Christmas has come and gone and we're now into 2019 already, if it hasn't started already, it won’t be long before the nation’s fitness gear emerges from the back of the closet.

In the New Year, fitness is king as hordes of people attempt to burn off their festive trimmings and wrestle their body’s microbiome into shape.

Microbiomes are collections of microbes that live on and inside the human body that are integral to health and scientifically proven to influence a person’s metabolism, physiology and vulnerability to illness. Healthy microbiota is essential for the human body to function at its full potential.

We recognise the importance of having a healthy and diverse gut microbiome. Strong and healthy gut microbiota benefit the immune system, the rate of digestion and cause noticeable improvements to cognitive health. It’s a win-win! 

With gut microbiota in mind, we're proud to present our 3-step process to microbiome maintenance in 2019. 

STEP 1 – Dedication to a diet 

Diet underpins the condition of the gut microbiota, so it’s important to get it right. Diets come in two forms, radical or gradual.

At first radical diets appear to be a good idea. After all, lowering food intake seems like a logical way to reduce weight; excessive food intake is what increases body mass in the first place. Radical diets can provoke the loss of weight, however, this often results in a loss of muscle and fat - not good news for progress at the gym or bodily health. In some cases, radical diets have been proven to increase fat storage as the body enters its ‘survival mode’. Nutritionists do not regard this method as a viable long-term solution.

A gradual transition towards natural staples is a far healthier dietary alternative. Whole eggs, salmon, lean beef & chicken breast, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens and assorted beans are all dense in vitamins, minerals and healthy fats, which after they’ve been washed down with a gulp of water (a healthy alternative to fizzy drinks), ensure the health of the gut microbiota. Healthy microbiota allow better digestion and have a major influence on weight loss.

IMPORTANT: In the majority of cases, the type of food consumed bears far more significance to weight gain than portion size.

Commonly known as roughage, fibre is an essential carbohydrate that the human body cannot fully break down and comes in two forms; soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fibres dissolve in water and form a gel-like substance to support the growth of friendly bacteria inside the gut. Good sources of soluble fibres include: 

• Oats - specially formulated fitness oats contain the most fibre and protein
• Fruits - bananas, oranges, apples, strawberries all have 3-4g of fibre each
• Barley - contains the soluble fibre Beta-glucan also found in oats
• Beans - one of the quickest soluble fibre fixes

Insoluble fibres cannot dissolve in water and instead absorb water via the body’s stools, enabling food to pass through the stomach and intestines at a faster pace. Sources of insoluble fibres include: 

• Wholemeal bread - 1 slice provides 15% of an adult’s daily intake
• Wheat bran - one of the highest fibre contents out there at 40%
• Vegetables - green beans, eggplants, celery, onions & assorted greens
• Nuts- almonds have the highest fibre content

The NHS recommends adults consume on average 30g of fibre every day; the UK’s national average is 17.2g for women and 20.1g for men. Maintaining this average intake aids digestion, eases constipation and boosts the efficiency of the gut.

With a person’s diet being proven to contribute to 75% of their total weight loss, it is essential for a healthy and balanced diet to be central to everyone’s lifestyle this new year.

Interested in a weight management programme that is scientifically proven? Then you should definitely check out the GoFigure range available here, with the award-winning SlimBiome. Offering a range of healthy meal replacement shakes, flapjacks and the newly launched muesli pot, the GoFigure range is a sustainable yet scientifically proven approach to weight loss (or maintenance!), whilst keeping your gut healthy with plenty of dietary fibre and prebiotics.

STEP 2 – Invest in the best

While diet is crucial to ensuring a healthy microbiome, gut health is vital to building the solid defences required to fight off pathogens. Probiotics are a great way to care for the health of the body’s microbiome and increase the levels of ‘good bacteria’ present inside the gut. Gut health underpins the rate of digestion, the condition of the immune system and even heart health by influencing the levels of cholesterol.

CholBiome^®_x3 from OptiBiotix is a next-generation probiotic supplement focused on reducing cholesterol levels through the reduction of total cholesterol as well as Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) within the gut. CholBiome_X3 does this through Lactobacillus plantarum (LP_LDL^®); a unique probiotic strain backed by successful clinical trials and scientific evidence that works within the microbiome-liver axis (basically the part that produces cholesterol).

CholBiome_X3 harnesses the tri-power of LP_LDL, Monacolin K and Vitamin B3, which makes the probiotic an attractive natural alternative to statins. The patented formulation is proven to decrease LDL cholesterol by up to 13.9% and raise HDL cholesterol by up to 4.5%.  LP_LDL is naturally formulated to specifically target individuals experiencing high levels of blood pressure and cholesterol by allowing regulation of the microbiome-liver axis and modulation of bile acids. The result is a non-pharmaceutical solution that reduces overall cholesterol by up to 36.7%, without the side effects known to be associated with statins. A great way to diversify the gut microbiome for a nutritious start to 2019!

STEP 3 – Retain and Maintain

Maintenance is essential, both through exercise and probiotics programmes. After following at least a 3-month programme ofCholBiome_X3 the body’s ratio of HDL and LDL cholesterol should be sitting at a healthy level;a balance in need of maintenance rather than reduction.

This is where CholBiome^® steals the show. Just like CholBiome_X3, the formulation contains OptiBiotix’s scientifically proven LP_LDL formulation and acts naturally to promote the release of cholesterol through the intestine and contributes to maintaining the health of the gut microbiota; a great companion to follow up the use of CholBiome_X3 for those wishing to elevate their health and wellness this new year.