GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

Growing your own edible plants is a great way to boost your gut microbiome. Discover expert picks of edimentals that are both beautiful and beneficial

- SID HILL

Creating the Microbiome Garden for RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 with my colleague Chris Hull was an extraordinary opportunity to convey the message that we are intrinsically connected to nature. All life is bound together by microbes, the invisible glue that sustains the living world.

Trillions of microbes inhabit the air, soil, plants and all animals, including us. These microbes are essential for life, particularly those in the human microbiome, a complex community of microorganisms residing in our digestive tract, on our skin, in our hair and throughout our airways. They play a crucial role in digestion, immune function, and both physical and mental health.

Supporting our microbiome starts with our diet, and the best approach is to consume a diverse mix of plants. Studies recommend eating at least 30 different plants per week - more is even better.

Gardening provides a hands-on way to achieve this by growing fruit or vegetables or by making use of other edible plants. You might be surprised by how many edible plants are commonly grown as ornamentals and are likely already growing in your garden.

To understand our microbiome and how we can choose foods that support it, it is helpful to undergo a microbiome test and have it analysed by a microbiome specialist. This will give you an idea of the health of your microbiome and what foods will be most beneficial to you. What is good for one person is not necessarily good for another. A microbiome specialist can provide specific recommendations to support the good microbes in your gut.

That said, there are general things we can do to support our microbiome.