Micronutrients play a vital role in our fertility. How can you make vitamins and minerals more bioavailable?
Nurture your microbiome!
The bacteria living in your gut influence the release of minerals from the food we eat. They also help us absorb these minerals and vitamins from our gastrointestinal tract.
With a healthy microbiome, micronutrients have better bioavailability and bioaccessibility.
We get thiamine, folate, biotin, riboflavin, and panthothenic acid from our diet, but they are also made by our gut bacteria. It is estimated that up to half of our required daily Vitamin K is provided by our gut friends.
With a healthy gut microbiome the absorption of calcium, zinc, magnesium and selenium is also improved.
Here are three of our favourite prebiotic fruits to nurture the diversity of your gut microbiome!
Kiwi Fruit
After only a few days of including Kiwi fruit in your diet you will be promoting the growth of beneficial intestinal lactobacilli and bifidobacterial [1].
Kiwi fruit has stronger anti-oxidant effects than orange and grapefruit, and also contains 2 to 3 times the vitamin C fruit found in an orange [2]!
Vitamin C contributes to collagen formation for skin function [3] and promotes beneficial anti-inflammatory shifts in the gut microbiome [4]. The polyphenol extracts in kiwi fruit also reduce intestinal permeability [5] which supports fertility.
As a bonus kiwi fruit improves intestinal transit time, contains enzymes that support protein digestion and also delivers potassium, vitamin E and folate.
Watermelon
Not only is watermelon super hydrating, it also contains lycopene. Lycopene gives watermelon its red pigment and has prebiotic properties, increasing the abundance of beneficial Bifidobacterium in the gut [6].
If you are game enough to eat the peel of the watermelon you can get even more prebiotic goodness! [7]
Watermelon contains coumarins, lignans, and flavonoids with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-allergic activities. You can definitely add watermelon to your list of gut friendly foods.
Blueberries
Blueberries are packed with polyphenols. The foundation for a fertile gut is the production of diverse metabolites by our gut microbiota when they break down prebiotic compounds and polyphenols.
These beneficial metabolites include our reproductive health loving short-chain fatty acids, indole derivatives and polyamines that continually help to:
- 🌱 Dampen inflammation
- 🌱 Promote the growth of beneficial microbes
- 🌱 Strengthen the intestinal barrier
- 🌱 Optimise immune function
- 🌱 Increase butyrate production
Bioactive polyphenols in blueberries change the composition of our gut microbes so they can positively regulate inflammation, metabolism and hormone balance.
As gut microbes transform the polyphenols we eat, their bioavailability is increased generating even more fertility loving metabolites!
Polyphenols are effective in reducing endometrial lesion growth, dampening menstrual pain, and lowering androgen concentrations in PCOS.
Prebiotic Packed Fertile Gut Goodness
Our gut microbiota are vital for the conversion of the beneficial dietary flavonoids. With a diverse, healthy gut we have a greater chance of making flavonoids from fruit more bioavailable and bioactive to enjoy all their fertility-promoting properties!
Our whole of plant proven prebiotics in Fertile Gut Microbiome Essentials also delivers polyphenol goodness, including flavonoids and phenolic acids. This is in combination with the same fibre content of 166-300 g of fruit or vegetables!
Ready to add more fertility nurturing proven prebiotics to your day? Try our prebiotic packed anti-inflammatory smoothie:
Fertile Gut Prebiotic Anti-inflammatory Smoothie
½ cup of blueberries
½ banana
1 tbs Fertile Gut Microbiome Essentials
1 tbs of your favourite seeds (hemp, chia, flaxseed)
1 cup of spinach leaves
1 tbs nut butter
1/3 tbsp maple syrup
½ cup vanilla Greek yoghurt
½-1 cup of your favourite plant-based milk
Put all of this in your blender and blend for 30-60 seconds. Enjoy!
References
1. Lee, Y.K., et al., Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) changes intestinal microbial profile. Microb Ecol Health Dis, 2012. 23.
- 2. Iwasawa, H., et al., Anti-oxidant effects of kiwi fruit in vitro and in vivo. Biol Pharm Bull, 2011. 34(1): p. 128-34.
- 3. Richardson, D.P., J. Ansell, and L.N. Drummond, The nutritional and health attributes of kiwifruit: a review. Eur J Nutr, 2018. 57(8): p. 2659-2676.
- 4. Otten, A.T., et al., Vitamin C Supplementation in Healthy Individuals Leads to Shifts of Bacterial Populations in the Gut-A Pilot Study. Antioxidants (Basel), 2021. 10(8).
- 5. Yuan, M., et al., Supplementation of Kiwifruit Polyphenol Extract Attenuates High Fat Diet Induced Intestinal Barrier Damage and Inflammation via Reshaping Gut Microbiome. Front Nutr, 2021. 8: p. 702157.
- 6. Wiese, M., et al., Prebiotic Effect of Lycopene and Dark Chocolate on Gut Microbiome with Systemic Changes in Liver Metabolism, Skeletal Muscles and Skin in Moderately Obese Persons. Biomed Res Int, 2019. 2019: p. 4625279.
- 7. Hao, C.L., et al., Effect of potential prebiotics from selected fruits peel on the growth of probiotics. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 2021. 45(6): p. e15581.
