I'm a nutritionist and this is what I eat for a healthy gut
- Jo Williams
Published: August 11, 2026 at 5:21 PM
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Gut health doesn't need to be complicated – this is what a nutritionist says should be on your plate
Gut health is often the root cause of many health concerns. The trillions of bacteria living in your digestive tract aren't just linked to digestion; they influence immunity, mood, skin, energy levels and long-term health in ways we're only just beginning to fully understand.
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The good news is that supporting your gut doesn't need to be complicated or expensive. You don’t need to go out and buy a stack of probiotics, prebiotics or magic gut health formulas. Instead, start by looking at your plate on a day-to-day basis. At each meal (and snack), try to include a high fibre plant-based food, and incorporate a wide range of variety across the course of the week. This is key; if you’re trying to supplement a diet that’s low in fibre and variety, no capsule is going to make much difference.
The nutrients that genuinely make a difference to a healthy gut aren’t exotic. Many are everyday foods that feed a diverse, resilient microbiome. Here is a list of foods I eat myself, most weeks, and why I choose these foods over supplements.
Live yogurt
What it is: Natural, unsweetened yogurt containing ‘live’ active cultures. I go for plain Greek or kefir-style yoghurt rather than anything sweetened or with a low fat label.
Why include it: Live yogurt is a genuine source of beneficial bacteria that can help contribute to the overall number of bacteria living in your gut. Plus it’s one of the most accessible fermented foods around. A Stanford trial found that a diet higher in fermented foods like yogurt increased microbial diversity and reduced markers of inflammation in just 10 weeks.
How I eat it: Topped with fruit, nuts and seeds such as ground flaxseed, or as a savoury dollop alongside a curry instead of a creamy sauce. Try Turkish-style poached eggs with garlicky yogurt for a weekend brunch.
Easy way in: Swap your usual flavoured yogurt pot for a plain one and add your own fruit. This way, you get all the same fermented benefits, without the added sugar.
Oats
What it is: As a wholegrain, and specifically a fantastic source of beta-glucan, oats are a source of soluble fibre that forms a gel-like substance in the gut.
Why include it: The gel-forming fibre travels down to the large intestine largely intact, where it becomes food for your beneficial gut bacteria. This is known as a prebiotic. Research on oat beta-glucan has shown it can increase populations of beneficial, butyrate-producing bacteria and help strengthen the gut barrier. Both are good news.
How I eat it: Overnight oats made with milled flaxseed, milk and a spoon of live yogurt (see above!).
Easy way in: Porridge a few mornings a week is an easy, low-effort way to build in a genuine fibre boost, especially if your usual breakfast is a low-fibre cereal or nothing at all.
Oily fish
What it is: Salmon, mackerel, sardines and trout. These fish are rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.
Why include it: Omega-3s appear to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the gut lining, and a calmer gut environment tends to be a happier home for beneficial bacteria to thrive. A study in Scientific Reports found that higher blood levels of omega-3s were linked with greater gut microbial diversity.
How I eat it: Mackerel fillets flaked through a salad, or salmon roasted simply with a squeeze of lemon and a side of mixed veg.
Easy way in: Canned sardines on wholemeal toast is one of the quickest, cheapest ways to get a proper hit of omega-3s without any cooking at all.
Cruciferous vegetables
What it is: Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, sprouts and cabbage.
Why include it: These vegetables are packed with fibre that beneficial gut bacteria love to ferment, and they contain plant compounds that support the body's natural detoxification processes.
How I eat it: Chopped and roasted, steamed or grated to make salads and slaws.
Easy way in: Add a handful of shredded cabbage or grated cauliflower to whatever you're already cooking – a bolognese, a stir fry, a soup. It barely changes the flavour but boosts the fibre content.
Chickpeas, lentils and beans
What it is: Pulses – an affordable, everyday source of fibre.
Why include it: Pulses are rich in resistant starch, which is a type of fibre that reaches the large intestine largely undigested and becomes food for gut bacteria, which ferment it into short-chain fatty acids linked with a healthier gut lining. A review in Nutrients confirms that pulses and their resistant starch encourage the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and boost short-chain fatty acid production.
How I eat it: A simple lentil dahl, or chickpeas roasted until crisp and tossed through a salad for crunch instead of croutons.
Easy way in: Bulk out mince dishes with a tin of lentils or beans. It's an easy way to add fibre without changing the meal much at all.
Kimchi and sauerkraut
What it is: Fermented vegetables, rich in live bacterial cultures.
Why include it: Like live yogurt, fermented vegetables introduce beneficial bacteria directly, and the same Stanford trial found the more fermented food participants ate, the greater their gut microbial diversity became.
How I eat it: A spoonful alongside eggs at breakfast, or stirred through rice as a punchy condiment rather than a side dish.
Easy way in: Start small. A teaspoon added to an existing meal is enough to begin building a taste for it, and it's enough for your gut to start benefiting too.
Garlic, onions and leeks
What it is: Alliums are a group of vegetables rich in inulin, a well-studied prebiotic fibre.
Why include them: Inulin is one of the most reliable, well-researched prebiotic fibres. A study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that even a modest daily intake selectively boosted beneficial bifidobacteria in the gut within just over two weeks.
How I eat it: As the aromatic base of almost everything I cook. A soffritto of onion, garlic and celery underpins most of my soups, stews and sauces.
Easy way in: If raw alliums don't agree with you, don't worry. The prebiotic fibre survives cooking well, so a well-cooked onion still counts.
Important to remember...
Gut health isn't built by any single food. It’s built by variety and consistency. I try to eat as many different plants across a week as I can (some advocate for 30 per week), because diversity on the plate really does translate into diversity in the gut.
Introduce fermented and high-fibre foods gradually if you're not used to them, as a sudden increase can cause temporary bloating, and give it a few weeks before you expect to notice a difference.
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Jo Williams
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