A Keith Review – Podcast Episode 2 – Diets and Microbes

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Welcome to Episode 2 of ‘A Keith Review’, a Nutrition and Learning Podcast that this week focusses on Diets and Microbes

Podcast Sections

1. What information and resources I engaged with

The Diet Myth: Why the Secret to Health and Weight Loss is Already in Your Gut book by Tim Spector

The British Gut Project website

The American Microbiome Institute Podcast Episode 5

The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-term Health

2. What I learnt

From the Diet Myth:

We all possess a unique set of microbes a bit like a fingerprint.

Our diet affects our microbes, and also our microbes affect how we digest food, and so can influence our health.

The key to health and weight may not be in a particular diet but in the microbes in our body.

A more diverse microbiome is more likely to lead to better health.

From The AMI Podcast:

Most microbes are in the gut where they get plenty of nutrients. They outnumber our cells 10 – 1.

Research in this area is relatively new but is showing the incredibly important role microbes may play in our health.

The Humanised Mouse is used in much research in this area.

Recommendations for changing our diet to foster a more diverse microbiota include, eating a high fibre diet.

About Personalised vs One-Size Fits All approaches:

British Association for Applied Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy (BANT)

comments on British Dietetic Association (BDA) publication of list of diets that should be avoided

3. What ideas I had and action I took

I make frequent use of the Reddit Forums (especially on nutrition)

I read the Gut Health brochure by Chris Kessler.

I read some background on the Paleo diet

I looked into the GAPS Diet and the criticisms of it, including:

I listened to the BBC Radio 4 Food Programme – Hunting with the Hadza Part 2: The Microbiome

4. Reflection on how I feel

I certainly feel my knowledge base is growing. The more I discover, the more I realise there is so much I do not know.

Whenever I see a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (black or white) answer to a nutrition question, I am confident it will likely be wrong.

I notice I am more critical and eager to research different sources of information.

I feel like a detective at times, and whilst it is very rewarding, the up of a discovery followed any the down of a contradiction, does make it feel like a roller coaster ride.

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