'I'm a GP – there's one full-fat food you should eat regularly to boost gut health'

As gut health becomes a focal point in weight loss and overall wellness, kefir is gaining popularity as a quick fix for a healthy microbiome. The name of this drink comes from the Turkish word "keyif," which means feeling good after eating.

However, GP Camilla Stokholm suggests that there's no need to "venture into the realm of fashionable ferments" to support your digestive system's complex bacterial community. In her best-selling book What Your Doctor Eats, Camilla advocates for plain yoghurt as an excellent source of probiotics.

She reveals that during breakfast, she always opts for a "plain-flavoured, full-fat option and ensures 'milk' is the only ingredient listed, along with bacterial strains". The trick is to steer clear of any extra ingredients or processing.

Camilla does recommend kefir to patients if they have concerns about their gut microbiome. She describes kefir as "yoghurt's more attractive sibling," packed with a greater variety of bacteria.

For vegans or those who don't, or can't, consume dairy, there's even a water-based kefir that offers the same health benefits.

Delving back into the dairy, there's another unexpected superfood that could be incredibly beneficial for you. Cheese, particularly unpasteurised varieties, are "home to plenty of great bugs," according to Camilla, and might just explain the so-called "French Paradox."

In the early 1990s, Serge Renaud, a scientist from the University of Bordeaux, penned a paper exploring the seeming contradiction between the relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease in France and the seemingly "unhealthy" French diet rich in saturated fats, such as butter and cheese.

While Renaud's conclusions continue to spark debate today, it's indisputable that the French have surprisingly low rates of obesity and heart disease compared to their British and American counterparts.

Camilla highlights that, on average, a typical French person consumes around 24kg (over 50lb) of cheese per year, nearly double the amount eaten by Brits and Americans.

She notes: "It turns out, when full-fat dairy products are fermented with bacteria, they have a net beneficial effect, reducing inflammation and obesity; boosting the microbiome is presumably one of the reasons why."

Regular, but moderate, wine consumption could also play a part, according to a 2020 study by Greek nutritionists Elizabeth Fragopoulou and Smaragdi Antonopoulou.

The paper states: "Sustained light-to-moderate wine consumption has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, and all-cause mortality, while 'binge' drinking has harmful effects."

Camilla suggests there are likely numerous other factors contributing to the paradox, noting that "a month-long holiday every August probably helps."