Gut bacteria
An Indian diet for the gut microbiome
A diet that suits the gut microbiome is built on variety: many kinds of plant foods through the week, fibre at every meal and a fermented food every day. A traditional Indian plate of dal, vegetables, a whole grain, curd and spices already does most of this. The task for most people is to bring these foods back to the centre of the plate, in place of polished grains, packaged snacks and sugar.
In short
- Count plants, not only calories. A useful target is 30 different plant foods a week.
- Regional Indian diets differ, and each supports its own healthy mix of gut bacteria.
- Include a fermented food, such as curd or buttermilk, every day.
- If you bloat easily, change one thing at a time. People with IBS need an adjusted plan.
Which Indian foods feed gut bacteria?
- 30 different plant foods a week is a useful target
- Every day a fermented food, such as curd or buttermilk
- One thing at a time, if you bloat easily
| Food group | Examples | What it gives gut bacteria |
|---|---|---|
| Dals and pulses | Toor, moong, masoor, chana, rajma, lobia | Fermentable fibre and resistant starch |
| Whole grains and millets | Ragi, jowar, bajra, brown or hand-pounded rice, whole wheat, oats, barley | Several kinds of fibre |
| Vegetables | Greens, gourds, beans, okra, carrot, beetroot, onion, garlic | A wide range of fibres. Onion and garlic are rich in prebiotic fibre. |
| Fruit | Banana, guava, papaya, apple, orange, pomegranate | Pectin and other soluble fibre |
| Nuts and seeds | Peanuts, almonds, sesame, flaxseed, coconut | Fibre and plant compounds |
| Fermented foods | Curd, buttermilk, kanji, overnight-fermented rice, ambali | Live microbes |
| Spices and herbs | Turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, curry leaves, mint | Plant compounds that gut bacteria act on |
How do I build the plate?
Fill half the plate with vegetables
Cooked and raw, and of different colours through the week.
Have a dal or pulse at two meals
Rotate them: toor one day, moong or masoor the next, chana or rajma twice a week.
Choose a whole grain or millet once a day
Ragi, jowar or bajra in place of polished rice or maida at one meal.
Add curd or buttermilk daily
Plain, not sweetened. See whether curd is a probiotic.
Use fruit and nuts as snacks
In place of biscuits, namkeen and sweets.
Change the menu through the week
Variety comes from rotating vegetables, dals and grains, not from eating more.
What does a day look like?
| Meal | Vegetarian | With egg, fish or meat |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Ragi dosa or idli with sambar and chutney | The same, or an egg dosa |
| Mid-morning | A fruit and a handful of nuts | A fruit and a handful of nuts |
| Lunch | Rice or jowar roti, dal, a vegetable dish, greens, curd and salad | Rice or roti, fish or chicken curry, a vegetable dish, curd and salad |
| Evening | Roasted chana or sprouts, and buttermilk | Roasted chana or sprouts, and buttermilk |
| Dinner | Roti or millet, rajma or chana, a vegetable dish and salad | Roti, dal or egg curry, a vegetable dish and salad |
Does it matter whether I am vegetarian?
Less than people expect. In a study of healthy Indian adults, those on a largely plant-based diet in north-central India and those on a mixed diet in southern India carried different dominant bacteria, and both groups were healthy.
What matters is fibre and variety. A non-vegetarian diet with few vegetables and pulses is low in fibre. So is a vegetarian diet built on refined flour, fried snacks and sweets.
What should I limit?
- Maida products, and polished grains as the only staple
- Packaged snacks, sweets and sweetened drinks
- Deep-fried food
- Alcohol
How do I start without bloating?
Change one thing a week
The gut adapts to more fibre over two to four weeks.
Prepare pulses well
Soak them for several hours, discard the water and cook them until soft. This removes some of the sugars that cause gas. Moong and masoor are the easiest to begin with.
Drink enough water
Fibre needs fluid to work.
Walk after meals
Ten minutes helps the stomach to empty and gas to move.
Who needs a different plan?
- IBS or SIBO: onion, garlic, wheat and some pulses can worsen symptoms. A low FODMAP diet for a limited period, with a dietitian, finds what you tolerate. See the low FODMAP diet and an Indian IBS diet chart.
- Colitis or Crohn’s disease during a flare, or a narrowed bowel: fibre is adjusted by your doctor.
- Coeliac disease: wheat and barley are avoided completely.
- Diabetes or kidney disease: portions of grains, fruit and pulses are set with your dietitian.
When should I see a doctor?
See a doctor if bloating, pain or a changed bowel habit lasts more than three to four weeks, or if high-fibre foods make you clearly worse. Blood in the stool, weight loss or fever need attention promptly.
Questions patients ask me
Is Indian food good for gut health?
Traditional home-cooked Indian food is, because it combines pulses, vegetables, grains, curd and spices. Restaurant and packaged food, which is higher in refined flour, oil and sugar, is less so.
Which Indian foods are good for gut bacteria?
Dals and pulses, millets and whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and fermented foods such as curd, buttermilk and kanji.
Is rice or roti better for the gut?
Both are fine. Variety and less polishing matter more than the choice between them. Rice that has been cooked and cooled contains more resistant starch, which gut bacteria ferment.
Are millets good for gut health?
Yes. Ragi, jowar and bajra contain more fibre than polished rice. Introduce them gradually if you are not used to them.
Is spicy food bad for gut bacteria?
Spices in normal cooking amounts are not known to harm gut bacteria. Chilli can bring on burning or loose stools in people with a sensitive gut, so adjust it to what you tolerate.
Sources
This page is written for patients and is based on the guidelines and studies below. It is for education and does not replace a consultation.
- Multi-omics study of the Indian gut microbiome. Dhakan DB et al. Gigascience. 2019. PubMed 30698687
- Pan-India profile of the human gut microbiome. Dubey AK et al. Sci Data. 2018. PubMed 30375992
- American Gut citizen-science study of diet and the microbiome. McDonald D et al. mSystems. 2018. PubMed 29795809
- Systematic reviews of carbohydrate quality and human health. Reynolds A et al. Lancet. 2019. PubMed 30638909
- International consensus statement on the definition of prebiotics. Gibson GR et al. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017. PubMed 28611480
- International consensus statement on fermented foods. Marco ML et al. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021. PubMed 33398112
- Trial of high-fibre and fermented-food diets and immune status. Wastyk HC et al. Cell. 2021. PubMed 34256014
- Controlled trial of a low FODMAP diet in irritable bowel syndrome. Halmos EP et al. Gastroenterology. 2014. PubMed 24076059