Gastroenterologist William Berrebi names four seeds to support gut microbiota

French gastroenterologist and hepatologist Dr William Berrebi recommends eating four kinds of seeds every day to look after the gut microbiota, in a video he recently posted on Instagram.

His selection covers pumpkin, flax, chia and poppy seeds. The recommended amount for the microbiota, he said, is two teaspoons of seeds daily.

“Seeds are of interest for the gut microbiota because they contain omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and fibre at the same time,” said Berrebi, author of the book “Vivez 100 ans grâce à votre microbiote”, published by Harper Collins.

Flax seeds need some preparation. According to the specialist, they should be soaked or ground before eating, because their outer coating can be poorly digested. The other three require no effort: a pinch can simply be sprinkled over a yogurt, a soup, a salad, fromage blanc, a cream sauce or a compote.

Dysbiosis, an imbalance between “good” and “bad” bacteria in the digestive tract, is considered to play a part in the development of several chronic illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and depression.

Restoring a healthy balance generally relies on regular intake of probiotic foods, which contain beneficial bacteria themselves, such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut, alongside prebiotic foods. These fibre-rich foods, mainly fruit and vegetables, feed the bacteria living in the gut.

Berrebi closed with one firm piece of advice: buy only organic seeds, in order to limit their cadmium content.