Two trillion. That’s how many microbes are living in your gut right now. Not sitting quietly — competing. Some of them push your health in the right direction. Some of them don’t. And the thing I didn’t know two years ago? You get to decide which ones win. Two years back I was bloated by 3pm every day, getting upset stomachs most weeks, and eating almost entirely ultra-processed food. Eighteen months of fermented foods, 30 plants per week, and cutting the UPFs later — the bloating is gone. The upset stomachs are gone. And Professor Tim Spector’s latest research, published in Nature, has finally given me a scientific explanation for why feeding my gut differently made such a difference.
[Note to Neil: Add YouTube embed once video is published]
Why Your Gut Bugs Are Basically in a Street Fight
Here’s the thing nobody tells you when they talk about gut health. It’s not about having “good” bugs. It’s about who’s winning the numbers game. The bad bugs aren’t evil — they’re opportunistic. Feed them ultra-processed food, high sugar, high saturated fat, and they thrive. They elbow out the good ones. Take up the real estate.
Good bugs are pickier. They want fibre. They want diversity. They want 30 different plants per week. They want fermented foods. And when you feed them consistently, they crowd out the competition — not through any miracle process, just through sheer numbers and persistence.
Tim Spector’s team studied 34,000 people’s microbiomes and published the first definitive ranking of 50 good bugs and 50 bad bugs linked to heart disease and diabetes risk. First time we’ve had a list like this. As Tim puts it, it’s a genuinely useful starting point — knowing which bugs are correlated with diet and disease gives us something concrete to work with.
That’s not woo-woo. That’s published in Nature, which is the scientific equivalent of winning a BAFTA.
My Kitchen Smelled Like a Science Experiment (And It Was Worth It)
I didn’t start feeding my gut because I was clued up about microbiomes. I started because I was tired of feeling rough after meals. After my 21-day fast, during the refeed, I made a decision — I was going to see what happened if I actually ate properly.
Started simple. Swapped the chutney on crackers and cheese for fermented foods. Kimchi. Sauerkraut. Kefir. Loved the taste. Tangy, sharp, a bit fizzy. And crucially — no bloating. Which was surprising, because before, almost anything set my gut off.
Then I went a bit overboard. Made twenty jars of fermented food in one week. Twenty. My kitchen looked like a mad scientist’s lab. Smelled like one too. Several of them weren’t ready for weeks. I ate through the lot eventually. And my gut stayed calm throughout.
Six months on I was still making my own ferments. Still buying shop-made ones. Still hitting 30 plants a week — vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, legumes, whole grains, all of it counts. Go back two years and I was probably getting five plants per week. Five. Now it’s thirty. And my gut rarely complains.
Can’t measure my butyrate levels. Don’t have a gut health score. But the timeline lines up. Eighteen months of feeding the right bugs. And the upset stomachs that used to happen weekly? Once every few months now, if that.
Why Commercial Probiotics Won’t Cut It
Here’s the bit that surprised me most from Tim’s research, and it might save you some money.
Nicola Segata, a gut health researcher working alongside Tim Spector’s team, made a point that stuck with me: none of the commercially available probiotics on the market contain any of the 50 good bugs from Tim’s ranked list. None. Zero. So all those probiotic supplements at the chemist, the ones marketed as supercharging your gut health? They’re not feeding the bugs that the research has linked to lower disease risk.
You can’t supplement your way to good gut health. You have to feed it. And the good news is it’s cheaper and more straightforward than a pill.
Weed, Seed, Feed — The Three-Step Approach That Works
This is what I’d suggest if you’re starting from scratch. It’s what worked for me, not what I’m prescribing for you. Three steps. One week at a time.
Weed. Cut one UPF this week. Just one. For me it was meal deal sandwiches. For you it might be biscuits, crisps, or ready meals. Pick the one you eat most often that comes in a packet with ingredients you can’t pronounce. Cut it for seven days. See what happens.
Seed. Add one fermented food daily for seven days. Sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, natural yogurt — anything that’s been fermented by bacteria. Start small. One forkful of sauerkraut with lunch. One small glass of kefir in the morning. Don’t go mad with it. Just add one.
Feed. Add five new plants to your weekly count. If you’re on 10, aim for 15. Eventually you’re targeting 30. Garlic, ginger, turmeric, walnuts, courgette — that’s five right there. Track them if you want to. Or just notice. Either works.
Do that for seven days and see how your gut responds. The shift isn’t dramatic or overnight. But it tends to be steady and real. Calmer digestion. Less reactive. Steadier in general. And if you get ambitious and end up with twenty jars of fermented food in your cupboard — you’re on your own.
🎯 Key Takeaways
Two trillion bugs, two sides — Your gut microbiome contains good and bad bugs competing for space, and your food choices decide who wins
Tim Spector’s landmark research — Published in Nature, the first definitive ranking of 50 good and 50 bad bugs linked to heart disease and diabetes risk gives us something concrete to work with
Skip the probiotic supplements — None of the commercially available probiotics contain the 50 good bugs from the ranked list; you have to feed your gut with food, not pills
30 plants per week is the simplest proxy — Variety matters more than volume; each plant feeds different bacterial strains, and all plants count (vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, legumes, whole grains)
Weed, Seed, Feed — Cut one UPF, add one fermented food, and add five new plants; do that for seven days and see what changes
Ready to Give Your Gut a Proper Reset?
If this has made you want to actually do something about your gut health, the 14-Day Rhythm Reset Guide covers exactly where to start — eating windows, non-UPF food choices, and how to build the Weed, Seed, Feed approach into a sustainable rhythm rather than a short-term experiment.
👉 Get the 14-Day Rhythm Reset Guide (free)
💪 Want ongoing support? Join Rhythm Club for £30/month (includes FREE app access, community, and weekly accountability calls)
🔽 Read the Video Transcript
“Two Trillion Bugs Inside You. Who Wins? Not in a creepy way. In a… practical way. Two trillion bugs. That’s how many microbes you’ve got in your gut right now. Two trillion. And they’re not just sitting there. They’re competing. Fighting for space. Some of them make you healthier. Some of them… don’t. And here’s the thing — you get to decide who wins.” “I didn’t know that two years ago. I was eating almost all UPFs. Upset stomach most weeks. Bloated by 3pm every day. Thought it was just… normal, you know? Getting older. Then I swapped chutneys on crackers for fermented foods. Kimchi. Sauerkraut. Started tracking 30 plants per week. Eighteen months of feeding the right bugs. And now? Rarely get upset stomachs. Not bloated. Feel… steadier, I think.”
“Tim Spector just published research that ranked 50 good bugs and 50 bad bugs linked to heart disease and diabetes risk. First time we’ve had a definitive list. So today I’m sharing what I learned feeding mine for 18 months — and what Tim’s research explains about why it worked. Let’s dig in.”
“Right. Eighteen months ago I started paying attention to my gut. Not because I was particularly clued up about microbiomes. More because… well, I was tired of feeling rubbish after meals.”
“Two years back, I was eating almost all UPFs. Meal deals. Biscuits. Crisps. The lot. And my gut hated me for it. Upset stomach most weeks. Bloated by mid-afternoon. Thought it was just part of being over 40.”
“Then I did a 21-day fast. Came out the other side. And during refeed I made a decision — I’m going to see what happens if I actually feed my gut properly.”
“Started simple. Swapped chutneys on crackers and cheese for fermented foods. Kimchi. Sauerkraut. Kefir sometimes. Just to see. Loved the taste. Variety was brilliant. Tangy. Sharp. Bit fizzy. And… no negative gut reactions. None. Which was weird because before I’d have been bloated within an hour.”
“Then I went a bit overboard. Made twenty jars of fermented food in one week. Twenty. Kimchi variations. Sauerkraut. All fizzing away in the cupboard. My kitchen looked like a science experiment. Smelled like one too. I am not the cleanest cook. I can mess shit up just by looking at it. But somehow the ferments worked. Some ready. Some not. Took forever to eat them all. But I did. Ate the lot.”
“And here’s what I noticed — digestion stayed calm. Mostly calm, anyway. No bloating. No afternoon slump. Just… steadier. Six months on I’m still making my own. Still buying shop-made ones too. Still aiming for 30 different plants per week. Vegetables. Fruit. Nuts. Seeds. Herbs. Spices. Legumes. Whole grains. All of it counts.” “Go back two years and I was probably eating five plants per week. Five. Now it’s thirty. And my gut? Rarely complains. Don’t get upset stomachs anymore. Used to be weekly. Now it’s… what, once every few months? If that. Feel stronger. Not in a ‘I can lift more’ way. In a ‘my insides work better’ way. Hard to explain. But it’s there.”
“Can’t prove it’s the fermented foods and Plant-30. Can’t measure butyrate or short-chain fatty acids. Don’t have a gut health score. But the timeline lines up. And I feel it. Eighteen months. Lots of fermented food. Whole foods. Non-UPF. And… yeah. Here we are.” “So why did feeding my gut differently make such a difference? Tim Spector just published something that helped me make sense of it.”
“He’s been studying 34,000 people’s microbiomes. Published in Nature — which is basically the scientific Oscars. And for the first time, his team ranked 50 good bugs and 50 bad bugs linked to heart disease and diabetes risk. Fifty good ones. Fifty bad ones. All competing for space in your gut.”
“Here’s what Tim says: ‘You’ve got 50 good bugs ranked and 50 bad bugs that we know are correlated with diet and disease. This is a really good starting point.’ First definitive ranking. Ever.”
“And here’s the bit that clicked for me — these bugs compete. It’s not that bad bugs are evil. They’re just opportunistic. If you feed them junk food — high sugar, high saturated fat, ultra-processed — they thrive. And they elbow out the good ones. Good bugs are pickier. They want fiber. They want diversity. They want fermented foods. They want 30 different plants per week.”
“Which is exactly what I’d been giving them. Without knowing I was doing it. Tim’s research explains why I stopped getting upset stomachs. Why the bloating disappeared. Why I feel steadier. I wasn’t just eating better. I was feeding two trillion bugs that live inside me. And when I fed the right ones, they squeezed out the bad ones. Simple as that.” “Now here’s the bit that’ll save you money. Commercial probiotics? Most of them are a waste.”
“Nicola Segata — another gut health researcher working with Tim — says this: ‘None of the commercially available probiotics have any of those 50 good bugs.’ None. Zero. So all those probiotic supplements you see at the chemist? They’re not feeding the 50 good bugs Tim just ranked. They’re feeding… something else. Maybe helpful. Maybe not. But not the ones linked to heart disease and diabetes risk.”
“You can’t buy your way to good gut health. You have to feed it. And I know what you’re thinking — ‘Fifty bugs sounds complicated. How am I supposed to know which ones I’ve got?’ You don’t need to. That’s the thing. You don’t need to think about individual bugs. You just need to feed them variety. Thirty plants per week is the simplest proxy for feeding the 50 good bugs. Because each plant feeds different bacterial strains. It’s a lot easier than you think to do this well.” “Right. So what do you actually do with this? Here’s what I’d suggest — and this is based on what worked for me, not what I’m telling you to do. It’s called Weed, Seed, Feed. Three steps.”
“Step 1: Weed. Cut one UPF this week. Just one. For me it was meal deal sandwiches. For you it might be biscuits. Crisps. Ready meals. Whatever you eat most often that comes in a packet with ingredients you can’t pronounce. Pick one. Cut it for seven days. See what happens.” “Step 2: Seed. Add one fermented food daily for seven days. Sauerkraut. Kimchi. Kefir. Kombucha. Natural yogurt. Anything that’s been fermented by bacteria. Start small. One forkful of sauerkraut with your lunch. One small glass of kefir in the morning. Don’t go mad. Just add one.” “Step 3: Feed. Add five new plants to your weekly count. If you normally eat 10 plants per week, aim for 15. If you’re at 15, aim for 20. Eventually you’re targeting 30. Remember — vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, legumes, whole grains all count. Variety matters more than volume. So this week: garlic, ginger, turmeric, walnuts, and… I don’t know, courgette. Five new ones. Easy.”
“Track them if you want. Or just notice. Either works. That’s it. Weed one UPF. Seed one fermented food. Feed five new plants. Do that for seven days and see how your gut responds. If it’s anything like mine, you’ll notice. Not dramatically. Not overnight. But steadier. Calmer. Less reactive.” “And if you want to go further — like I did with the twenty jars of fermented food — go for it. Just don’t blame me when your kitchen smells like a science experiment.” “If this landed for you, I’ve put together a free guide called The Microbiome Starter Pack — covers Weed, Seed, Feed in more detail, plus fermented food recipes that actually work. Link’s in the description. Grab it. Use it.” “And quick disclaimer before I go — this is educational content only, not medical advice. If you’re thinking about changing your diet or you’ve got existing health conditions, speak to your GP first. Especially if you’re on medication.” “Right. That’s it from me. Feed your bugs. They’ll feed you back. See you in the next one.”
⚠️ Important: This is educational content based on evidence and personal experience. It is not medical advice. Speak to your GP before making changes to your fasting pattern, diet, or medication.
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