Gut Health (Human)
Food pattern first, not supplement first. The principle is diversity, not the exact count.
The Health Path
The sequence experts consistently converge on.
Eat 30 different plant species per week
The single most memorable target for gut microbiome diversity. Plants count across all categories: vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, herbs and spices. The American Gut Project found that participants hitting 30+ different plants per week had measurably more diverse gut microbiomes than those eating 10 or fewer. The number is a useful target rather than a magic threshold — the principle is variety, not exact count. Plants you already eat count; small additions (a tablespoon of mixed seeds on breakfast, a different bean each week, herbs and spices) compound quickly.
Eat one serving of a live-culture fermented food daily
Kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt with live cultures, kombucha, or miso. The Stanford Sonnenburg RCT (8 weeks, daily fermented foods) s…
Each step in the full Health Path is strengthened by five additional evidence layers:
- Benefits from other Health Areas
- Mistakes to avoid
- Context that changes the advice
- Where experts disagree
- What's changing now
See all 7 steps in order, the reasoning behind each, and how this area connects to every other Health Area.