a great source of dietary fiber, which acts as a prebiotic, fueling the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, and promoting a healthy gut environment and improved digestion. While the Mediterranean diet is an excellent choice for promoting gut health, other dietary factors should be considered.

First, stay hydrated by drinking adequate water throughout the day. Water helps maintain proper digestion and assists in the prevention of constipation. Second, probiotic-rich foods , such as yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut, can also be beneficial for gut health. These foods contain live bacteria that can help restore the balance of gut microorganisms.

Lastly, pay attention to food intolerances or sensitivities affecting your gut health. Common culprits include gluten, dairy, and certain FODMAPs fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.

If you suspect any food intolerances, it is best to consult with your gastroenterologist dietitian. Besides a healthy diet, certain lifestyle habits can also contribute to a healthy gut.

Regular exercise has been shown to enhance gut motility and promote a diverse gut microbiome. Aim for at least minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week, such as brisk walking or cycling. Stress management is another crucial aspect of gut health. Chronic stress can negatively impact digestion and disrupt the balance of gut bacteria.

Find relaxation techniques that work for you, such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises. Adequate sleep is also essential for a healthy gut. Lack of sleep has been linked to an imbalance in gut bacteria and increased susceptibility to digestive issues.

Aim for hours of quality sleep each night. Ready to transform your diet? Here are some of our top Mediterranean dishes and recipes for gut health you can try! Embrace the Mediterranean diet and transform your gut health with Gastroenterology of Greater Orlando.

Embark on the path to a healthier gut by integrating Mediterranean-inspired options into your routine and experience the transformative benefits of enhanced digestion and overall well-being.

Press enter to begin your search. Close Search. His work has been cited almost 24, times by other scientists, and Stanford University named him as one of the top 0. Allison Lansman, RDN, LD is a freelance writer and owner of The Freelance RD Nutrition Writing Services.

She is passionate about creating exciting, research-based nutrition blog posts with her professional background as a dietitian. Allie prioritizes creating articles all readers can understand and incorporate into their daily lives. The gut plays an essential role in maintaining your good health by influencing the behavior of several body systems.

The gut is vital for the daily regulation of key functions For decades, the role beneficial fungi has been underestimated and largely unrecognized for the critical role it plays in keeping our gut healthy.

Like the thousands of microorganisms living in Home Gut Health How Does the Mediterranean Diet Affect Your Gut Microbiome? Gut Health. What is the Mediterranean Diet and How Does it Work? Herbs and spices Foods you should also include in your Mediterranean diet, but in moderate amounts are: Fish and seafood Poultry Eggs Dairy Red wine In addition, the Mediterranean diet suggests red meat to be consumed on occasion and in relatively small amounts.

Including: Added sugars Refined grains Trans fats Refined oils Processed meats and foods The Mediterranean Diet and the Gut Microbiome Changing your eating patterns according to a new diet always affects the trillions of microorganisms of your gut microbiome.

Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiome Promotes use of the saccarolytic metabolism The gut microbiota contributes to digestion of macronutrients via two catabolic pathways, saccharolytic or proteolytic. Enhanced growth of beneficial bacteria species and metabolite production The abundance of plant-based micronutrients and phytochemicals in the Mediterranean-style diet, it provides several benefits to the gut and microbiome.

Reduction in intestinal inflammation Priority foods and health lifestyle routines, like participating in regular physical activity, suggested in the Mediterranean diet reduces inflammation in the intestines.

Studies have should a reduction in key biomarkers of inflammation, C-reactive protein, within 6 weeks of following a Mediterranean-style diet From this reduction in inflammation seen in the Mediterranean diet, there has also been a correlation between a reduction in the development of chronic disease associated with inflammation and a weak microbiome.

Negative Effects of the Mediterranean Diet on the Gut Microbiome Increased gut activity and discomfort Because the Mediterranean diet is composed of high-fiber foods as well as plant-based PUFAs , it is known to increase gastrointestinal activity.

Increased growth of pathogenic microbes The Mediterranean diet has also been shown to increase colonization of certain pathogenic microbes in the gut, including the most prolific yeast, known as Candida.

Is the Mediterranean Diet a Good Idea for Your Gut Health? About the Authors: Dr. Share Article:. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email. Related Articles. Mar 9, Read Full Post.

Feb 12, See More Posts. Home Media centre Releases. Mediterranean diet with extra dairy could be a gut gamechanger. facebook x linkedin. Other articles you may be interested in. glasses Read more. See more articles. envelope-email-mail Enquire anchor-arrow Top.

But fruit itself has other benefits to health, such as fibre and micronutrients. It should be included in a balanced diet. Does a Mediterranean diet have equal benefits for both sexes and across different ethnicities?

From the research that has been completed to date, the results seem to show that there is no significant difference in the effect seen for both race or sex.

All studies showed a reduction in mortality death in those adhering to the Mediterranean diet. How does this research relate to advice from the Government on diet the Eatwell Guide? There are small differences between the two diets, but the Eatwell Guide is based on the Mediterranean diet.

It is a healthy option that has been shown to be a better way to eat for the environment than the average UK diet.

How strict do I need to be if I want to follow this diet? The more you can follow the guidelines, the lower the risks of common chronic diseases will be. The best method of changing your diet is by making gradual changes to what you are eating to aim to follow the plan.

If you are not including much fibre in your diet now, then your bowel will tolerate a slower increase. Increasing fibre immediately can result in more wind. Of course, this is about what you eat most of the time, so occasional deviations from this advice should not be seen as a problem.

Can I follow the Mediterranean diet in the UK during the winter months? Tinned and frozen foods are suitable and a better option for the environment during the winter when fruit and vegetables might be out of season. Examples include tinned tomatoes, tinned ratatouille, jars of roasted peppers and frozen mixed vegetables and fruit.

Choose tinned fruit in natural juice. By submitting this form, you are consenting to Guts UK contacting you by email as detailed above.

To make any changes to your preferences you can email us on info gutscharity. uk or by calling us on Your details are safe with us. Please read our Privacy Polic y for more details. Skip to content Search Menu Donate. The Mediterranean Diet and Gut Health Print this page.

Overview 2. Gut and general health benefits 3. How do I follow the Mediterranean diet? Can I protect the environment while following the diet? Frequently asked questions. History The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet were first widely publicised by Dr Ancel Keys.

Plus, they contain prebiotic fiber to help feed the good bugs in your gut. We reserve the asparagus tips to pan-fry with peas for a bright green garnish.

Fans of French onion soup who love it for its caramelized onions, beefy broth and cheesy toast topping won't be disappointed with this recipe, which offers all those elements plus a hands-on time of only 20 minutes.

These easy vegan black bean burgers have a healthy dose of fiber thanks to the combination of black beans and quinoa. Cumin and chipotle chile powder give these vegan burgers a Southwestern spin.

Using your hands to combine the mixture creates a soft, uniform texture. These healthy grilled shrimp and mini bell pepper kebabs come together in just 30 minutes, so they're great for weeknight dinners.

A bag of coleslaw mix is a time-saving meal starter. Here, we make it our own by mixing in grilled red onion and crushed pita chips. A homemade herb-feta dressing both coats the slaw and sauces the kebabs. If you are questioning whether pears belong on this skillet pizza, trust us.

The sugars in the fruit caramelize in the heat, and the sweetness complements the rich, salty bacon and savory leeks. Miso soup can be enjoyed any time of the day, but it is traditionally a Japanese breakfast soup. Many restaurants serve it with just a few morsels of seaweed and tofu, but at home, miso soup can be hearty, packed with just about any vegetable.

You can skip the process of making the dashi and use low-sodium broth instead. In this chicken and asparagus bake recipe, we use one baking sheet to whip up dinner quickly, veggies included. Pounding the chicken thin helps it cook quickly alongside the carrots and potatoes, with asparagus rounding out the meal.

A classic black bean salad is a must for picnics and potlucks. This vegan version gets its creaminess from blended avocado. Any mix of salad greens will work well, but try arugula if you want to give this hearty salad a peppery kick. Though traditional stuffed cabbage recipes are made with meat, here Savoy cabbage leaves are stuffed with a combination of rice, mushrooms, onions, garlic and herbs for a healthy vegetarian stuffed cabbage recipe.

The stuffed cabbage leaves gently bake in a simple tomato sauce. This easy stuffed cabbage recipe can be made ahead of time and baked just before serving.

Eating probiotics--live bacteria in raw fermented food, such as tempeh and miso--can rev up the good bacteria in your body, which may help you with weight loss. Look for tempeh near the tofu in the produce section. Try vegan mayo for a completely plant-based lunch.

Green tea soba noodles, or cha soba, are buckwheat noodles made with powdered green tea, which imparts a subtle grassy note and pretty color. You can find them in Japanese markets or online.

Regular buckwheat soba noodles work just as well in this cup-of-noodles-style mason jar noodle soup. Enjoy this quinoa and black bean salad as a delicious and quick vegetarian main dish or as a side for grilled chicken or steak.

And don't forget the leftovers! The first author of the study paper is Tarini Shankar Ghosh, Ph. This is important because frailty involves the gradual breakdown of multiple systems at once, often involving widespread, low-grade inflammation that further contributes to poor health.

To verify that switching to a Mediterranean diet could lower measures of frailty, the researchers involved in the current study recruited individuals aged 65— Of the total number, individuals men and women agreed to follow a Mediterranean-type diet for 1 year, while the rest continued with their usual diets and acted as a control group.

The Mediterranean diet involved was rich in vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, olive oil, and fish. It featured very little red meat and few dairy products or saturated fats.

That was because previous studies have suggested that older individuals — particularly those who live in residential care facilities — tend to have less healthy gut microbiotas, possibly as a result of more restrictive diets.

In turn, an unhealthy gut corresponds to poorer overall health and faster onset of frailty in older adults. When the researchers compared the compositions of the gut microbiomes of participants who had followed a Mediterranean diet for a year with those of participants who had followed their usual diets, they found significant differences.

Stool samples revealed that after 12 months on the Mediterranean diet, the participants had better bacterial diversity in the gut, compared with peers from the control group.

Moreover, better gut bacterial diversity was associated with improved markers of frailty, including better walking speed, better handgrip strength, and improved cognitive functioning. Participants who had adhered to the Mediterranean diet also displayed fewer markers of chronic low-grade inflammation.

The researchers explain that when bacteria release too much of certain bile acids, it is associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance, fat buildup in the liver, cell damage, and even bowel cancer.

According to the researchers, the positive changes were likely thanks to the Mediterranean diet having provided a consistent source of key nutrients, including dietary fiber and crucial vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins C, B-6, and B-9, as well as copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and magnesium.

When they adjusted their findings for potential confounding factors, such as age and body mass index, the investigators observed that the associations between the Mediterranean diet and better gut health remained in place.

Regardless of these variations, all of the people who followed the Mediterranean diet showed the same overall improvements in gut and systemic health, the researchers emphasize. Although they caution that their research was observational, and thus cannot point to a direct causal relationship, the investigators write that:.

While they continue to maintain that the Mediterranean diet is, overall, beneficial, the researchers acknowledge that it may be impractical for some older people — an obstacle that healthcare professionals will have to contend with.

It is a miracle!!!!! But, no beans, onions, or garlic. These are just 3 of the foods that are off limits! Is there a way to overcome this, or do some people just not digest them as well as others?

There are some beans that are easier to digest such as lentils and black-eyed peas. Also soaking helps with the other type of beans. I would try incorporating small amounts and adding gradually. Michael Greger. It would be fantastic if there was some kind of direction given to a recipe.

Hi Alex, I have updated the post to include the recipe for the dish in the photo. As many of my posts are not recipes but nutrition news studies , I may put a photo in the post of a dish that exemplifies the Mediterranean diet.

Thanks a Bunch! I get where you are coming from for sure… You just happen to be picking photos fo dishes — that look fantastic! There was another a few weeks back — that was predominantly chickpeas — that also looked amazing!

Nancy is right. In general, I follow this diet and have for many years. I do have problems digesting beans though. Can this be overcome? Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Learn how your comment data is processed. Skip to content A new study shows that a Mediterranean diet and plant-based foods are associated with a high level of good bacteria in the gut that have anti-inflammatory properties.

October 24th, A new study shows that a Mediterranean diet and plant-based foods are associated with a high level of good bacteria in the gut that have anti-inflammatory properties. It is easy to include more of these protective foods in your diet: Have 2 servings a week of beans as a main course, some easy ideas include Greek lentils and one pot black-eyed peas.

Start adding fish to your diet, frozen and canned is just fine, check out this my tips on how to eat more fish. Add more vegetables. Did you know that in the average Greek traditional diet the intake of vegetables is about a pound a day?

Cooking your vegetables like the Mediterranean do, is an easy and delicious way to eat more. Check my post for more tips on eating more vegetables. Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Pinterest.

Including engaging in regular physical activity and placing a high priority on social-emotional care. Compared to those following a Western-style diet, which is full of highly processed foods, those living a Mediterranean lifestyle were exponentially more healthy. Following a Mediterranean diet indicated a decrease in chronic disease development, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The Mediterranean diet places a high priority on plant-based sources of carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Also, maintaining a relatively low intake of animal foods and byproducts. This eating pattern places a priority on consuming ample vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, and polyunsaturated fatty acids PUFAs , like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

These micronutrients and beneficial plant compounds are essential for best health and maintaining proper body function, but also linked to reducing risk of disease. Foods you should also include in your Mediterranean diet, but in moderate amounts are:. In addition, the Mediterranean diet suggests red meat to be consumed on occasion and in relatively small amounts.

Limiting your intake of red meat is beneficial in reducing your consumption of saturated fat, a leading nutritional component in the development of heart disease. The Mediterranean diet also eliminates foods that cause disease associated with chronic inflammation, high blood sugar, and weight gain common in the Western diet.

Changing your eating patterns according to a new diet always affects the trillions of microorganisms of your gut microbiome.

The Mediterranean diet is no exception, having both positive and negative influences over your gut microbiome. As a diet high in fresh, plant-based foods , the Mediterranean diet contains ample micronutrients, phytochemicals, and fiber. These are essential for key gut microbiome functions and promoting growth of beneficial microbes, like bacteria.

Many of these vitamins and minerals also double as antioxidants, protecting the body and intestinal environment from stress that could damage the microbiome. However, like any diet that promotes the restriction of certain foods, there are also drawbacks of a Mediterranean-style diet.

Including enhanced growth of certain pathogenic yeast strains and alterations in the intestinal barrier permeability.

The gut microbiota contributes to digestion of macronutrients via two catabolic pathways, saccharolytic or proteolytic. The saccharolytic pathway uses the process of fermentation to breakdown sugars in carbohydrates to produce energy.

The proteolytic pathway breaks down protein to produce energy through the process of putrefaction. Of these two, the proteolytic pathway is known to produce metabolic products that provoke the inflammatory response in the intestines. This also increases intestinal tissue permeability and likelihood of developing leaky gut.

This Western Diet is known to promote a shift towards a proteolytic profile, resulting in dysbiosis and disease development. However, the Mediterranean diet encourages use of the saccharolytic pathway. It also favors the prevalence of saccharolytic microbial species in the gut for healthier catabolism of macronutrients.

The abundance of plant-based micronutrients and phytochemicals in the Mediterranean-style diet, it provides several benefits to the gut and microbiome. This includes an increase in beneficial bacteria colonies, like Bifidobacteria.

Bifidobacteria are essential for keeping the gut fortified and immune system strong by assisting to prevent infections. The Mediterranean diet also promotes the production and release of essential metabolites and vitamins from microbes living in the gut.

These metabolites, like short- and branched-chain fatty acids, are an important energy source for cellular metabolism of cells in the colon, promoting intestinal barrier integrity and modulation of immune cell response.

Priority foods and health lifestyle routines, like participating in regular physical activity, suggested in the Mediterranean diet reduces inflammation in the intestines.

Studies have should a reduction in key biomarkers of inflammation, C-reactive protein, within 6 weeks of following a Mediterranean-style diet. From this reduction in inflammation seen in the Mediterranean diet, there has also been a correlation between a reduction in the development of chronic disease associated with inflammation and a weak microbiome.

Including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis UC , and irritable bowel syndrome IBS. Because the Mediterranean diet is composed of high-fiber foods as well as plant-based PUFAs , it is known to increase gastrointestinal activity.

Most commonly, more frequent stools with a higher moisture content. Increasing intake of insoluble dietary fiber, found in a majority of plant-based foods, stimulates saccharolytic fermentation in the gut as part of macronutrient breakdown.

Also, the increased consumption of foods with a high content of PUFA lipids, like extra virgin olive oil, nut-based oils, and avocados, exerts a lubricant effect and stimulates bile acid excretion in the gut and colon. This enhances bowel movement frequency. The Mediterranean diet has also been shown to increase colonization of certain pathogenic microbes in the gut, including the most prolific yeast, known as Candida.

Increases in this pathogenic yeast, specifically the strain C.