Page 52 - EatingWell Special Edition Superfoods 2019

Y O U R H E A L T H I E S T M E A L T I M E

the onion—a good source of fructan: the average A few onlookers stare at the leek in awe.
chain length of fructan in an onion is 26. A little Silence. “You could eat this whole leek and change
bit of cooking breaks the onion fibers down to 8 your micro biome in 48 hours,” Leach proclaims.
or 10 beads. The shorter the chain, the sweeter In other words, if you eat this, the good guys will
the food—which is why deliciously sweet cara- come. In contrast, he pulls out a bag of baby car-
melized onions retain little fructan fiber benefit. rots. “We think we’re doing well when we steam

Leach does a little show-and-tell at Terlin- these for dinner,” Leach says. And for some pur-
gua’s only grocery, the Cottonwood General Store. poses we are. But there’s not much here to feed
“This is probably the healthiest thing in the store your gut microbes.
for your gut microbiome,” he says, holding a leek When he’s not using himself to road-test vari-
almost as long as his arm. He points to the white ous diets, Leach practices what he preaches, eating
part: “These store fructans. I’d say this proba- a (lightly sautéed) leek a day—“The whole thing,”
bly does more good for you than a wheelbarrow he emphasizes, “from muddy roots to fibrous

full of yogurt.” Then he points to the green top of green tops.” In fact, he convinced this tiny gro-
the leek: “That’s the cellulose, which has a chain cery store in the middle of a desert to carry leeks.
length of a couple thousand ‘beads.’” Gut microbes feast away on those fibers in a

MUST-EAT
FERMENTED
FOODS FOR A

HEALTHY GUT

Try these probiotic-
rich foods for gut

health. The good

bacteria may improve

digestion, boost
immunity, promote

a healthy weight

and more.

BY LISA VALENTE,
M.S., R.D.

Fermented foods are a hot health
topic—and for good reasons.
These good bacteria—particularly
those in our gut—may improve
digestion, boost immunity
and help us maintain a healthy
weight. Research is still emerg-
ing on just how important these
mighty microbes might be for our
health, but the early results are

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