You’ve completed week 1 of your good gut guide and should now be feeling some digestive benefits from all those lovely extra plants you’re eating. But now it’s time to get specific about the types of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds you’re plating up by focusing on compounds called polyphenols. Never heard of them? Stay with us…

You’ve likely heard that choosing plants of different colours, or ‘eating the rainbow’, is good for you – and that’s all down to polyphenol content, says Dr Rupy.

“Polyphenols are thought of as the compounds in plants that give them their bright colours and your microbes absolutely love these chemicals,” he explains.

“There are tens of thousands of different polyphenols out there, including curcumin, found in turmeric, or resveratrol, found in red wine. And you will find hundreds of polyphenols in a single apple,” he says.
 

The aim of the game is to get as many different types of polyphenols into your diet as possible. This will help the good kind of bacteria (also known as probiotics) while inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria, as shown in preliminary studies.

“When a microbe gets its hands on a polyphenol it will break it down into 30 to 40 extra metabolites,” adds Dr Rupy. “These support the gut cell wall, allowing nutrients to be absorbed into your bloodstream more easily.” And that’s good news for us.

Some of the most beneficial polyphenols come from foods that are purple (like aubergine or blueberries), red (cherries and apples) and green (like spinach and artichoke) – but the full spectrum of colours counts. “Even beige plants have polyphenols, like garlic, mushrooms and wholegrains,” says Dr Rupy.

Some of Dr Rupy’s favourite polyphenols are of the brown and seemingly naughty variety – chocolate. “Look for a 75% plus dark chocolate with less than 10g of sugar per 100g and no fillers and emulsifiers,” he recommends. Though of course, it still contains a lot of sugar, so only enjoy it occasionally as part of a balanced diet.

So the next time you’re in the shop, don’t reach for ten types of green plants (unless you’re going all-out for a green smoothie, of course). Instead, start to consider colour and taste diversity. If you don’t know where to start, try Dr Rupy’s family-style nachos – packed with polyphenol cacao, honey and spices, as well as bright and colourful plants – is just the ticket. 

1. ‘Eat the rainbow’, choosing different coloured plants for a range of polyphenols
2. Beige is a colour – so don’t skip the garlic, mushrooms and wholegrains
3. Dr Rupy says dark chocolate also counts (in moderation!). Well, if he insists…

Loved getting your polyphenols in? Then you’ll love prebiotic week! Get ready for a high-protein pasta that will make weeknight dinners both tasty and worth talking about.