CSIRO Reveals New Diet

With a growing body of research linking gut health with conditions such as cancer, obesity, and autoimmune diseases, Australia’s national science agency has launched a new diet focused on improving gut health.

Based on decades of research from CSIRO, the CSIRO Healthy Gut Diet includes a series of meal plans based on wholefoods with higher amounts of fibre, especially resistant starch, for improving gut health.

“After the brain, the gut is really the next most crucial and complex part of the human body,” CSIRO Director of Health and Biosecurity Dr Rob Grenfell says.

“Maintaining a healthy gut can lead to enormous benefits. Beyond digesting our food, it is the coal face of the of the nutrients our body absorbs, regulates hormones used throughout our body, and is a frontline of our immune response system.”

CSIRO researcher and co-author of the book, Dr Michael Conlon, says maintaining a healthy gut isn’t as simple as increasing fibre intake.

“There are many factors which influence gut health, but diet appears to have the greatest influence.

“For years we’ve thought all fibre was good for was helping to keep our bowel movements regular, but we now know that fibre offers more healthy gut bacteria in a healthy way.

“But not all fibres are equal. Our research shows resistant starch is real fibre gold and a major piece of the gut health puzzle that may be missing from many diets.

“The recipes and meal plans have been designed with higher amounts of fibre and resistant starch to feed the gut bacteria. This includes a wide variety of whole foods that are as close to their natural state as possible—wholegrain cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes and a few nuts and seeds.”