Epidemiologist Tim Spector debunks age-old maxims on health and weight loss in his book “The Diet Myth,” out this month. He found that certain foods, no matter their calorie count, promote a healthy diversity of microbes in our stomachs that improves digestion and weight control. The goal isn’t to restrict certain items, but rather to avoid processed foods as part of a balanced diet that promotes healthy gut bacteria.
Here are four foods that will help maintain your stomach’s microbiome:
Dark chocolate
Varieties with 70 percent or more cocoa contain polyphenols, which fuel certain microbes that then work to eliminate fat. Extra-virgin olive oil is also high in polyphenols.
Garlic and onions
Raw or cooked, “they have high levels of inulin,” says Spector. Inulin, not to be confused with insulin, acts like fertilizer for microbes, helping healthy gut bacteria flourish.
Unpasteurized cheese
“Fermented foods are microbes themselves,” he says. Even triple crème brie has trillions of microbes — just don’t scarf down the whole wheel at once.
Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes
Like garlic and onions, they’re “one of the highest” sources of inulin, says Spector.