Short glossary

The words that recur in the app, explained simply.

• Prebiotic: a fiber or compound that feeds the good bacteria (inulin from garlic, pectin from apples…).
• Live ferments (probiotics): live micro-organisms brought by unpasteurized fermented foods.
• Polyphenols: plant compounds (tea, cocoa, berries…) that the microbiota turns into protective molecules.
• Resistant starch: starch that “resists” digestion and feeds the colon — it increases when a cooked starchy food cools.
• Mucilage: a gel of soluble fibers (chia, okra, psyllium) that soothes the gut and feeds bacteria.
• Soluble / insoluble fibers: the former ferment and feed the microbiota, the latter add bulk and regulate transit.
• SCFA / butyrate: short-chain fatty acids produced by bacteria from fibers — the fuel of colon cells.
• FODMAP: highly fermentable sugars that can bother sensitive guts — the Feeling page lets you hide them.
• Lacto-fermentation: preservation in brine where lactic bacteria acidify the food and make it “alive”.
• Dietary diversity: the number of distinct plants over a period — the best known lever for a rich microbiota.