Your gut microbiome is the ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that live in your digestive tract. It’s enormous - trillions of organisms working collectively - and researchers now understand that it influences far more than digestion alone. A balanced microbiome for gut help is associated with better energy, improved mood, more stable digestion, balanced appetite signals, calmer skin, and even more consistent sleep patterns.
The best part? You don’t need to overhaul your entire lifestyle to support it. The microbiome responds extremely well to small, consistent changes rather than restrictive diets or extreme cleanses.
Here are nine simple shifts that genuinely help nurture a healthier, more resilient microbiome - including incredible gut support from Vital Beauty.
1. Eat more plants (aim for 30 different ones a week)
If you only do one thing for your gut health, let it be this: increase the variety of plants you eat. Research from the American Gut Project (one of the largest microbiome studies ever conducted) found that people who consumed 30 different plant foods per week had the most diverse, robust microbiomes.
“Plant foods” includes far more than salads and vegetables. The list covers:
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Fruits
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Nuts
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Seeds
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Legumes
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Herbs
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Spices
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Whole grains
Each plant contains a different type of fibre and a different profile of polyphenols, which feed different species of gut microbes. The more variety you consume, the more diverse your microbiome becomes. Diversity is one of the strongest markers of overall gut health.
Start small: Add herbs to meals, rotate your vegetables, try new fruits, choose mixed nuts over a single type, and include lentils or beans once or twice a week. Diversity builds fast.
2. Add prebiotic fibres daily
If probiotics are the beneficial microbes, prebiotics are their food. These fibres feed your good bacteria so they can grow, multiply, and produce beneficial compounds.
Common prebiotic foods include:
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garlic
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onions
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leeks
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asparagus
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bananas (especially slightly green)
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oats
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flaxseed
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chicory root
Most people fall well below the recommended fibre intake, so even adding one or two prebiotic foods per day can make a measurable difference. Start with oats at breakfast, a banana as a snack, or onions and garlic in evening meals, because small changes compound quickly.
3. Include fermented foods a few times a week
Fermented foods provide live microbes and metabolites that support microbial diversity and gut health. You don’t need to eat them daily, two to four servings a week is enough.
Options include:
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yoghurt
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kefir
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kombucha
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saurkraut
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kimchi
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miso
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tempeh
Fermented foods don’t “replace” your microbiome, but they can help increase diversity and provide beneficial by-products that your gut bacteria use.
4. Reduce ultra-processed foods (without eliminating anything)
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) tend to be low in fibre, low in nutrients, and high in additives. They also displace the foods that support microbial diversity.
The goal is not perfection, it’s balance. You don’t need to eliminate UPFs, but reducing them creates room for higher-fibre, nutrient-dense foods.
Easy ways to reduce UPFs include:
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choosing wholegrain versions of bread and pasta
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adding plants to every meal
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snacking on fruit or nuts instead of packaged snacks
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replacing sugary cereals with oats
Remember: gut care is not about restriction. It’s about creating more opportunities for your microbes to thrive.
5. Prioritise sleep (your microbiome follows a daily rhythm)
Your gut microbes don’t run on random timers, they follow daily rhythms, just like your brain and hormone systems. Poor or inconsistent sleep disrupts these rhythms, which can affect digestion and appetite the next day.
Even short-term sleep disruption has been shown to reduce microbial diversity.
The goal isn’t to chase eight perfect hours. It’s to create predictability for gut health, such as:
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consistent sleep and wake times
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dim lighting in the evening
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limiting stimulating content before bed
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a simple, repeatable wind-down routine
When your circadian rhythm is stable, your microbiome tends to be stable too.
6. Manage stress in small, realistic ways
The gut and brain communicate constantly. If the brain is overwhelmed, the gut feels it. Chronic stress has been shown to alter microbial balance, influence motility, and affect how the digestive system behaves.
Supporting stress doesn’t require hour-long meditation sessions or major routine changes. What matters is consistent, low-effort habits, such as:
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10-minute walks
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slow, controlled breathing
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spending time outside
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taking screen-free breaks
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gentle stretching
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slower evening routines
Small reductions in daily stress can lead to improved microbial stability and gut health over time.
7. Move your body regularly
Exercise is one of the most reliable ways to influence microbiome diversity. It encourages beneficial microbial strains, improves digestive motility, and is associated with stronger gut-barrier function.
But the key isn’t intensity, it’s consistency. Studies show that moderate, regular movement (20–40 minutes a few times per week) can have a meaningful impact.
Forms of movement that support your gut health include:
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walking
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swimming
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yoga
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cycling
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Pilates
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strength training
Choose what feels realistic and repeatable. The microbiome prefers consistency over extremes.
8. Avoid unnecessary antibiotics (and rebuild after required courses)
Antibiotics save lives - they are essential and irreplaceable. But they also significantly reduce microbial diversity and can take months to recover from.
You should take antibiotics exactly as prescribed by a professional. But avoid requesting them for viral illnesses or minor issues where they won’t help.
If you do need a course, rebuild gently afterwards by:
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increasing your plant diversity
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prioritising prebiotics
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adding fermented foods
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ensuring good sleep
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reducing alcohol and ultra-processed foods
Rebuilding is slow but very possible with the right habits.
9. Support your gut-skin axis
Your gut microbiome doesn’t only influence internal health, it can also affect how your skin looks and behaves. This connection is known as the gut–skin axis. Imbalances in the gut can reflect externally as redness, dryness, breakouts, or dullness. Equally, when gut health improves, people often notice their skin becoming calmer and more even.
You can support the gut-skin axis by:
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drinking enough water
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increasing plant diversity
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reducing inflammatory triggers
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focusing on sleep
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adding antioxidant-rich foods
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supporting skin from the inside with targeted nutrients
This is where a product like Vital Beauty becomes relevant.
How Vital Beauty Fits Into a Microbiome-Friendly Routine
A healthier microbiome often shows up on the outside too. When your gut is better supported, people frequently notice changes in how their skin behaves - fewer unpredictable flare-ups, more consistency, and a healthier-looking glow. That’s the gut–skin axis in action.
Vital Beauty was built to work with that inside-out approach. Alongside good food, sleep, and stress management, it adds targeted skin-support nutrients like:
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Collagen peptides to support skin structure and firmness
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Nicotinamide riboside (NR) for cellular energy and healthy-ageing support
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Hyaluronic acid for hydration
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Plus beauty-focused nutrients such as biotin, keratin and antioxidants including vitamin C and L-glutathione
Together, these ingredients in Vital Beauty help your skin reflect the work you’re doing on your microbiome, supporting elasticity, smoothness and overall radiance from the inside out.
