Things such as prebiotic foods, probiotic foods, antibiotics, high sugar intake, FODMAP foods, stress, and low fibre diets can all have an impact.
But there’s a bigger issue at play. Our food supply.
Changes in farming practices over the last 50 years have resulted in reduced crop diversity. What this means is that major farmers and manufacturers are focusing on growing a limited number of food crops. Why is this? Well, typically it is to get more bang for their buck. From seed purchasing through to the manufacturer’s wanting cheap products to use in their food items, diversity is out.
So what does this mean for us? It means that for the most part, the majority of the food supply lends itself to 5 key ingredients. Wheat, barley, canola, corn, rice and soy. Here in Australia, our largest crops are wheat, barley and canola.
If you follow a gluten-free diet, you need to cut wheat and barley from this list. The result is that your flour options, and therefore packaged product variety, is even more restricted.
And don’t get us started on the supermarket take-overs that keep seeing our favourite brands disappear off the shelves, only to reappear as supermarket branded options. Seriously, what is up with that?!
Just take a look at some common gluten-free packaged products. They contain so many of the same ingredients, and most are from the top 5 crops.
Then you have corn chips, rice crumbing and cake mixes full of starches, maize, soy flours and more. Not to mention tinned tuna and canned vegetables in vegetable and canola oils; soy milks, processed soy meat alternatives, soy protein bars, and the copious choices of vegetable oils for cooking (which I don’t recommend using!).
There’s big money where those products come from. That’s because so many of their ingredients are produced with such high volume, that everybody wins. Except, for every body that regularly ingests a diet high in these foods, without much else.
You see, if we limit our food choices to a high intake of these packaged, processed, and ready-made food items, despite what they look like, we’re still eating the same things!
You can have gluten free cereal for breakfast, a gluten free sandwich for lunch, then gluten free pasta for dinner. On the surface these are three completely different meals.
However, in each of them, the bulk of the meal is made up of the same key ingredients.
Firstly, our limited diets may reduce the amount of vitamins and minerals we can get from our diet. This, in turn, could lead to malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies.
But just, if not worryingly, it turns out we’re affecting the health of our gut as well. That’s bad news for chronic disease prevention.
New research suggests that the reduction of variety in our diets has changed the diversity of our gut bacteria. There is evidence to suggest that this is because our gut bacteria strains adapt and change in numbers to match what we’re eating.
So in a nutshell, it appears that healthier people have a more diverse microbiome. And this diverse microbiome is due, in part, to a diet with a higher variety of foods and nutrients.
Many studies are now finding that a lack of diverse gut bacteria is correlated to a number of disease states such as obesity and metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and inflammatory bowel diseases. The theory is that a greater bio-diversity of gut bacteria is more resilient to anything that your lifestyle or diet throws at it.
So aside from looking after your gut bacteria with:
Foods rich in prebiotics (where possible, as for some, these food items cause stomach problems i.e. they tend to be high FODMAP foods),
Including probiotic sources such as cultured yoghurts (dairy, coconut or otherwise),
It seems a diet rich in variety is also important, not just for your overall nutrient intake, but the health of your gut, and in turn, the health and wellbeing of your entire body.
Editor’s Note:We’ve had a few enquires about finding kefir grains in Australian supermarkets. In our experience, it hard to find kefir grains at your local shops. However, some Woolworths supermarkets stock kefir alongside their milk products. It’s also worth checking Woolworths online.
If you are happy to buy your kefir grains online there are plenty of Kefir Kits and Kefir Culture Sachets for you to choose from. Click here for more information and prices.
The Bottom Line
While the products listed above are gluten-free alternatives – and fine to have on occasion – what you eat them with is also a factor.
It’s important to combine them with a range of colourful fresh fruit and vegetables, a mix of protein sources, and homemade baked goods using alternative flours to ensure you’re getting the widest variety of different foods possible.
When it comes to great places to eat in Australia, the list really is endless. There are so many different restaurants, cafés, and chains to try that you really are spoiled for choice. From Italian food, to Japanese food, to a good ‘ole rump steak, the food options are endless.
This is why I decided to set up my blog, Eatability, to share the best food and drink spots in Australia with as many people as possible. Hi, my name is Dylan Cole, and I moved to Australia five years ago from England, UK.
Through this blog, I will be sharing and recommending some of my favorite places you need to visit, such as where to find the best pizza in Adelaide, and the best bakery in Brisbane. Whatever food you are fancying, I have got you covered!
