Hannah Holscher, a registered dietitian and microbiome researcher, teaches classes about nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is also the Director of the Nutrition and Human Microbiome Laboratory.
At the lab on the school’s campus in Champaign, Holscher and her team analyze biological samples like blood, stool and urine, and sift through large data sets from existing microbiome research to better understand “how the microbes in our body are able to break down components in foods that our own human enzymes can’t digest,” she says.
Holscher’s work helps inform how one should eat to maintain or improve their health and well-being. She also uses all the knowledge she’s gained studying the human microbiome to shape her own diet.
Here’s what Holscher eats to keep her gut healthy.
‘I try to get my recommended amount of fiber every day’
As a mom of two young boys, ages three and six, Holscher isn’t the most strict about her diet.
Being too strict about what she eats “just takes some joy away from food for me, and I love the joy of food and cooking and trying new things,” she says.
But Holscher does make sure to get one vital nutrient in as often as possible for optimal gut health: “[I] try to get my recommended amount of fiber every day, which is going to be right around 25 grams.”
Some foods that are rich in fiber include leafy greens, berries, apples, avocados and chia seeds.
“The gut has a favorite food, and that favorite food is fiber,” says Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, a celebrity nutrition expert and New York Times best-selling author.
American adults typically eat only 10 to 15 grams of total fiber a day, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
“What happens is, if you don’t get enough fiber, then the bugs, or the microbes that are very important [and] that line your entire gastrointestinal system, they don’t get what they need. So they don’t have that good material to chomp on [and] they start chomping on the gut lining,” Petrucci told CNBC Make It last year.
What I eat every day as dietician and gut health researcher
Here’s a look at how Holscher typically eats every day to get enough fiber and keep her gut happy. “I work really hard to try to prioritize consuming different plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes.”
Breakfast
Holscher frontloads her day with foods rich in dietary fiber or probiotics. Her first meal of the day typically includes something like:
- Overnight oats with whole rolled oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, milk, berries and honey
- High-fiber cereal
- Yogurt and granola
Lunch
Her days can get busy, so between meetings Holscher typically opts for a snack at lunchtime, instead of a large meal.
She enjoys snacks like:
- Apples
- Oranges
- Bananas
- Celery
- Carrots
- Nuts
Dinner
“Dinner can get really interesting. My husband does all of our cooking in our household. I’m super lucky,” Holscher says. “He likes to experiment with different types of menus, and he’s Pakistani.”
Her husband cooks up dishes with legumes and lots of spices like:
“Just last night, he made chicken burrito bowls. So we had chicken, avocado, black beans and a corn and onion salsa that he made,” Holscher says. “And we had bag salad.”
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