Why Gut Health Should Be Your Top New Year’s Resolution
Whether your goal for the New Year is to lose weight, increase your energy, improve mental clarity or overall health, there’s one fundamental area you can’t afford to ignore: gut health.
The gut microbiome — often called your “second brain,” even though it is our primal brain — affects almost every organ in your body, including your brain, heart, and immune system. Neglecting your gut health could mean sabotaging your health goals.
Let’s explore why gut health should be your top priority in 2025 and how to support a thriving gut microbiome.
What Is the Gut Microbiome?
The gut microbiome is a bustling yet fragile ecosystem of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses in your digestive tract that has adapted through millennia of evolution. With over 40 trillion bacterial cells, the microbiome plays a critical role in digestion, nutrient absorption, immune defence, and mental health.
Every person’s microbiome is unique and shaped by diet, lifestyle, and environment. A balanced, diverse gut microbiome is essential for maintaining overall health and mental health. In contrast, gut dysbiosis is linked to chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), autoimmunity, and even anxiety and depression.
The Gut-Body Connection: How Your Microbiome Influences Health
1. Gut Health and Weight Management
Your gut bacteria affect how your body processes food and stores fat. Research shows that individuals with obesity often have different microbiome compositions compared to lean individuals, even among identical twins.
Many bacteria, including bifidobacteria and lactobacillus, have been identified as key pillars of gut health. One emerging strain of bacteria, Akkermansia muciniphila, has quickly become a symbol of good gut health. Accumulating evidence indicates Akkermansia is a promising therapeutic probiotic (supplementation) against metabolic disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.[1]
2. Digestive Health Starts with the Gut
IBS-like symptoms, including bloating, gas, and abdominal pain, may signal digestive issues. This imbalance impacts the gut microbiome, and low stomach acid is often to blame. It is typically caused by chronic stress, eating too fast and too much in one sitting, not chewing food enough, or eating on the go or while working.
The gut’s mucosal immunity works with gut bacteria to maintain intestinal balance, but disruptions can lead to conditions like IBS or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They can also impact brain function, mood, and emotional balance and hyperstimulate the HPA axis or stress response.
Illustration extracted from Energise - 30 Days to Vitality by Olivier Sanchez (2021).[2]
3. The Gut-Mind Connection
The illustration above lets you quickly identify the gut-brain axis and its role in health and disease. The microbiota-gut-brain axis is a communication highway provided by the vagus nerve.
An unhealthy gut can contribute to mental health issues like low mood, anxiety disorders and depression. Emerging research highlights how probiotics and prebiotics — sometimes called “psychobiotics” — can positively impact mood and cognitive function. Prebiotics were not initially considered psychobiotics, but since they play a key role in feeding commensal bacteria, their impact on brain health is indisputable.
4. Fatigue and Sleep Issues
Did you know a struggling microbiome could be behind your persistent fatigue and sleep problems?
Conditions like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) have been linked to gut imbalances, and studies suggest the microbiome influences circadian rhythms and sleep quality. A disturbed gut milieu may also derail the histamine clearance pathways or act on histamine-degrading enzymes, leading to higher concentrations of histamine in the bloodstream. Histamine is also an excitatory neurotransmitter and can participate in chronic sleep issues. If you sleep better after taking an antihistamine, it may indicate gut issues.
How to Improve Your Gut Health in 2025
Small, consistent changes to your diet and lifestyle can significantly improve your gut health. Find below my seven tips for better health:
1. Eat a Variety of Plants
Do not confuse plants and plant-based junk, an abused term to trick consumers into believing ultra-processed vegan food is healthy. Vegan products are mostly a concoction of novel additives varying in toxicity and have never been studied for their impact on human health. The vegans of today looking for shortcuts (products that taste and feel like meat) are the lab rats of the food industry.
Aim for at least 30 different types of plants per week. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds provide essential prebiotic fibre that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. A colourful diet ensures you get a wide range of nutrients, supporting a balanced microbiome. Choose fruits and vegetables with the darkest colours.
2. Incorporate Fermented Foods
Probiotic-rich foods like yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha introduce live beneficial bacteria to your gut. Regularly consuming these foods has improved digestion and even reduced inflammation.
Fermented foods come with a warning: if you have histamine issues, it is best to steer away from ALL fermented foods as it will worsen your allergy-like symptoms, including eczema or psoriasis.
3. Increase Dietary Fibre Intake
High-fibre foods, such as oats, beans, and seeds, promote the growth of good gut bacteria. Unlike other nutrients, fibre remains undigested until it reaches the large intestine. This fuels good gut bacteria and promotes the release of short-chain fatty acids, essential compounds for maintaining a permeable and tight gut lining.
Do not forget about starches, especially resistant starches. As they travel untouched through the digestive tract, they are also energy sources for good gut bacteria. Resistant starches include double-cooked potatoes (cooked, cooled and reheated), plantains, chufas (tiger nuts), nuts and seeds.
4. Avoid Processed Foods and Sugary Drinks
By now, you know that ultra-processed foods are toxic non-foods that can disrupt your gut microbiome, encourage the overgrowth of harmful bacteria, disturb blood sugar and lipid balancing, and cause most, if not all, metabolic disorders and some cancers.
Reducing sugar and artificial sweeteners can help restore microbial balance and help restore intestinal permeability, and reduce your risk of autoimmune disorders and colon cancer (also linked to a diet poor in dietary fibre).
5. Manage Stress
Stress directly impacts gut health. Activities like yoga, meditation, or simply spending time in nature can reduce stress and improve the gut-brain connection.
6. Move Your Body
Exercise is great for your heart and gut. Regular physical activity has been shown to increase the diversity of gut bacteria, improving overall health.
But don’t overdo it! Exercise to your capacity levels and increase the duration and strength as you become more active.
Professional athletes and marathon runners, for example, must pay attention to the impact of their regimen on their gut, which can severely impact performance and make them more prone to infections like colds and flu.
7. Consider Probiotics with Prebiotics
While a healthy diet should be your first line of defence, supplements containing acid-resistant probiotics and prebiotic fibres can support your gut health further. Look for strains which include Butyrate (a potent short-chain fatty acid, also found in butter), which reduces gut inflammation and supports digestion.
The Ripple Effect of a Healthy Gut
When you naturally prioritise your gut health by following the tips above, the benefits extend beyond digestion. However, it starts with digestion. Become a mindful eater and, if possible, reconnect with food by cooking your meals from scratch. It is easier and faster than you think, even on a budget.
A balanced microbiome can help you:
Achieve sustainable weight loss
Balance blood sugar, cholesterol and lipid levels
Enhance mental clarity and emotional stability
Reduce inflammation and chronic disease risks
Improve sleep quality and energy levels
Make 2025 the year you take charge of your health.
You’ll set the foundation for a healthier, happier, and more vibrant life by nurturing your gut.
References
1. Chiantera, V. Laganà, AS. Basciani, S. et al. (2023). A critical perspective on the supplementation of Akkermansia muciniphila: Benefits and harms. Life (Basel). 13(6), 1247. doi:10.3390/life13061247
2. Sanchez, O. (2021). An invisible World. Energise - 30 Days to Vitality. Reset Your Body to its Natural Rhythm. Manage Blood Sugar and Energy Levels. Stamp Down Inflammation. Gain Clarity. Develop resilience and become the person you always dreamed to be. Nutrunity Publishing. London. pp. 23-90. Available at: https://amzn.eu/d/jeU7QmU
Ghotaslou, R. Nabizadeh, E. Memar, MY. et al. (2023). The metabolic, protective, and immune functions of Akkermansia muciniphila. Microbiological Research. 266, 127245. doi:10.1016/j.micres.2022.127245
Macchione, IG. Lopetuso, LR. Ianiro, G. et al. (2019). Akkermansia muciniphila: Key player in metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 23(18), pp. 8075-8083. doi:10.26355/eurrev_201909_19024
Mruk-Mazurkiewicz, H. Kulaszyńska, M. Czarnecka, W. et al. (2024). Insights into the mechanisms of action of Akkermansia muciniphila in the treatment of non-communicable diseases. Nutrients. 16(11), 1695. doi:10.3390/nu16111695
Rodrigues, VF. Elias-Oliveira, J. Pereira, ÍS. et al. (2022). Akkermansia muciniphila and gut immune system: A good friendship that attenuates inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and diabetes. Frontiers in Immunology. 13, 934695. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.934695
Roshanravan, N. Bastani, S. Tutunchi, H. et al. (2023). A comprehensive systematic review of the effectiveness of Akkermansia muciniphila, a member of the gut microbiome, for the management of obesity and associated metabolic disorders. Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry. 129(3), pp. 741-751. doi:10.1080/13813455.2021.1871760
Zhang, T. Ji, X. Lu, G. et al. (2021). The potential of Akkermansia muciniphila in inflammatory bowel disease. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 105(14-15), pp. 5785-5794. doi:10.1007/s00253-021-11453-1
Zhao, Y. Yang, H. Wu, P. et al. (2024). Akkermansia muciniphila: A promising probiotic against inflammation and metabolic disorders. Virulence. 15(1), 2375555. doi:10.1080/21505594.2024.2375555
Zhou, K. (2017) Strategies to promote abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, an emerging probiotics in the gut, evidence from dietary intervention studies. Journal of Functional Foods. 2017 Jun;33:194-201. doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2017.03.045