Healthy New Year takes guts, intestinal fortitude and fibre

We kick off 2019 with a new opportunity to join the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet revolution via our new Gut Health Program.

If improved health and wellbeing rated highly on your New Year’s resolutions – or you just want to lose weight and improve your quality of life – then the latest addition to CSIRO’s Total Wellbeing Diet, may be just the thing for 2019.

The new Total Wellbeing Diet for Gut Health Program launched by CSIRO this month comes off the back of mounting research linking the importance of gut health during weight loss.

Our new report, Gut Health and Weight Loss, indicates that people who are overweight or obese are more likely to experience gut health symptoms from poor dietary habits, which can negatively alter bacteria in the gut called the microbiota.

“Fifty per cent of Australians experience digestive upsets and one in seven experience distressing gut symptoms that can affect their quality of life,” says CSIRO Scientist and report co-author Dr Gilly Hendrie.

The symptoms of an unhealthy gut can include heartburn, excessive fullness, burping or wind, nausea, rumbling stomach, bloating, abdominal pain and abnormal bowel habit.

“Including plenty of fibre from a diverse range of whole foods is vital for a healthy gut,” Gilly says.

“However, simply eating more fibre won’t help you lose weight if the rest of your diet is high in energy-dense, low-nutrient foods that are highly processed.”

The research shows 83 per cent of Australians aren’t getting enough fibre in their diet and a high proportion of their fibre intake is coming from junk food.

“Eating fibre from wholefoods such as wholegrain cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruit can also help improve overall health by lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels,” Gilly says.

“Eating more fibre, especially readily fermentable types, helps overcome the adverse effects of an unhealthy diet.”

The new 12-week online Total Wellbeing Diet for Gut Health program includes a higher fibre menu plan, combined with protein and low GI carbohydrates which are important for appetite control.

CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet – new ways to join the revolution

At CSIRO, we’ve been helping Australians with health and wellbeing solutions for decades. Our CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, first published in book form in 2005, sold more than 700,000 copies and introduced thousands to the health benefits and significant weight loss from a diet higher in proteins and low in fats.

“The Total Wellbeing Diet (now online) has been developed through years of scientific research and its format of menu plans, shopping lists, and at home exercises can really help people who might feel overwhelmed or confused about how to lose the weight,” Dr Hendrie said.

To help Australians understand their gut health and how it influences weight and other symptoms, we’ve created a free gut health quiz. Find the free Gut Health Check for Weight Loss quiz and more information about the Total Wellbeing Diet for Gut Health 12-week online program at www.totalwellbeingdiet.com.