Have you ever wondered what you eat can affect not only your digestion but also your mood, immunity and long-term health?
Your gut is not simply a tube for digesting food. It is a remarkable communication centre. It constantly communicates with the brain, the immune system and the gut lining itself. One of the major ways this communication is influenced is through the food we eat and the microorganisms living in our intestines – collectively known as the gut microbiome.
When we eat a diverse diet rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds, we provide our gut microbes with plenty of fibre and plant compounds. These microbes can transform some of these substances into metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids, which help maintain the gut lining and play a role in regulating immune and metabolic functions.
The opposite can also happen. A diet dominated by highly processed foods and low in fibre may encourage an imbalance in the gut microbiome, sometimes referred to as dysbiosis. This can affect the gut barrier and the complex communication between the gut, the immune system and the brain.
But there is an even more fascinating connection: Our food can influence the way our genes behave.
Our DNA sequence is largely fixed, but genes are not permanently switched on. Nutrients, hormones, physical activity, stress and substances produced by our gut microbes can influence whether particular genes are more or less active. These processes are part of what scientists call epigenetic regulation.
Think of your genes as the keys of a piano. The keys are already there, but the music depends on which keys are played, when they are played and how strongly.
In that sense, your food can play your genes like a piano.
This does not mean that eating one particular food will switch off a disease gene or guarantee protection from disease. Human biology is much more complicated than that. Rather, our dietary pattern is one of many environmental influences that can affect gene expression and the biological pathways involved in inflammation, metabolism, immunity and ageing.
This gives us an empowering message about health. We cannot choose our inherited DNA, but we can influence some aspects of the environment in which our genes operate.
For people in Tanzania, this does not require expensive ‘superfoods’. Traditional foods such as beans, cowpeas, green vegetables, pumpkin, okra, bananas, millet, sorghum, maize, fruits, groundnuts and sesame can form the foundation of a nutritious, fibre-rich diet, particularly when consumed as minimally processed whole foods.
Our daily meals therefore represent more than calories. They are biological signals – messages to our gut microbes our immune system, our brain and indirectly, the genes that regulate many aspects of our physiology.
Your genes may write the basic score, but your lifestyle helps determine how the music is played.
And if you would like to understand how your current diet and lifestyle may be affecting your health, our Wellness Centre at Golden Rose Hotel in Arusha is now open, offering dietary and lifestyle consultations focused on practical, whole-food approaches to better health and healthy ageing.
