As we head into the New Year and gut health continues to be a priority, our Lead Nutritionist Frances Smith explores the simple, science-backed steps that actually make a difference when it comes to optimising your gut health.

Gut health is essential because it influences digestion, immunity, energy levels, and even mood. A healthy gut helps you absorb nutrients efficiently, supports your immune system, and keeps inflammation down. It’s impacted by factors such as diet (especially fibre intake), stress, sleep, movement, medications, and lifestyle habits, all of which can either support or disrupt the balance of beneficial gut bacteria.

Your gut isn’t something you can fix with one pill or drink. It’s more like a garden. Gardens don’t thrive because of one magic seed, they thrive with consistent care such as sunlight, water and healthy soil. The same is true for your gut. Trends can feel exciting and new, but the biggest wins are still the simple ones done well and done consistently.

Here are some simple steps you can implement that actually matter for gut health.

Step 1: Add a variety of fibre to your day

Fibre is the main fuel for your good gut bacteria. During fermentation, gut microbes produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids that support a healthy gut lining, improve nutrient absorption and regularity, strengthen the gut’s natural defences, and stimulate hormones such as GLP-1, which help promote fullness and more stable blood glucose levels.

How to do it (you can pick just 1 to start):

    • Add one high‑fibre veg to each main meal
      Examples: broccoli, peas, carrots, spinach, mushrooms, mixed frozen veg
    • Add a higher‑fibre fruit once a day
      Examples: berries, pears, apples (skin on), oranges, kiwi, apricot
    • Trade up your grains in one of your meals
      Examples: wholemeal or seeded bread instead of white; wholewheat pasta; brown rice instead of white; oats/porridge, bulgar wheat, quinoa
    • Add nuts or seeds to meals or snacks
      Examples: 1–2 tbsp chia, ground flax, pumpkin or mixed seeds over porridge/salads; a handful of almonds or walnuts.
    • Work in legumes a few times a week
      Examples: add a small amount of beans to chilli, soups, stews, curries
    • Keep it easy: tinned beans and frozen veg are perfect, you can buy lightly toasted seed mixtures, perfect for adding on top of dishes

Target: 30g fibre/day from food. Build up slowly and drink water to keep things comfortable.

Step 2: Add a serving of probiotic foods most days

Why it matters: Step 1 is about feeding the residents in your gut (many different fibres help more species “stick around”). Step 2 is about regularly introducing new friendly species and their helpful by‑products. Live‑culture foods top up “good bugs” and can nudge your gut toward greater microbial variety and a calmer, more resilient environment.

Easy options (choose one):

  • Live yoghurt (look for “live cultures” on pack)
  • Kefir
  • Kimchi or sauerkraut
  • Miso or tempeh in meals

Portion guide: roughly 1 small serving/day. Watch out for added sugars in some yoghurts.

Tip: Rotate choices so you’re introducing a range of live cultures over the week

If gut health is top of your list, start here. Step 1 feeds your current microbes, step 2 tops them up, together they set your microbiome up for success. You’ll get the most from doing both, but if that’s too much today, pick one action and do it daily for a week. Then add the second. Small wins compound.