Diets we support › Gut Health
Feed your microbiome with plants, fiber, and ferments.
Your gut is home to trillions of microbes, and how you eat shapes them more than almost anything else. A diverse, well-fed microbiome is tied to steadier digestion, a stronger immune system, and healthier aging. Eating for gut health means variety above all: a wide range of plants, plenty of fiber, some fermented foods, and the polyphenol-rich foods your good bacteria thrive on. It isn't a restriction diet. It's an abundance one.
Start your Gut Health plan →We build in plant variety on purpose, aiming for a wide range of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and herbs across the week, since different plants feed different microbes. We add prebiotic foods to feed your good bacteria, work in fermented foods for a diversity boost, and lean on polyphenol-rich foods like berries, olive oil, and green tea.
Anyone who wants to eat for their microbiome, energy, and long-term health, and likes the idea of an abundance approach rather than a restriction one.
The single most useful thing science has learned about gut health is that variety wins. In the American Gut Project, one of the largest microbiome studies to date, people who ate 30 or more different plants a week had noticeably more diverse and beneficial gut bacteria than people who ate 10 or fewer. It wasn't about any one superfood. It was the range. Different plants carry different fibers and polyphenols, and different microbes feed on different ones, so the more kinds of plants you eat, the more kinds of good bugs you support. "Plants" here is generous: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices all count, and so do coffee, tea, olive oil, and dark chocolate.
Two other levers matter. Prebiotics, the fibers in foods like onions, garlic, oats, and legumes, are the actual food your good bacteria eat. And fermented foods, like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi, add beneficial microbes directly; a well-known Stanford study found that eating more of them increased gut diversity and lowered markers of inflammation. Put those together, lots of different plants, prebiotic fiber, and some ferments, and you've got the whole evidence-based recipe for a healthier gut.
Two honest notes. First, this is a plan for a generally healthy gut, not a treatment for a diagnosed condition. If you have IBS, reflux, or inflammatory bowel disease, more fiber and fermentable foods can actually make symptoms worse in the short term, and a therapeutic approach like low-FODMAP is the better starting point, ideally with your provider. Second, if you're new to eating a lot of fiber, ramp up gradually and drink plenty of water. Going from low-fiber to high-fiber overnight is the fastest way to a few days of bloating while your gut adjusts. Ease in, and it settles.
This is eating for a healthy gut, not treating a diagnosed gut condition. If you have IBS, reflux, or another diagnosed issue, a therapeutic plan like Low-FODMAP may fit better for now, and it's worth working with your provider. One tip: ramp up fiber gradually. Going from low to high fiber overnight can cause bloating while your gut adjusts.
Answer a few quick questions and we'll build four weeks of Gut Health meals, with recipes customized to you and a smart grocery list.
Start your Gut Health plan →Not sure yet? Compare all the diets we support →
