Professor Tim Spector has revealed the two “key” things that could support your gut health. The diet expert and co-founder of the health app Zoe explained that a strong gut microbiome could offer major health benefits, including lower levels of inflammation.

In a healthy gut microbiome, different types of microorganisms support each other, aid digestion, and prevent disease-causing bacteria from sticking to the intestinal walls. However, emerging research also suggests that having a healthy gut can have benefits beyond your stomach, including fighting allergies, infections, ageing, and even, potentially, cancer.

The professor explained that consuming both prebiotics and probiotics is essential for building a strong microbiome. However, he said that less than one in five people in the UK know the difference between the two.

Taking to his Instagram, he shared how to differentiate between them. Professor Spector said: “To clear things up, I like to think of your gut microbiome as a garden. A healthy, diverse gut microbiome is one with lots of different types of plants or microbes.

“Prebiotics are like fertilisers for your gut microbes. And probiotics are like seeds.”

The diet expert explained that prebiotics come from a whole range of plants, including vegetables and fruits that contain fibre. Once these foods reach your gut, they will feed your gut microbes and help them grow.

“When these prebiotics are broken down, they release beneficial short-chain fatty acids which support your health in a multitude of ways including reducing inflammation and supporting your immune system,” Professor Spector said.

Some good prebiotic sources include easily available foods, such as garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, apples, bananas, oats, cacao, flaxseeds and more.

“The key here is to eat a variety of different prebiotic foods to ensure you’re providing fertiliser for your many different gut microbes,” the expert added.

On the other hand, probiotics are actually live microbes that live in foods. Professor Spector shared they are “a bit like seeds” and that’s why they need a fertiliser.

He said: “They are beneficial living bacteria in our foods that can travel to your gut and support the growth of good bacteria.

“The key here is to eat probiotic foods often to get the maximum benefit for your gut health. Some of my favourites are the 4 K’s: Kimchi, Kefir, Kraut and Kombucha.”

The expert added it’s important to consume both prebiotics – fertilisers – plus the probiotics – seeds – in your diet every day to maximise your gut health.