The sixteen categories

The main food families that feed the microbiome: why each one matters, what checks it, and how often.

• Green & fleshy vegetablesLeaves, stems and “fruit vegetables” (tomato, zucchini, eggplant…): the bulky base of the plate, low in calories and full of water.
• CrucifersThe cabbage category: broccoli, cabbages, radish, arugula… recognizable by their hint of sulfurous bitterness.
• FruitsWhole fruits, from the orchard and from the tropics.
• BerriesRed fruits and berries: blueberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, blackberries…
• Fructans & inulinGarlic, onion, leek, shallot, but also Jerusalem artichoke, salsify, black salsify, parsnip, jicama, chicory root, burdock, yacón, asparagus, artichoke.
• MushroomsFrom button mushrooms to shiitake and oyster mushrooms.
• Resistant starchStarchy foods cooked then chilled: yesterday's rice or potatoes, green banana, legumes in a salad…
• Whole grains & seedsWhole grains and pseudo-cereals: oats, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, barley…
• LegumesLentils, chickpeas, beans, broad beans… the seeds of the Fabaceae.
• Fermented foodsEverything that is alive: raw sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, tempeh, yogurt (dairy or soy), kefir…
• Nuts & seedsWalnuts, almonds, pumpkin, flax and sesame seeds…
• Fresh herbsParsley, basil, mint, cilantro, dill, chives… chopped fresh.
• Spices & dried herbsTurmeric, cumin, cinnamon, pepper… the densest antioxidant shelf in the kitchen.
• Seaweed & microalgaeNori, wakame, dulse, spirulina… the sea garden.
• Other polyphenolsTea, coffee, cocoa, olives… the great everyday sources of polyphenols.
• Soluble fibers & mucilagesSoaked chia and psyllium, okra, pectin, guar gum… the soluble fibers that form a gel.