Latest news with #NiMe
Business Insider
29-04-2025
- Health
- Business Insider
3 easy, gut-health recipes by a dietitian who developed an 'ancestral' alternative to the Mediterranean diet
A dietitian who helped develop a gut-healthy diet shared her three favorite recipes. Anissa Armet, a registered dietitian and researcher at the University of Alberta, Canada, and her colleague Jens Walter, studied whether eating a pre-industrial, or "ancestral," diet could improve the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is the trillions of microorganisms that live in the digestive system. Research has linked a diverse range of microorganisms in the gut to many health benefits, including better digestion, immune response, and mental health. The resulting NiMe diet (non-industrialized microbiome restore) is plant-based, high in fiber, and low in ultra-processed foods, dairy, and wheat products. It was based on the eating habits of rural Papua New Guineans who do subsistence farming and lead non-industrialized lives. Walter previously compared their gut microbiomes with those of people from the US, and found the Papua New Guineans' were more diverse. For the NiMe study, 30 healthy participants followed the diet, which featured foods readily available in the West, for three weeks. By the end of the study, their gut microbiomes weren't more diverse. But they did have fewer signs of chronic disease in their guts, including a lower pH, fewer microbes that cause inflammation, and a healthier mucus lining. The benefits of the NiMe diet were similar to those of the hugely popular Mediterranean diet, the authors said, in that both appeared to prevent damage to the heart and reduce inflammation. However, they said the participants may have benefited from eating a more nutritious, controlled diet than they usually would. Armet has followed a diet similar to NiMe — one very high in fiber, minimally processed, and plant-based — for 10 years to manage her ulcerative colitis symptoms. Prior to making dietary changes, Armet said she experienced bloating, abdominal cramps, and stomach pain, and was making endless trips to the bathroom, where she was passing a lot of blood. But once she overhauled her diet, her symptoms eased. The cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown, but research suggests it's an autoimmune condition. It's usually treated with medication or surgery, and dietary changes aren't typically prescribed as a treatment. But research suggests that a high-fiber diet could help reduce inflammation in the gut and improve quality of life for ulcerative colitis patients. We can't be sure that Armet's diet improved her ulcerative colitis symptoms, but she said: "I've personally felt the benefits of following a very high fiber, plant-based, minimally processed diet, which does fit in with the principles of the NiMe diet." Armet shared three recipes from the NiMe meal plan and her own diet that are nutritious, versatile, and easy to make. Sautéd vegetables and grains One of Armet's go-to easy dinners is sautéed vegetables with some grains, which she said comes together in 15 minutes. She chops up onions, bell peppers, garlic, and frozen leafy greens such as kale, and sautés them with olive oil, along with any other vegetables she has on hand. She adds a drained can of beans, and adds flavor with white wine and vegetable broth. She said it's a great meal to prep ahead of time or keep in the freezer, and recommended serving it with a whole grain, such as brown rice or quinoa. Overnight oats "I'm a creature of habit, so I have the same thing every single morning, which is overnight oats," Armet said. She makes five portions on Sunday, which she keeps in the fridge for a quick, easy breakfast on weekdays. "I just mix rolled oats with things like hemp hearts, chia seeds, or flax seeds. I mix that with milk and then keep that in the fridge," she said. She loves how customizable the oats are. "You can add protein powder or yogurt for an extra boost of protein, or whatever additions you like — peanut butter, frozen berries, shredded coconut, nuts, a tablespoon of coffee if you need a little stimulant in the morning," she said. Business Insider's health correspondent Rachel Hosie has previously shared her favorite high-protein oat-based breakfasts. Sweet potato black bean hash View this post on Instagram A post shared by NiMe Diet (@nimediet) This sweet potato black bean hash recipe was labeled a breakfast in the NiMe study, but Armet said that it is "versatile and customizable enough to meal prep and pull out whenever you need." To make it, chop a sweet potato, bell peppers, and an onion, and season with olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Roast the vegetables until they are soft but not fully cooked. Then add black beans and cooked millet, and put the mixture back in the oven until the vegetables are soft. "You can also use quinoa, or have the vegetables on a bed of brown rice and leafy greens — whatever you like," Armet said. She likes this recipe because it combines some of the main foods of the rural Papua New Guinean diet, including sweet potatoes, vegetables, and black beans, which provide plant-based, fiber-rich protein.
Telegraph
18-03-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
The three-week diet that boosts heart health and sheds fat
A lush rainforest, vast mountain terrain and smouldering volcanoes may be what comes to mind when you think of Papua New Guinea. But for scientists who have spent the best part of a decade studying the health of people who live on the island, it's the their diet – known as the NiMe (non-industrialised microbiome restore) – that fascinates. In stark contrast to the ultra-processed, high-calorie and sugary food that fill up our plates in the UK, their diet is 'rich in unprocessed, whole-plant foods grown in personal gardens and sold in markets', explains Jens Walter, a professor of ecology, food and the microbiome at University College Cork and the APC Microbiome Ireland. Think leafy greens, peppers and cucumbers. After studying the stool samples of people who live on the island, located 1,500 miles north of Australia, Prof Walter found that they had much more diverse gut microbiomes and lower levels of chronic illnesses like diabetes and arthritis. It prompted Prof Walter and his colleagues to create the NiMe (non-industrialised microbiome restore) diet based on how people eat in the country and recruited dozens of volunteers in Canada to follow it. What does a typical day involve? A classic menu involves eating millet porridge for breakfast, yellow pea soup for lunch and salmon with Brussels sprouts and sweet potato for dinner. 'We saw remarkable results,' he says. That new study found that participants shed fat, improved their heart and gut health and decreased their inflammation – in just three weeks. Here's how you can harness the same health reset. What to eat Vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts and seeds are at the centre of the diet, which involves eating 45g of fibre per day – much higher than the 30g recommended in the UK and more than twice the average 18g daily intake. At each meal, half of your plate should be filled with vegetables (ideally the non-starchy kind) and fruits, such as leafy greens, peppers, celery, oranges and pears. Ultra-processed foods, dairy, beef and wheat are all shunned or limited because they are not part of the traditional diet in Papua New Guinea. Instead, whole grains like quinoa, barley and millet should feature at each meal, alongside plant-based proteins such as peas, lentils and tofu. A maximum of one small daily serving of fish, poultry or eggs are allowed, while lean red meat is permitted only once a week. Water should be the main source of hydration, alongside tea or coffee if desired, though sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juices should be avoided.
The Independent
10-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Why we should be copying the diets of villagers from this remote Pacific nation
Scientists are exploring ways to cultivate healthy gut microbiomes, the complex communities of bacteria, fungi, and viruses residing in our intestinal tracts that play a crucial role in our overall health. This pursuit has led researchers, including myself, to the remote valleys of Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea, an island nation north of Australia, offers a unique glimpse into a non-industrialised lifestyle. Until 1930, many of its valleys remained largely untouched by the modern world. The people of Papua New Guinea, largely practice sustenance agriculture, growing their own food. This traditional way of life, coupled with a diet vastly different from typical Western fare, inspired a nine-year research project involving scientists from eight countries. The findings, recently published in Cell, offer intriguing insights into the relationship between diet, lifestyle, and gut health. Typical Western diets, often low in fibre and high in processed foods, are linked to various health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. These diets not only harm our bodies but also negatively impact our gut microbiomes. Previous research on rural Papua New Guineans revealed gut microbiomes significantly more diverse than those of individuals consuming Westernised diets. These microbiomes are rich in fibre-loving bacteria and contain lower levels of inflammation-causing bacteria commonly found in people who eat highly processed foods. This research underscores the potential benefits of a traditional, non-industrialised lifestyle on gut health and overall well-being. This information provided hints on how to perhaps redress the damage caused to our gut microbiomes. The traditional diet in rural Papua New Guinea is rich in unprocessed plant-based foods that are full of fibre but low in sugar and calories, something I was able to see for myself on a field trip to Papua New Guinea. Determined to create something everyone could use to benefit their health, our team took what we saw in Papua New Guinea and other non-industrialised societies to create a new diet we call the NiMe (non-industrialised microbiome restore) diet. What sets NiMe apart from other diets is that it is dominated by vegetables (such as leafy greens) and legumes (such as beans) and fruit. It only contains one small serving of animal protein per day (salmon, chicken or pork), and it avoids highly processed foods. Dairy, beef and wheat were excluded from the human trial because they are not part of the traditional diet in rural Papua New Guinea. The other characteristic distinction of the diet is a substantial dietary fibre content. In our trial, we went for around 45g of fibre a day, which exceeds the recommendations in dietary guidelines. One of my PhD students got creative in the kitchen designing recipes that would appeal to a person used to typical Western dishes. These meals allowed us to develop a meal plan that could be tested in a strictly controlled study in healthy Canadian adults. We saw remarkable results including weight loss (although participants didn't change their regular calorie intake), a drop in bad cholesterol by 17 per cent, decreased blood sugar by 6 per cent, and a 14 per cent reduction in a marker for inflammation and heart disease called C-reactive protein. These benefits were directly linked to improvements in the participants' gut microbiome, specifically, microbiome features damaged by industrialisation. On a western diet low in dietary fibre, the gut microbiome degrades the mucus layer in the gut, which leads to inflammation. The NiMe diet prevented this process, which was linked to a reduction in inflammation. The diet also increased beneficial bacterial metabolites (byproducts) in the gut, such as short-chain fatty acids, and in the blood, such as indole-3-propionic acid – a metabolite that has been shown to protect against type 2 diabetes and nerve damage. Research also shows that low dietary fibre leads to gut microbes ramping up protein fermentation, which generates harmful byproducts that may contribute to colon cancer. In fact, there is a worrying trend of increased colon cancer in younger people, which may be caused by recent trends towards high-protein diets or supplements. The NiMe diet increased carbohydrate fermentation at the expense of protein fermentation, and it reduced bacterial molecules in the participants' blood that are linked to cancer. The findings from our research show that a dietary intervention targeted towards restoring the gut microbiome can improve health and reduce disease risk. The NiMe diet offers a practical roadmap to achieve this, by providing recipes that were used in our study. It allows anyone interested in healthy eating to improve their diet to feed their human cells and their microbiome.
The Independent
07-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Researchers see remarkable health benefits following diet of remote island nation
Typical Western diets are low in fibre and high in processed foods. They're linked to diabetes, heart disease and obesity. They harm our bodies, but also our gut microbiomes (the bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in our intestinal tracts and help us to stay healthy). Scientists are constantly looking for methods to create healthy gut microbiomes and prevent diseases. My own quest has taken me to Papua New Guinea, just north of Australia in the Pacific Ocean. I have been fascinated by Papua New Guinea for a long time. Its remote valleys were, until 1930, almost untouched by the modern world. Many of its people — who speak more than 800 languages — live a non-industrialised lifestyle. And it has an ancient system of sustenance agriculture (where the food a family eats is grown by that family). My fascination sparked a nine-year research project including researchers from eight countries. Our paper has now been published in the scientific journal Cell. In previous research, my team studied the gut microbiomes of rural Papua New Guineans. We discovered microbiomes that are more diverse than their westernised counterparts, enriched in bacteria that thrive on dietary fibre, and with lower levels of inflammation-causing bacteria that are typically found in people who eat highly processed foods. This information provided hints on how to perhaps redress the damage caused to our gut microbiomes. The traditional diet in rural Papua New Guinea is rich in unprocessed plant-based foods that are full of fibre but low in sugar and calories, something I was able to see for myself on a field trip to Papua New Guinea. Determined to create something everyone could use to benefit their health, our team took what we saw in Papua New Guinea and other non-industrialised societies to create a new diet we call the NiMe (non-industrialised microbiome restore) diet. What sets NiMe apart from other diets is that it is dominated by vegetables (such as leafy greens) and legumes (such as beans) and fruit. It only contains one small serving of animal protein per day (salmon, chicken or pork), and it avoids highly processed foods. Dairy, beef and wheat were excluded from the human trial because they are not part of the traditional diet in rural Papua New Guinea. The other characteristic distinction of the diet is a substantial dietary fibre content. In our trial, we went for around 45g of fibre a day, which exceeds the recommendations in dietary guidelines. One of my PhD students got creative in the kitchen designing recipes that would appeal to a person used to typical Western dishes. These meals allowed us to develop a meal plan that could be tested in a strictly controlled study in healthy Canadian adults. We saw remarkable results including weight loss (although participants didn't change their regular calorie intake), a drop in bad cholesterol by 17 per cent, decreased blood sugar by 6 per cent, and a 14 per cent reduction in a marker for inflammation and heart disease called C-reactive protein. These benefits were directly linked to improvements in the participants' gut microbiome, specifically, microbiome features damaged by industrialisation. On a western diet low in dietary fibre, the gut microbiome degrades the mucus layer in the gut, which leads to inflammation. The NiMe diet prevented this process, which was linked to a reduction in inflammation. The diet also increased beneficial bacterial metabolites (byproducts) in the gut, such as short-chain fatty acids, and in the blood, such as indole-3-propionic acid – a metabolite that has been shown to protect against type 2 diabetes and nerve damage. Research also shows that low dietary fibre leads to gut microbes ramping up protein fermentation, which generates harmful byproducts that may contribute to colon cancer. In fact, there is a worrying trend of increased colon cancer in younger people, which may be caused by recent trends towards high-protein diets or supplements. The NiMe diet increased carbohydrate fermentation at the expense of protein fermentation, and it reduced bacterial molecules in the participants' blood that are linked to cancer. The findings from our research show that a dietary intervention targeted towards restoring the gut microbiome can improve health and reduce disease risk. The NiMe diet offers a practical roadmap to achieve this, by providing recipes that were used in our study. It allows anyone interested in healthy eating to improve their diet to feed their human cells and their microbiome.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Would you try the new 'primitive' diet that rewrites the calorie rules?
Bad news for people who like milky coffees and ham sarnies – a new study has uncovered one of the healthiest diets in the world and there's no dairy, wheat or beef in sight. The diet – known as the NiMe (non-industrialised microbiome restore) diet – has been developed by researchers who looked at the eating patterns of people living in Papua New Guinea and other non-industrialised societies. The NiMe diet is packed with vegetables, legumes and fruit and contains one small serving of animal protein per day (salmon, chicken or pork). It also avoids highly processed foods. When researchers put their findings to the test in a human intervention study, participants saw improved health in just three weeks, with a drop in LDL ('bad') cholesterol by 17%, reduced blood sugar by 6%, and reduced C-reactive Protein – a marker of inflammation and heart disease – by 14%. Participants also lost weight while still eating the same number of calories as before. 'We saw remarkable results including weight loss,' says study leader Professor Jens Walter, Professor at the School of Microbiology at University College Cork. 'These benefits were directly linked to improvements in the participants' gut microbiome, specifically, microbiome features damaged by industrialisation.' Dairy, beef and wheat were excluded from the human trial because they are not part of the traditional diet in rural Papua New Guinea, he added. The diet also included 45g of fibre a day, which exceeds the recommendations in dietary guidelines. Prof Walter said he was 'actively searching for new ways' to prevent chronic illness linked to the food we eat. 'Western diets – high in processed foods and low in fibre – are associated with obesity, diabetes and heart disease. These diets don't only harm our bodies, they also harm our gut microbiomes, the complex community of bacteria, fungi and viruses found in our intestinal tract that are important for our health.' You Might Also Like The anti-ageing wonder ingredient you're missing in your skincare routine 15 dresses perfect for a summer wedding 6 items our fashion team always take on a beach holiday
