Got questions about gut health? Ask dietician Laura Tilt - £200 voucher to be won

[EllieSmumsnet]

Did you know your gut health can influence more than just digestion? From boosting your mood and energy levels to supporting your immune system, taking care of your gut is vital for overall well-being.

But how do you know if your gut needs some TLC? What are the best ways to support it? And what role do live and active bacteria play in maintaining a healthy gut?

To help answer all your burning questions, we’re joined by gut health expert Laura Tilt! Whether you’re curious about spotting the signs of poor gut health, incorporating live and active bacteria into your family’s routine, or just want simple tips for feeling your best, Laura’s here to help.

• Everyone who shares a questions on the thread below by 12/02/2025 will be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice
• Laura will be back soon to answer some of your questions

About Laura Tilt:
“Laura has been passionate about microbes and the gut for nearly 10 years, sparked by her focus on gastroenterology during her time in clinical practice. She is an experienced dietitian, health writer, and a regular columnist for Women’s Health Magazine. With over 15 years of experience in nutrition, Laura is passionate about helping people understand the connection between food and health, bridging the gap between what we eat and what happens in our bodies. You can find her on social media @nutritilty, where she shares practical tips for eating healthy amid the everyday challenges of parenting and sleep deprivation.”

About Symprove:
Symprove’s powerful liquid solution is the UK’s no.1 water-based live and active bacteria supplement and most recommended by health care professionals in the UK. It’s a firm favourite with our Mumsnet community. It's dairy free and water based, plus it's safe for children (always check dosage instructions) and those on antibiotics.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Where's the best place to start to learn more about gut health and nutrition?

How does intermittent fasting affect gut health? My longest fast was 48 hours but sometimes get upset tummy when reintroducing food

How can you know how good your gut health actually is? For me, and also one of my children has coeliac and I also want to know about this from their perspective.

I have what I think is a good and varied diet with plenty of veg, nuts, seeds etc. I have kefir yogurt 1-2 times a day.
Unfortunately I suffer with acid. Worst things for it are coffee and dry wine or sparkling varieties so I avoid those things. But there's always a low level of it no matter what I eat.
I don't want to live on Omeprazole so I only take that if I'm having a particularly bad time with it.
Is there anything I can do to manage/reduce this?

If you do one thing for gut health what would it be

How best to help IBS?

What is the best way to incorporate probiotics when taking long term antibiotics (twice per day)?

I'm interested in the gut/brain connection because of constant migraine attacks.
Note the person also has diverticulitis.
I've seen various advice about gut health, but I'm cautious because of the diverticular aspect.
I honestly believe that more people unknowingly live with diverticulitis, sometimes it only shows up in everyday life, when there becomes an inability to control one's waste from escaping the body.
Much appreciation for your help.

What is the single best thing to do to improve gut health?

What would be the biggest major lifestyle / diet action to improve it? I remember Michael M saying he has a spoonful of kim chi with his breakfast.

Where is the research currently in faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) treatment?

I've heard that " eating the rainbow " ( a wide range of colourful fruits and vegetables ) is an easy way to improve my gut health. Is this true?
Thanks in advance

I've been eating healthily - lots of veg every day, almost no processed foot, very little alcohol but have caught every virus going this year, ever since contracting a D&V bug last summer. I'm pretty sure it led to poor gut health which has led to weakened immunity but don't really know what more to do to get my gut back to good health. I was taking probiotic yoghurt drinks but they were loaded with sweeteners or sugar neither of which seemed like healthy options. What do you recommend. (I really can't stand kimchi.)

I'm on Mounjaro (my starting BMI was 44) and the weightloss is going very well.

A common side effect of this medication is constipation, due to the slowing down of gastric emptying.

Could you recommend how someone taking this medication and struggling with constipation might best address this without additional medication?

Thanks!

Hi Laura, thank you for doing this Q&A. I recently read an article about a (very) small study that had found that recooked cold pasta had less starch than freshly cooked and "acted like" it had more fibre and was therefore better for your gut health. I've previously heard similar claims for potatoes and while I'm fairly dubious about the study, I often take leftovers to work so it would be great if there was a grain of truth in it!

Are you able to explain the starch to fibre science please?

What is now known about the oral microbiome? Is it a bad idea to use antibacterial mouthwash?

I switched to using probiotic toothpaste last year after watching and reading lots about how, if you take care of your oral health, this is connected to your overall health. Fingers crossed and so far, since I switched and stopped using regular toothpastes and mouthwashes, Ive not had to go to the dentist as these just destroy the healthy bios in your mouth. 🙂

Do probiotics grow in the body once ingested - and do you need to taken them regularly if so ?

What are the best habits to adopt to ensure good gut health for life?

I have very smelly constant farts. Any advice?

I have just tested positive for H-pylori. Will probiotics be useful before or after the treatment?

What are the most damaging things for gut health?

I am going to travelling a lot until the summer. I won’t be able to regularly take my probiotics for some months, what can I do to stop the inevitable slide backwards?

Fermented foods are made using live, beneficial microbes, like lactic acid bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria are a large family of helpful bacteria that are linked with good digestive health. So, fermented foods might be a source of live, beneficial microbes that can help foster a healthy gut environment, although most fermented foods haven’t been studied in research trials for us to be confident of this.

Remember that not all fermented foods contain live microbes. Microbes in foods that have been pasteurised or cooked before they reach your plate (like sourdough bread) will no longer be alive. As a general guide, fermented dairy like live yoghurt and kefir have the most live microbes.

There's plenty of other reasons to include fermented foods though - sauerkraut is rich in fibre and vitamin C, kombucha is lower in sugar than other fizzy drinks and kefir is a great source of calcium and protein.

Antibiotics vary in how they affect the microbiome, but they can disrupt the normal balance of gut microbiota because they kill both the infection causing bacteria and beneficial bacteria. This disruption can lead to some of the side effects of antibiotics like antibiotic associated diarrhoea, wind and cramps.

This usually resolves when antibiotics stop, but there’s evidence that the gut microbiome can remain altered for 6 months or for some people, for years.

There is some evidence that taking a probiotic alongside the antibiotic and for a period after may help stabilise the microbiome and mitigate some of the effects. However, this benefit is strain-specific, so not all probiotics will provide this effect. The yeast Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 and the bacterium Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG, have shown promise here. After completing a course of antibiotics, consuming foods rich in prebiotic fibre (like oats onion, garlic, greenish bananas, nuts and pulses) may help restore healthy gut bacteria, and eating lots of different types of plant foods is a good idea, as this can help foster diversity in the microbiome. So think lots of colourful veggies and fruits, different types of whole grains and mixing up nuts and seeds.

Probiotics are live microbes—mostly bacteria and some yeasts—that can benefit your health when consumed in large enough amounts. Live microbes are found in both foods (like yoghurt and kefir) and dietary supplements, but only types with scientifically proven benefits can be called ‘probiotic’.

Prebiotics are ‘food for beneficial microbes’. Think of them as nutrients that feed the good microbes already living in your gut, helping them thrive. Many prebiotics are types of fibre, but they also include polyphenols - compounds found in plant foods that are usually known for their antioxidant effects. Foods rich in prebiotics include garlic, onions, artichokes, lentils, beans and oats.

We need both probiotics and probiotics - probiotics help foster a healthy gut environment and prebiotics feed and nourish beneficial microbes. So if you don’t take a probiotic, try kefir or live yoghurt as these are more likely to contain probiotic strains, and get plenty of prebiotic rich foods in your diet.

Strictly speaking, fermented foods aren’t probiotic. Probiotics are live microbes (mostly bacteria and yeasts) that have been shown to have a proven health benefit when consumed in the right amounts. While fermented foods—like yoghurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut—are made using live microbes, these microbes might not be alive when you eat the food or in the right amounts to be ‘probiotic’.

That doesn’t mean they’re not worth adding to your diet, but if you want to take a probiotic to help with a specific gut symptom, it’s better to choose a supplement with strains of bacteria shown to offer that benefit.