1 week Ago By Alice Fuller
I REALISE I am not exactly a ‘typical’ GP. In fact, you might say my practices are highly irregular. For one thing, I know of no colleague who invites patients into their kitchen for cooking tutorials.
GettyLooking after your gut health can have amazing long-term health benefits[/caption]Penguin Random HouseDr Camilla Stockholm, a GP, shares her top diet tips[/caption]But we have been calling food a medicine for centuries and some new discoveries have now made this an irrefutable fact. It is now impossible to ignore the pivotal role food plays in shaping our health. Simply put: the food you eat is one of the most influential things you can control, to shape not just your risk of disease but your ability to feel truly well.
Food is one of the most valuable parts of our social lives; it acts like a cultural glue, binding people no matter where they are from. Traditionally, most socialising happens around food but sadly, this now fills so many of us with dread. Diet and wellness culture have turned the simple act of eating into a baffling endeavour.
Equally, movement is often considered a compensatory punishment when really it can, and should, be enjoyable too. In fact, physical activity is one of our most powerful antidepressants and is intimately linked to good mental health. Luckily, there are many countries with better health outcomes who I believe we humbly need to learn from.
They simply eat and live the way their great grandparents did. We don’t need to learn to make drastic changes, we need to unlearn some of the changes we have made over the last 50 years! So what is it you should actually be eating? How can you boost your all-important microbiome? And what approach should you take if you want to live a long life and protect yourself from disease? My goal, as yours should be too, is health and happiness – and anything else is a mere footnote in that quest. I focus on eating food that I know will cleverly stimulate my evolutionary satiety (fullness) mechanisms and regulate my insulin (hormone that turns food into energy and manages blood sugar levels).
After years of yo-yo dieting in a binge-restrict cycle, my greatest epiphany was that trying to ignore my appetite meant I was fighting a losing battle. The body simply perceives this as a famine and will do everything it can to protect your fat stores! Instead I focus on eating food that will be delicious for both me and my microbiome, while keeping me comfortably satisfied.So my first trick is simply an attitude: when you look at any plate of food, always think: ‘What could I add to this?’Camilla StokholmGPI try to instil this way of thinking in my patients.
All my regulars have come to accept that when they leave my office, a prescription isn’t all they’ll take with them.They will be pointed in the direction of hours’ worth of cooking videos on my Instagram (@whatyourdoctoreats) and receive a customised list of books, podcasts, documentaries and YouTube tutorials. As well as addressing current illnesses, I see each appointment as an opportunity to inject health and prevent future diseases.
The results are astounding. Sustainable weight loss, improved cholesterol and blood pressure, better energy, less pain – the list goes on. Sometimes diseases, like type 2 diabetes, simply disappear.
It would be impossible to share absolutely everything I eat, but one of the best techniques I follow to optimise my own microbiome and health is to add texture, flavour and colour to my plate. This makes food infinitely more enjoyable to eat, and my gut microbiome agree.Our healthy gut bugs thrive off variety – more really is more when it comes to the plants we eat – so I just want to keep my microbiome entertained and on their toes.
In any scenario, I can always add something to what I’m eating: a handful of mixed salad leaves, a sprinkling of herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, salsa and so on. I know it will be more delicious for both me and my gut bugs that way.Why gut health is so importantYOUR gut microbiome is the ecosystem of microorganisms - including bacteria, fungi and viruses - that live in your intestines.
Dr Emily Leeming, a leading microbiome scientist and dietitian, said: “Your gut microbiome influences every aspect of your health and has the capacity to signal to your brain influencing your mood and how well you think.”With that in mind, here are all the ways the gut and brain interact.People who are lonely tend to have lower diversity of gut bacteria, often linked with poor health.
Scientists can predict whether a two-year-old is likely to have early symptoms of anxiety if their mum had a less diverse gut microbiome during her third trimester.Your gut bacteria are a key factor in healthy ageing, and they influence your immune system’s response, for better or worse.When a woman’s oestrogen levels are high, their microbiome tends to be more diverse, with lower diversity of bacteria in menopause and later life.
Research shows antibiotic use is linked to early puberty in girls, but not boys.Women in Asia tend to experience fewer menopause symptoms than Western women, and this could be down to their gut microbiome.Studies suggest the microbiome might be relevant to ADHD and autism.
The connection between fibre and your health is powerful and linked to a 30 per cent lower risk of death.Certain gut bacteria are thought to be involved in the release of oxytocin, potentially influencing how social, conscientious and empathetic you are.Your gut bacteria influence how your body makes your ‘happy’ hormone serotonin, and your reward neurotransmitter dopamine – influencing your mood, motivation, and behaviour.
There is a clear link between the gut and the brain with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as 38 per cent of people with IBS have anxiety and 27 per cent have depression.Some studies have linked cognitive performance to the gut microbiome – particularly to learning and memory.People who eat more fibre tend to perform far better in cognitive tests, involving memory and problem solving.
People with depression have a different gut microbiome and tend to have lower levels of short-chain fatty acids, special healthy molecules that are produced by the gut bacteria when you eat fibre, the roughage from plant foods.Source: Genius Gut by Dr Emily LeemingSo my first trick is simply an attitude: when you look at any plate of food, always think: “What could I add to this?”Variety and abundance in the plants you eat is the most powerful way to achieve a diverse and healthy microbiome. Here are some of my favourites.
..SPRINKLE:Sesame seeds, sliced kefir lime leaves or coriander on to Asian dishesOther fresh herbs on to anything savoury (mint works well on sweet dishes too)Nigella, pumpkin, sunflower seeds into saladsDried herbs (oregano on to Greek-inspired salads, basil, rosemary, za’atar on to grilled vegetables)Dukkah (a crunchy spice mix including nuts, sesame seeds, fennel seeds, salt and various spices) on top of chicken, dips, eggs, Middle Eastern dishesSumac – a citrus-flavoured spice, often pinched out of a bowl on the dinner table in Middle Eastern countries and sprinkled on anything; it’s especially lovely in marinated or pickled red onions or any other saladRas el hanout or baharat spice blend – Middle Eastern bombs of flavour, lovely on roasted vegetables (especially aubergine or sweet potato) or any fish or meat dishCumin seeds – surprisingly delicious sprinkled on anything from boiled eggs to saladCinnamon – into coffee and yoghurt bowlsChia, flax, hemp seeds into yoghurt bowlsPomegranate seeds – the tart flavour will elevate most savoury or sweet dishes (my family have a huge bowl on the table for most dinners, including Christmas dinner)Nuts – either on top of yoghurt bowls, added to salads or just enjoyed as a handful on the side; I try to eat two handfuls of different nuts each dayGettyTry sprinkling nuts and seeds over your meals to add some plant diversity[/caption]SPOON OVER:Houmous, muhammara, tzatziki, romesco, chimichurri, fresh pestos, tahini dressing, basil vinaigretteSalsaGuacamolePickles (I especially love pickled red onions or quick pickled red cabbage)Fermented food (for example, sauerkraut, kimchi, cheese, kefir)ADD A SIDE DISH OF:A handful of salad leaves (whichever you have – every dinner has room for a salad, so be like my great-grandmother and serve a bowl with every meal)Quickly blanched green vegetables like peas, green beans, broccoli with some extra virgin olive oil and saltA spoonful or two of beans, lentils, peas – you can usually squeeze these onto any plate.
GettyFermented vegetables like kimchi and sauerkraut are also great additions[/caption]DRINK:Could you add some plant variety to your meal with what you are drinking?KombuchaEven wine counts (but drinking 30 different types of wine is not a loophole I am suggesting!)CoffeeDifferent teasThis is an edited extract from What Your Doctor Eats by Dr Camilla Stokholm, published on April 24, 2025. DOING IT ON A BUDGETCAMILLA Stokholm says: Eating well doesn’t have to be expensive.Technically, the ‘cheapest’ addition would be conscientiously sourced foraged food because it’s completely free.
It’s a great way to get amazing plant variety into your diet. Growing your own food, even if that’s just on a windowsill, is another cheap hack. Dried or tinned legumes, whole grains (e.
g. pearl barley), frozen vegetables and berries, and seasonal food can also be amazingly cheap. Often cooking from scratch with humble ingredients is far more cost effective.
It also keeps you more full so you stop relying on buying extra snacks when you’re out and about which, over time, actually saves a lot of money!Penguin Random HouseDr Stokholm’s new book, What Your Doctor Eats, is out now[/caption].
