When it comes to dieting you should ‘trust your gut’ – literally. In fact it’s quite possible that the expression – which refers to trusting your intuition actually reflects the fact that there is a strong connection between our gut and our brain. There’s something in your gut known as the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) which besides controlling digestion, also sends important signals to the brain and is thought to be able to trigger profound emotional shifts in people. It’s not just your mood that affects your digestive system, but the other way around. Then there is your gut microbiome – the billions of microbes that live in your gut and that are unique to you. These bacteria are crucial to maintaining your health – both physical and mental. So are we at the mercy of our guts? Far from it. One of the main ways we can maintain gut health is through diet – and a growing number of experts are helping guide us to a healthier relationship with our guts. One such expert is epidemiologist and science writer Tim Spector. Spector’s 2015 book The Diet Myth explains clearly how the gut microbiome impacts health and longevity – and what’s more he provides clear guidance on how to increase the variety of healthy bacteria we’re getting in our diets. The good news is that part of the key to this is a varied, Mediterranean style diet – an approach you’ll find lies at the heart of many of our culinary offerings at Karma Group. This podcast is a great introduction to Tim’s food philosophy – one that abolishes myths around dieting and best of all encourages us to really enjoy eating!
