If you are someone who is so concerned about your calorie intake, you might consider this recent research before you check the label of the next food you buy at the supermarket. According to recent research, too much obsession on calorie intake and restrictive diet are much unhealthier and can make you fatter.
Prof. Tim Spector, a geneticist at King's College London, said that counting calories, fat, and sugar is not the right way of dieting. Instead, you have to think about nurturing the healthy microbes in your gut.
He said that our bodies have more than 100 trillion microbes all of whom reside in the lower intestine or colon. These microbes help digest our food, provides vitamins and minerals to our body, and strengthens the immune system.
Prof. Spector continued that the body's microbiome is affected by the food we eat. New research also shows that these microbes can also affect how we respond to medication. Moreover, each person has a unique microbiome explaining why each responds differently to food.
In order to take care of your microbiome, you have to increase your fiber intake, stay away from processed food, and have a diverse diet as much as possible. Prof. Spector suggests that if possible, you must not have the same types of food every day. Also, you don't even need to cut on your diet.
Another types of food that can help nurture your microbiome are fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, keffir, unpasteurized cheese, miso soup, and plain natural yogurt without any sweeteners.
The professor also suggested eating seven portions of fruits and vegetables every day.
Professor Spector also added that eating isn't the only way to keep your gut healthy. Intermittent fasting can balance the ecosystem inside your gut promoting to a healthier body. Such practice cannot only make you healthy but also make you lose weight.
