04/05/2025
When people switch between a whole food, plant-based diet and one based more on animal products, dramatic shifts can occur within their microbiome within just two days.
When we eat fiber, our good gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The SCFAs are an important energy source for the cells lining our colon and also function to suppress inflammation and cancer. Eat fiber, and these fiber-munching bacteria multiply, and we get more anti-inflammatory, anticancer SCFAs. Eat less fiber, and our fiber-eating bacteria starve.
The good bacteria are nourished by fiber-rich foods, like fruits, veggies, whole grains, and beans. Many bad bacteria—those that may contribute to disease—are fed by meat, including seafood, junk food, and fast food, as well as dairy and eggs.
One of the biggest problems with animal-based diets and other typical Western diets is they don’t leave anything for our good bacteria to eat, which allows bad bacteria to take over and increase our susceptibility to inflammatory diseases, colon cancer, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
To learn more, see the following on Nutritionfacts.org:
“How to Develop a Healthy Gut Ecosystem” https://buff.ly/2vdvxas.
Microbiome topic page: https://buff.ly/2J2HbqA
“Microbiome: We Are What They Eat” https://buff.ly/2pyo54w
“Gut Dysbiosis: Starving Our Microbial Self” https://buff.ly/2BJoE0P
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