Digestive Wellness -Feed the Microbiome & Cultivate your inner Garden

Gut-loving Vegetables

It’s been a while since my last post — summer kind of took over and I just decided to enjoy the ride. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve been a bit more in the loop, as I somehow managed to post there on an almost monthly basis.

Apart from enjoying summer where I could, quite a lot has happened. In May, I joined The Nourished Collective in Berlin Treptow — a wonderful space for holistic health practitioners and culinary creatives. The perfect place to let creative juices flow, and to share knowledge with a live audience in cosy workshop settings. Soon I’ll be holding my very first workshop there, which I’m super excited about (more on that in a moment).

The second big update is that I’ve started my bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Therapy at the University of Portsmouth. It’s a top-up degree, so if all goes well, I’ll be working on my thesis this time next year. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Why digestive Wellness ?

As many of you know, gut health is one of my special interests — almost a given for every nutritional therapist, I suspect. Not least because of Socrates’ famous words: “All disease begins in the gut.”

His wisdom was brushed aside for centuries, but science has finally picked it up again. And wow — the deeper we go, the more fascinating (and at times mind-blowing) it gets. The hidden community inside us, often called our inner garden, is the microbiome. Trillions of bacteria, fungi and other microbes are quietly working away, shaping almost everything about how we feel: digestion, immunity, skin, mood, sleep, energy… the list goes on.

Given how central it all is, I thought gut health would be the perfect theme to kick off my workshops at Nourished. If all goes well, there’ll be plenty more to follow — covering hormone balance, immunity, sleep, stress, skin and mood. You might think that sounds like a mixed bag, but when you look closer, it all connects. These “wellbeing topics” overlap constantly, which makes them so fascinating to explore..

🌿 The Magic of Pre-, Pro- and Postbiotics

When your microbiome thrives, so do you. And to help it flourish, you need to feed it well. Think less “one superfood” and more “wildflower meadow or rainforest.” A whole support system of foods called prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics helps create that lush diversity inside you.

Together they act like fertiliser, seeds, plants, and compost in a vibrant garden — each playing its part in keeping your inner ecosystem strong and diverse. Here’s a brief glimpse into what they are — and where to find them on your plate.

🌱 Prebiotics — Food for Your Microbes

Think of prebiotics as fertiliser for your inner garden.They consist of certain fibres and plant compounds that pass through your digestion and land in the large intestine, where your microbes live — and to put it mildly, our beneficial gut bacteria love this stuff. The clever little microbes ferment these fibres, which helps them grow, multiply, build resilience and produce energy - how smart is that?²

Where to find them (especially right now):

• Leeks, onions, garlic

• Jerusalem artichokes

• Pumpkin

• Apples, pears, bananas

• Chicory, dandelion greens

• Legumes, beans, chickpeas

• Wholegrains like oats, chia, flaxseeds and barley

💚 Tip: Try to include a variety of plant foods throughout the week — aiming for around 30 different plants per week is linked to greater microbial diversity and improved gut health³. Expect a pre-biotic feast during my workshop too.

Note: Some prebiotic fibres (especially those high in FODMAPs) can trigger bloating or discomfort in people with IBS, SIBO, or other gut sensitivities. If this sounds like you, it’s best to work with a practitioner to gently rebuild tolerance and address any underlying imbalance first.

🦠 Probiotics — Living Microbes

Probiotics are the living microbes themselves — beneficial bacteria and yeasts that can support your gut by joining your microbial community (even if only temporarily)⁴. They’re found in fermented foods, which humans have eaten for thousands of years to preserve food, support digestion, and build resilience through the seasons⁵. There will plenty of those at my workshop too.

Tasty examples:

• Sauerkraut and kimchi

• Kefir and live yogurt

• Miso, tempeh, natto

• Fermented pickles (in brine, not vinegar)

💜 I especially love making red sauerkraut with beetroot, carrot and dill — it’s vibrant, tangy, and full of friendly microbes. Here is a How to Make Sauerkraut video I made a few years ago, I hope you enjoy.

Note: Some people with histamine intolerance, yeast overgrowth, or SIBO may find that probiotic-rich fermented foods trigger symptoms. In these cases, it’s best to introduce them slowly, choose well-tolerated strains, or seek personalised guidance from a practitioner.

✨ Postbiotics — The Secret Superpower

Postbiotics are the beneficial compounds your microbes create after they ferment your food — things like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), peptides, vitamins and enzymes⁶⁷.

They play a quiet but powerful role:

• strengthening the gut barrier

• reducing inflammation

• influencing mood, sleep and energy

• supporting the immune system⁸

Note: In people with gut inflammation, undiagnosed coeliac disease, IBD, or severe dysbiosis, the balance of these postbiotics can become disrupted. Supporting digestion and addressing root causes is key before pushing fibre or ferments too far too soon.

🌸 A Gentle Reminder

Everyone’s gut is unique. Food intolerances, medications, low stomach acid, stress, and chronic conditions can all affect how your gut responds.

If you experience persistent symptoms such as bloating, pain, loose stools, or food reactions, it’s always best to seek personalised support from a qualified practitioner, before making big dietary changes. Once balance is restored, pre-, pro- and postbiotics can become powerful tools in rebuilding gut health.

If you’d like support in exploring this gently and safely, you’re very welcome to get in touch with me.

🍲 Come Feed Your Microbiome & learn how to cultivate you inner garden

If you’d love to:

• learn how to support your gut ecosystem with everyday food

• understand how your microbiome influences your whole body

• and enjoy a hands-on, relaxed evening cooking and sharing a microbial feast

…then join me for my Feed the Microbiome Workshop 🌿

We’ll sip a gut-loving welcome drink, explore the magical world of your microbiome, cook and enjoy a colourful, seasonal feast together — and you’ll leave with recipes, tips and plenty of inspiration for your own kitchen.

📍 Nourished Collective 📅 23.10.25 🎟️ Tickets

Come curious, leave nourished.Your microbes will thank you.

Diana x

📚 References:

1. Thursby, E., & Juge, N. (2017). Introduction to the human gut microbiota. Biochemical Journal, 474(11), 1823–1836. ↩

2. Slavin, J. (2013). Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits. Nutrients, 5(4), 1417–1435. ↩

3. McDonald, D. et al. (2018). American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research. mSystems, 3(3). ↩

4. Hill, C. et al. (2014). The ISAPP consensus statement on probiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol, 11(8), 506–514. ↩

5. Marco, M. L. et al. (2017). Health benefits of fermented foods. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 44, 94–102. ↩

6. Żółkiewicz, J. et al. (2020). Postbiotics—A Step Beyond Pre- and Probiotics. Nutrients, 12(8), 2189. ↩

7. Aguilar-Toalá, J. E. et al. (2018). Postbiotics: An evolving term within the functional foods field. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 75, 105–114. ↩

8. Rios-Covian, D. et al. (2016). Intestinal short chain fatty acids and their link with diet and human health. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7, 185. ↩