Dr Megan Rossi

It may be my biggest passion, but my first memory of the gut actually wasn’t a happy one...

While I was studying at university, my grandma, who played a big role in my childhood, was diagnosed with bowel cancer, and despite battling through chemo and surgery, she sadly passed away in my final year. From then on, gut health became a recurring theme in my life - personally and professionally.

But it wasn’t until I embarked my PhD in gut health that I truly started to understand its power and clever connections with other systems in the body (side note: my PhD focused on prebiotics and probiotics, which is why I get so passionate about dispelling the many myths and dodgy products on the market!).

So when I set up The Gut Health Doctor on Instagram in 2017, my goal was always to translate the latest gut health science into practical and actional tips to help empower more people to take control of their health from the inside out. And nothing has changed seven years on.

This community has grown a lot (with a fair few new people here lately 👋), and nothing makes me happier than to have you join me as we discover more about those trillions of microbes that live in us 🤓. If there’s ever a topic you want me to tackle when it comes to gut health or nutrition, let me know in the comments 👇

Another thing we have our microbes to thank for 👃

Body odour.

The good (newborn baby smell), the bad (post-gym), and the ugly (hormonal sweats).

But did you know that your body odour is dependent on your unique skin microbes? Swipe for the science ➡️

Although certain factors like hormones are outside our control, studies have shown that your diet can influence the overall ‘pleasantness’ and ‘attractiveness’ of your signature scent (thanks to that gut:skin connection).

Takehome...

🧐 While it’s no guarantee that tweaking your diet will equal pleasant pits, it’s worth trying for a few weeks and seeing how you get on. I personally notice a difference!

Imagine if the last one was mandatory in all supermarkets…

Having lived in the UK for 9 years, I get such a buzz when I head back to Australia and get to rediscover foods you just can’t get in the UK. Swipe to see some favourites from my trip and a stinger-proof family snap👇

1. Going back to my roots with these tropical favourites like longans, bitter melon and chayote 🍈
2. Spot Cooper trying to get his hands on these must-try, gut-loving mangosteens 👶
3. You can’t beat an Aussie brunch - Super Six goals! 🍳
4. Teeming with exclusive polyphenols that you can’t get from supplements or powders 👌
5. Move over canned tuna, we need these lunch box saviours in the UK 🫘
6. Introducing some new microbes from my mum’s kombucha and kefir brews 🫗
7. Our super fresh catch of the day 🦀
8. Hitting 30 plant points on one platter 🥗
9. Grateful for these moments even if the kids had other plans 💛
10. Preventative health goals that could save the government millions 🍎

Have you tried any of these foods?

Could a gut-nourishing diet be the best aphrodisiac yet? 🍑 🍆 🔥

I shared an article from the Times on my Stories which suggested a healthy gut could be the secret to a spicy s*x life - which got a LOT of you talking in my DMs.

So here’s what you need to know 👇 (and check the poll at the end 😉).

🐼 The research included in the article came from an animal, not human study.

🦠 But we do know that the human gut microbiome is involved in hormone regulation, which includes your s*x hormones - oestrogen and testosterone (swipe for the science).

🥗 We also know that the Mediterranean diet (which fuels a healthy gut) has been linked to improved s*xual function (swipe for the studies).

💊 At the end of the article, it recommended supplementing your diet with a probiotic if your s*x life is less than satisfactory. But to be clear there’s no evidence to suggest that a probiotic will help in this area. So save your money and focus on packing in those plant points instead.

Takehome...

🥚 There is a link between gut health and libido, but we don’t yet know the specifics of the relationship i.e. are our gut microbes directly influencing libido or is it the other way around. Right now, we’re dealing with a case of a chicken and the egg - which came first? The science is working on it...

But, if you want to get ahead of the science and find out if it’s more fact than fiction, why not tweak your diet (see the last slide) for the next 4 weeks and see for yourself 👀

*xualhealth *xualwellness

Thank you for those who have informed us about scam circulating on Facebook posing as a competition from us. Please do not sign up and report this to Facebook. Screenshots below. Hopefully this doesn't happen again!

The last one is a bit visual, but think you need to see it...

Number 3 concerns me the most, but all of these are examples of nutrition-related practices I’d like to see left in the past.

1️⃣ Calories on kid’s menus. Not new, but I recently saw my first example of this in the wild. If you assume that fewer calories means ‘better,’ then, according to this, your little one should order a cheeseburger and fries over (a much more nutritionally-dense) hidden veg and tomato pasta. 😱

2️⃣Not checking the ingredients list. Recently, when I was away and looking for something speedy to grab, I picked this box up. Before putting it in my basket though, I checked the ingredient list, and lo and behold, the first ingredient in this savoury soup was glucose syrup (AKA, sugar). Shows how important it is to always read the back of the packet.

3️⃣Coffee enemas. Someone in my community asked me a question about coffee enemas for parasites ☕. In short, these are a bad idea. Swipe for the image of a case study review. There is a lot of risk attached to it and, given there’s zero proven benefits, I’d steer well clear.

Do you guys have any other ‘outs’?

I failed miserable with the low-FODMAP diet...

I don’t have IBS but I wanted to experience what my patients go through to help me provide the best advice.

In light of IBS awareness month, I wanted to share my experience (and a special giveaway below 🎁).

Spoiler: not only did I struggle, which gave me even more empathy for those with IBS, but I made an important discovery that answers the question... ‘Does it have to be all or nothing when it comes to the low FODMAP diet?’ Swipe for my findings 👉

To mark IBS awareness month, we’re giving a free clinic consultation with one of our specialist gut health dietitians 🏆. To enter, simply tag a friend who needs any gut or nutrition support and you’ll both go into the draw 👇.



T&Cs: Competition ends 07/04/24 at 11pm GMT. One winner will be selected at random and contacted via DM. Includes 1 x 60 minute virtual consultation with a gut specialist dietitian . Age 18+.

It’s the reason why, that I think is most important!

Have you heard that a ‘colon cleanse’ which is essentially flushing out your bowel with water, can eliminate toxins, improve gut issues and even help you lose lots of weight from waste?

Check out my 3 science-backed reasons why I recommend NOT to have a colonic, as a gut health scientist and specialist dietitian (the second point, in particular, is worth considering).

There is one therapy I do occasionally recommend that sounds similar - details in comments.

If constipation is getting the better of you, check out page 84 of my first book ‘Eat Yourself Healthy’ for strategies with ACTUAL evidence behind them 📖 .

Have you considered a colon cleanse, and how did it impact you? (the poll is anonymous 😉) 👇

Thanks for this great question!

It’s come back around again...

Anti-nutrients (e.g. lectins, tannins, phytates and oxalates) are chemicals naturally found in foods including wholegrains, legumes, tea, coffee, fruits and veg, which can block or limit the absorption of nutrients like calcium and iron.

While this might sound alarming (and make for great clickbait), as a gut health scientist and dietitian, I can confirm that anti-nutrients are NOT something you should avoid. Swipe for 3 science-backed reasons why 👉.

If you’re at higher risk of specific nutrient deficiencies such as iron, calcium or zinc then there are a few things you can do to boost absorption of those ‘blocked’ nutrients 👉.

My thoughts on a low anti-nutrient (aka carnivore) diet below👇

p.s. thankyou to everyone who responded to ‘ask me a quesetion’ in stories (including this particular question!).

When I was at uni, I was taught that it is not WHEN you eat, but just WHAT you eat that counts.

But some new research suggests that timing may well actually have something of an impact, when it comes to the ways that your food impacts your overall well being.

Read the ending for the crucial takehome...

🧑‍🔬 Here, participants living in a lab for the study’s duration were put on either an earlier meal schedule or a later meal schedule.

🍽️ At the study’s end, researchers found that when on the late meal schedule they showed a number of markers which put them at higher chance of weight gain compared to the early meal schedule. This included feeling hungrier and lower leptin — a hormone which lets your brain know that you are full.

🔬 A subset also had biopsies of their fat tissue (brave I know!). These showed that during the late pattern there was a difference in their gene expression, favouring fat storage.

A couple of caveats. Firstly, this was a very small study - although the tight control (participants being in the lab, rather than self-reporting when they ate) makes it more robust. Secondly, WHAT you eat still matters much more than WHEN, and I’d be sceptical of anyone saying otherwise.

Look, life is busy, often I end up having my dinner closer to bedtime than I would like — it happens. Please never feel bad about this. But, if you struggle with maintaining a weight that works for you and do tend to eat late, you might consider bringing your meal times forward and seeing how you go.

What time do you normally have dinner?

See below for the meal timings used in the study 👇

I was over at a friend’s place yesterday and noticed a few bottles of hand sanitiser in the house. It got me thinking about the Covid-19 pandemic, and how rigorously we all — rightly so – dialled up our hygiene levels 🦠.

Something else came to my mind, though. Namely, that now a lot of us still have something of a hygiene hangover from that time, and what that could mean for our gut microbiomes, which thrive when exposed to a diversity of microbes. Swipe for some science 👉.

For example: say you’ve been out on a countryside walk and got some mud on your hands. Do you simply wipe or wash with water, or do you grab for that hand sanitiser?

Again: sanitiser has its place, and it’s true that some people with supressed immunity do need to be more careful. But I think many of us have become over reliant on it. As ever, do what makes you comfortable – just offering some food for thought!

My thoughts on when we should be reaching for the sanitiser below 👇.

Sunday afternoon thought...

As ever, eat what you enjoy — I am not about demonising foods.

But equally, it’s important that you are empowered with the science and not mislead by marketing tricks.

Specifically it’s worth being aware of certain products that are marketed as being ‘healthier’, simply because they contain added sugar in the form of things like ‘coconut sugar’ and ‘brown rice syrup’ – rather than standard sugar. 🍭

‘Natural’ and wholesome-sounding language might be being used, but these are still added sugars: the packaging is just more exotic. 🤷‍♀️

If you want to eat those foods because they taste great, then go for it.

It just upsets me, though when it seems like fancy language is used in an attempt to convince people (and parents of young kids) of non-existent health credentials.

Swipe 👉 to see the 50+ names for types of added sugar.

See my thoughts on what changes might help, below👇

And the answer is not probiotic supplements...

Here are 3 free ways I add more microbes into my life, that you might want to try too.

🦠 Eat your apple cores (but not the seeds). Millions of microbes live in a single apple’s core and while the jury is out as to how many survive the journey through your gut, the extra fibre and reduced food waste makes it a no-brainer. Now a few apple seeds aren't going to harm you but they're best to avoid due to the amygdalin they contain, which when crushed can release cyanide.

🦠 Get among the mud and furry pets. Research shows those who interact with soil and pets tend to have more diverse gut microbes.

🦠 Experiement with your walks. Each day you inhale up to 15,000 litres of air, as each environment has its own airborne microbiome, this includes millions of microbes and thousands of different species.

💸 SAVE YOUR MONEY. As many of you who have been following me for a while will know, this whole marketing push towards probiotics supplements for general good gut health is BS.... Just like other supplements and medications, probiotic supplements are indication-specific.

My thoughts on organic below👇

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And the science behind why even surprised me as a scientist... 🤯

(don’t miss my free bloating giveaway below too 🎈)

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that having a lot of salt one day can have an immediate impact on your bloating the next. BUT what you might not be aware of, yet it’s something I commonly see in clinic, is the long-term effect a higher salt diet can have on your bloating symptoms... Hint: it involves your gut microbes and digestive enzymes 🦠.

Swipe to discover the new research that has shown how a high salt diet could be impacting your bloating over time 👉.

When it comes to bloating, remember these 3 things:
1️⃣ There are 22 key dietary and lifestyle triggers — salt is just 1 of them
2️⃣ If you have burdensome bloating, you are likely to have a unique combo of triggers
3️⃣ One-size-fits-all solutions out there are unlikely to help and often make bloating worse

Keen to learn the other 21 triggers and to implement my science-backed debloating ‘3T method’? Join my Bloating Masterclass waitlist (and benefit from an exclusive discount launching Monday 22nd Jan!). Link in bio.

🎈*free giveaway* — to help you or a friend tackle any burdensome bloating, I’m offering a free space for my Bloating Masterclass in February. To enter the giveaway, simply tag a friend who might benefit from some gut love and you’ll both go into the draw👇🎁.

T&Cs: Giveaway ends 21/01/24 at midnight GMT. One winner will be selected at random and contacted via DM. Age 18+ only.

Worried about microwaving your veg? Believe steaming is king? It’s time to set the record straight…

There are two key ways by which most water soluble nutrients are lost during cooking (e.g. vitamin C and B vitamins):
1. Temperature damage
2. ⁠Loss due to leaching out in water

Microwaving (which heats food via a similar concept to the heat produced when rubbing your hands together) means typically shorter cooking times and lower temperatures.

Not only are the rumours suggesting it’s bad for your heath unfounded, but research suggests the opposite (swipe for one study comparing different cooking methods 👉📑).

I, for one, microwave a lot of my veg, as it’s a convenient option that ultimately leads to me and my family eating more plants.

Takehome: don’t fear the microwave, embrace it for what it is – a quick way to cook your veg ⏰🥦.

Are you regretting what you ate over Christmas? Or planning some drastic changes to cut out certain foods in January ⛔️.

If so, I want to share this important science-backed message for you, your health and your gut in 2024:

It’s about INclusion, not EXclusion.

Forget detoxes, diets and any way of eating that advocates cutting out food groups in the pursuit of supposedly feeling, and looking, better. The challenge with restrictive diets is studies have shown that you are more prone to binge eating, as well as negatively impacting your gut microbiome and missing out on key health benefits as a result.

The science shows that gut health is more impacted by the diverse and wholefood plants that you add INto your diet, than by EXcluding so called ‘unhealthy’ or ‘bad’ foods. Basically this means you can enjoy chocolate, but try it with some nuts. Or have that takeaway, but add a veggie side. Or let yourself have that packet of crisps but with a stick of carrot. Swipe for lots of inspo on how I approach my own inclusive, plant-diverse eating: at home and on the go. The last one shows how simple it can be 👉.

If you need more guidance on how to nourish your gut then definitely check out the free ‘Gut health guide’ pinned on my grid.

Give your gut the gift of good health in 2024 ✨.

Do you know the fastest growing neurological condition in the world 🧠?

Parkinson’s is a challenging reality for millions of families. While we know genetics and environmental factors are at play, the underlying cause is still unknown. Swipe to learn more about the characteristics of this disease 👉.

A group of researchers have hypothesised (an idea that remains to be proven) that the gut might serve as a gateway for environmental factors that trigger Parkinson’s (i.e. the disease begins in the gut). The role of the gut-brain axis in Parkinson’s has been receiveing more attention recently as several pieces of evidence mount, including the differences in the gut microbiota of those with and without Parkinson’s 👉. More recently, researchers have investigated the link with gut symptoms. Swipe to discover the four gut conditions that were associated with a higher risk of the disease in one study 👉.

So what does this mean? It’s still early days, but the hope is this research will not only support early diagnosis and therefore treatment to delay the speed of progression, but may offer additional clues for a cure one day.

What about actionable things you can do to protect your brain health? There are a number of studies (all with limitations) that suggest a Mediterranean and high fibre diet can not only reduce your risk but may even support in the management of Parkinson’s (specifically cognitive fucntion and consitpation). Swipe for some inspo on how to increase Med foods in your diet 👉.

Would you like more info and support on brain health 👇?

Are you unsure what plant points really are, how to track them and why they're important for your gut health ✨?

If so, this quick guide to my plant points system is for you.

I take you through:
💛 The science and my clinical decisions behind plant points and the Super Six
💛 The relationship between plants, gut health and overall wellbeing
💛 How to calculate your plant points
💛 Delicious examples from each of the Super Six
💛 Tips on how to reach your plant point goals moving forward

For even more details, go to www.theguthealthdoctor.com/30-plant-points.

On my website, you can also find over 80 free plant-powered recipes. You can see the number of plant points in each dish.

Our team at King's are currently investigating this plant diversity science, so I'll be sure to share more with you as the research evolves (PI: Dr Dimidi and Prof Whelan) 🔬

Have you got any plant point questions? Or tips or tricks to share on how to up plant points with our gut-loving community?👇

Did you realise that your gut health is being impacted by....

your friends and family? Yes, we don't just share memories and moments, but microbes too!

It turns out we all share a significant part of our gut (and oral) microbiomes with the people we live with. And I'm not just talking between mother and baby, but actually any family members, housemates, mates, partners or pets will play a role in your health.

A recent study in Nature has shown that you could share as much as 30% of the types of bacteria living in your gut and mouth with those that live with you. With the addition of Cooper and my family from Australia who have been staying with us for the past few weeks, it makes me think about that level of connection that we will now all share — beyond the genetics, bonds and experiences, but also our gut health.

What to take from this? Embrace the health of those you're living with and spend time with. I've been positively encouraging more plant-diverse eating in my home. For those who are living with someone a little more reluctant (like my brother), try out my gut-loving recipes (link in bio) which creatively feature unexpected plants in the most appealing of treats... I've tricked my brother plenty of times ;-).

Love,
Megan x

Ever wondered how much caffeine you should take for weight loss?

There are lots of health benefits linked with coffee, but a lot of attention (from certain camps) has focused just on its links with weight-loss. So let’s delve a bit deeper into the science behind these ‘metabolism-boosting’ coffee and caffeine pills… 🕵🏻‍♀️

It's true that studies have shown the caffeine in coffee can increase your metabolic rate and this has been leveraged to sell supplements loaded with caffeine... but is this misleading many of us?

Swipe to uncover the science on how caffeine affects calorie burning short and long-term.

Of course, this is no reason to stop savouring the other benefits of your comforting morning brew, from the plentiful polyphenols to the sense of alertness it gives us - I couldn't go without my morning cup!

Want to add more plant points to your brew? Swipe to reveal my fav iced frothy cashew latte 👉🏼.

Have you ever been misled by caffeine pills? I'd love to hear about your experience👇🏼.

*Guidelines recommend no more than 400mg of caffeine per day for adults (200mg if pregnant) and I personally stop at midday to avoid it impacting my sleep.

Welcome to this microbe-filled world Cooper James! 💛

Feeling very blessed to have our healthy baby home. Thank you for all the support and positivity.

I'm going to take the next month off social media to focus on seeding this little ones developing microbiome with all the synbiotic goodness, and diving into new research between naps and feeds. But be sure to follow on Threads as I’ll be sharing snippets of gut-loving news there!

Some highlights from the last few days already:

🌱 Introducing Cooper to his new immunity trainers – Archie & Pistachio
🌱 Seeing the power of genetics (Cooper vs. Archie – spot the difference!)
🌱 Collecting new microbes on a forest walk as a family
🌱 Fuelling my breast milk microbiome (yes microbes live there too!) with tasty plant-powered platters
🌱 Also enjoying treats like raw cookie dough (INclusion not EXclusion)
🌱 Seeding Bio&Me into the NHS maternity ward

The Gut Health Doctor team will be busy in the background finalising an exciting new project to launch later this year and do keep an eye out for our monthly newsletter for your fix of free gut-loving blogs, recipes and news (link in bio). You can also swot up on more gut health info with  and  have lots of food inspo to share as well.

Have a gut-nourishing August and I can't wait to see you guys and share my learnings when I'm back in September!

Love,
Megan x

A good old-fashioned BBQ may be one of the best things about summer ☀️. But has the US National Cancer Insitute's carinogenic cautions been putting you off?

Discover the science and some simple hacks so you can focus on the deliciousness of barbecuing ♨️. Plus be inspired by this recent BBQ spread (swipe to see)... Which is your favourite?! Not suitable for vegans & vegetarians.

If you weren't aware, cooking muscle meat (chicken, beef and fish) at high temps can cause the production of two potentially harmful compounds (HCAs and PAHs) that are thought to cause changes to DNA, which is linked with an increased risk of cancer.

Swipe for the science on these 2 party p**pers and our 3 easy to follow tips 👉.

It might be time to fire up that barbie, but don’t forget to fire up those diversity-loving gut microbes at the same time by serving your protein with lots of plants. BBQ veg leftovers are perfect for sandwiches or to add to salads or pasta.

Like if you found this helpful 💜.

Have you ever thought about why you enjoy the taste of some foods but not others? I've been thinking about this a lot recently so I did a deep dive into some fascinating new research and wanted to share my findings with you...

Did you know your taste buds have been developing since you were the size of a raspberry in your mum's womb?

One study recently published in Psychological Science tested fetuses' facial reactions using 4D ultrasounds after exposure to carrot, kale or a placebo (via the mum consuming veg-filled capsules). They found the fetuses' showed more laughter-faces when exposed to the carrot flavour and more cry-faces when experiencing the kale flavour. Isn't that crazy?!

And another study published in Chemical Senses found that neonates only a day old did not show a negative reaction to garlic odour if their biological mum had eaten at least four meals containing garlic per week during the last month of pregnancy. I have to say, although my experience certainly supports these findings, it's not always easy getting the plants in when nauseated in pregnancy and I'm sure all you parents know what a challenge it can be convincing a toddler to munch on veg... but my trick has always been to hide them in delicious, diverse snacks and meals until the tastebuds come round and the results speak for themselves! Swipe to see how I've made this approach a reality this month 👉🏼.

Some examples:
- Hiding lentils with nachos and cheese
- Adding frozen cauliflower to our smoothies
- Grating beetroot and carrot to berry muffins
- Trying new cuisine and exotic plants when out and about
- Adding mince to lots of veggies (instead of the other way around)
- Blending chickpeas into cookie dough drops (recipe pg.163 from my book 'Eat More, Live Well\)

If this research makes you worry because you didn't feel your nutrition was the best while pregnant or as a child (or even when you were in the womb!), then be reassured that there's lots of evidence that you can retrain your tastebuds at all ages. A 2019 study from Belgium found that just two weeks of eating more fibre-rich veg reduced people’s desire for sweet, salty and fatty foods — and they reported enjoying veg more. Your oral microbiota is constantly developing so if you take one thing away from this... work with your taste buds — not against them!

Love,
Megan x

As many of you guys know, I am a research fellow at King's working on studies that help evolve our understanding of the gut microbiome. A highlight of this work, and the reason I created The Gut Health Doctor, is to fast track the translation of the research by sharing the findings and what it ACTUALLY means directly with you.

The key takeaway of our recently published study showed that WHAT your gut bacteria are doing maybe more important than WHICH bacteria you have. Two people can have the same bacteria present but the bacteria will behave differently depending on the environment and what foods (fibre!) you are feeding them.

So for example, with our study, it showed examining the bacteria's behaviour can determine how a patient (with IBS) may react to a medical diet designed to improve their condition (low FODMAP). Whereas just looking at what bacteria they have didn’t provide any insight to response.

This highlights a major flaw in commercial personalised gut microbiome testing (yes even the ones that claim to be 'backed by science') because these tests look at the bacteria present in your gut, via your p**p, but don't comprehensively measure what those bacteria are doing. This is why, for now, your money is better spent on quality food and things that make you happy 💛.

Study link in the comments below! Like if you want more updates on our team's new research findings.

Love,
Megan x