For readers who wish to improve their gut microbiome to help negate the effects of unhealthy eating early in life on brain health, MNT spoke with Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight.
Richard said that while she lets her clients and patients know that their diet early in life, including their mother and father’s diet preconception, and whether they were breastfed or formula fed, influences the gut, today’s choices still matter — it’s never too late to improve your internal ecosystem.
“While early-life nutrition influences microbial colonization and neural development, the microbiome remains dynamic across the lifespan,” Richard told MNT. “Dietary diversity and fiber intake are consistently associated with greater microbial diversity in adults, which can support metabolic and cognitive resilience.”
Richard offered some basic tips to support the diversity and health of the gut microbiome, including:
- Prioritize dietary fiber daily with variety
- Focus on whole grains, such as oats, barley, and quinoa
- Add legumes, such as beans, lentils, and peas, to your diet.
- Focus on fruits like berries, citrus, apples, and pears.
- Eat plenty of vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower, and leafy greens.
- Snack on nuts and seeds.
- Decrease refined sugar and saturated fat intake.
And when it comes to prebiotics and probiotics, Richard said to use them with intention.
“Prebiotic fibers such as garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, chicory, and bananas selectively nourish beneficial microbes and produce functional postbiotics (SCFAs),” she detailed.
“Probiotic-rich foods with live, active cultures such as kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha can help support diversity and balance. Work with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and your healthcare team to explore specific probiotic strains appropriate per individual that may address GI conditions and symptoms, or mood and stress pathways,” she added.
“It’s not about ‘undoing’ our diet in the early-life years, but about giving the gut and brain the environment and resources to heal, adapt, and thrive,” Richard concluded.
