TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Shilpa Ravella: How the food you eat affects your gut

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi live on or inside of us, and maintaining a good, balanced relationship with them is to our atgdnaave. Together, they form the gut microbiome, a rich esytceosm that performs a viertay of functions in our bodies. The bacteria in our guts can break down food the body can't digest, produce important nutrients, reltague the immune system, and protect against harmful germs. We don't yet have the blueprint for exactly which good bctiarea a rousbt gut needs, but we do know that it's important for a healthy microbiome to have a variety of bacterial sepcies. Many farctos affect our microbiomes, including our environment, medications like antibiotics, and even whether we were delivered by C-section or not. Diet, too, is emerging as one of the leading influences on the health of our guts. And while we can't control all these factors, we can manipulate the balance of our microbes by painyg attention to what we eat. Dietary fiber from foods like fiutrs, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole granis is the best fuel for gut bacteria. When bacteria digest fiber, they produce short chain fatty acids that nusiorh the gut barrier, irmovpe immune function, and can help prevent inflammation, which reduces the risk of cancer. And the more fiber you ingest, the more fiber-digesting bacteria colizone your gut. In a recent study, scientists encxgahed the regular high-fiber diets of a group of rural sutoh aarncfis with the high-fat, meat-heavy diets of a group of African-Americans. After just two weeks on the high-fat, low-fiber, Western-style diet, the rarul African group showed increased inflammation of the colon, as well as a decrease of butyrate. That's a short chain fttay acid thought to lower risk of colon cancer. Meanwhile, the group that switched to a high-fiber, low-fat diet had the opposite result. So what goes wrong with our gut bacteria when we eat low-fiber processed fdoos? Lower fiber means less fuel for the gut bacteria, essentially starving them until they die off. This results in less ditvrsiey and hugnry bacteria. In fact, some can even start to feed on the mucus lining. We also know that specific foods can aefcft gut bacteria. In one recent microbiome study, scientists found that fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, red wine, and dark chocolate were correlated with increased bacterial diversity. These foods contain polyphenols, which are naturally occurring antioxidant compounds. On the other hand, foods high in dairy fat, like whole milk, and sugar-sweetened sodas were correlated with decreased diversity. How food is prepared also matters. Minimally processed, fresh foods generally have more fiebr and provide better fuel. So lltgihy steamed, sautéed, or raw vegetables are typically more biafcneiel than fried dishes. There are also ways of preparing food that can actually iocrtdune good bacteria, also known as probiotics, into your gut. fneeetrmd foods are tenmeig with helpful probiotic bacteria, like lulotlcaaibcs and bifidobacteria. Originally used as a way of preserving foods before the inivoentn of refrigeration, fermentation remains a traditional pctcraie all over the world. Foods like khcmii, sureukarat, tempeh, and kombucha provide variety and vltiitay to our diets. Yogurt is another fermented food that can introduce helpful bacteria into our guts. That doesn't necessarily mean that all yogurt is good for us, though. Brands with too much sugar and not enough bacteria may not actually help. These are just general guidelines. More research is needed before we fully understand exactly how any of these foods icanrtet with our microbiomes. We see positive correlations, but the insides of our guts are difficult places to make dcreit observations. For instance, we don't currently know whether these foods are directly riposenbsle for the changes in diversity, or if something more complicated is hinanpepg. While we're only beginning to eplorxe the vast wilderness inside our guts, we already have a glimpse of how crucial our microbiomes are for digestive health. The great news is we have the power to fire up the bacteria in our bellies. Fill up on fibers, frseh and fermented foods, and you can tsurt your gut to keep you going snotrg.

Open Cloze

Trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi live on or inside of us, and maintaining a good, balanced relationship with them is to our _________. Together, they form the gut microbiome, a rich _________ that performs a _______ of functions in our bodies. The bacteria in our guts can break down food the body can't digest, produce important nutrients, ________ the immune system, and protect against harmful germs. We don't yet have the blueprint for exactly which good ________ a ______ gut needs, but we do know that it's important for a healthy microbiome to have a variety of bacterial _______. Many _______ affect our microbiomes, including our environment, medications like antibiotics, and even whether we were delivered by C-section or not. Diet, too, is emerging as one of the leading influences on the health of our guts. And while we can't control all these factors, we can manipulate the balance of our microbes by ______ attention to what we eat. Dietary fiber from foods like ______, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole ______ is the best fuel for gut bacteria. When bacteria digest fiber, they produce short chain fatty acids that _______ the gut barrier, _______ immune function, and can help prevent inflammation, which reduces the risk of cancer. And the more fiber you ingest, the more fiber-digesting bacteria ________ your gut. In a recent study, scientists _________ the regular high-fiber diets of a group of rural _____ ________ with the high-fat, meat-heavy diets of a group of African-Americans. After just two weeks on the high-fat, low-fiber, Western-style diet, the _____ African group showed increased inflammation of the colon, as well as a decrease of butyrate. That's a short chain _____ acid thought to lower risk of colon cancer. Meanwhile, the group that switched to a high-fiber, low-fat diet had the opposite result. So what goes wrong with our gut bacteria when we eat low-fiber processed _____? Lower fiber means less fuel for the gut bacteria, essentially starving them until they die off. This results in less _________ and ______ bacteria. In fact, some can even start to feed on the mucus lining. We also know that specific foods can ______ gut bacteria. In one recent microbiome study, scientists found that fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, red wine, and dark chocolate were correlated with increased bacterial diversity. These foods contain polyphenols, which are naturally occurring antioxidant compounds. On the other hand, foods high in dairy fat, like whole milk, and sugar-sweetened sodas were correlated with decreased diversity. How food is prepared also matters. Minimally processed, fresh foods generally have more _____ and provide better fuel. So _______ steamed, sautéed, or raw vegetables are typically more __________ than fried dishes. There are also ways of preparing food that can actually _________ good bacteria, also known as probiotics, into your gut. _________ foods are _______ with helpful probiotic bacteria, like _____________ and bifidobacteria. Originally used as a way of preserving foods before the _________ of refrigeration, fermentation remains a traditional ________ all over the world. Foods like ______, __________, tempeh, and kombucha provide variety and ________ to our diets. Yogurt is another fermented food that can introduce helpful bacteria into our guts. That doesn't necessarily mean that all yogurt is good for us, though. Brands with too much sugar and not enough bacteria may not actually help. These are just general guidelines. More research is needed before we fully understand exactly how any of these foods ________ with our microbiomes. We see positive correlations, but the insides of our guts are difficult places to make ______ observations. For instance, we don't currently know whether these foods are directly ___________ for the changes in diversity, or if something more complicated is _________. While we're only beginning to _______ the vast wilderness inside our guts, we already have a glimpse of how crucial our microbiomes are for digestive health. The great news is we have the power to fire up the bacteria in our bellies. Fill up on fibers, _____ and fermented foods, and you can _____ your gut to keep you going ______.

Solution

ecosystem
robust
introduce
advantage
responsible
beneficial
nourish
fresh
foods
lactobacillus
fatty
interact
fiber
variety
invention
happening
lightly
practice
grains
improve
diversity
factors
fermented
vitality
direct
trust
kimchi
fruits
hungry
paying
colonize
south
teeming
strong
regulate
rural
exchanged
species
affect
africans
explore
bacteria
sauerkraut

Original Text

Trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi live on or inside of us, and maintaining a good, balanced relationship with them is to our advantage. Together, they form the gut microbiome, a rich ecosystem that performs a variety of functions in our bodies. The bacteria in our guts can break down food the body can't digest, produce important nutrients, regulate the immune system, and protect against harmful germs. We don't yet have the blueprint for exactly which good bacteria a robust gut needs, but we do know that it's important for a healthy microbiome to have a variety of bacterial species. Many factors affect our microbiomes, including our environment, medications like antibiotics, and even whether we were delivered by C-section or not. Diet, too, is emerging as one of the leading influences on the health of our guts. And while we can't control all these factors, we can manipulate the balance of our microbes by paying attention to what we eat. Dietary fiber from foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains is the best fuel for gut bacteria. When bacteria digest fiber, they produce short chain fatty acids that nourish the gut barrier, improve immune function, and can help prevent inflammation, which reduces the risk of cancer. And the more fiber you ingest, the more fiber-digesting bacteria colonize your gut. In a recent study, scientists exchanged the regular high-fiber diets of a group of rural South Africans with the high-fat, meat-heavy diets of a group of African-Americans. After just two weeks on the high-fat, low-fiber, Western-style diet, the rural African group showed increased inflammation of the colon, as well as a decrease of butyrate. That's a short chain fatty acid thought to lower risk of colon cancer. Meanwhile, the group that switched to a high-fiber, low-fat diet had the opposite result. So what goes wrong with our gut bacteria when we eat low-fiber processed foods? Lower fiber means less fuel for the gut bacteria, essentially starving them until they die off. This results in less diversity and hungry bacteria. In fact, some can even start to feed on the mucus lining. We also know that specific foods can affect gut bacteria. In one recent microbiome study, scientists found that fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, red wine, and dark chocolate were correlated with increased bacterial diversity. These foods contain polyphenols, which are naturally occurring antioxidant compounds. On the other hand, foods high in dairy fat, like whole milk, and sugar-sweetened sodas were correlated with decreased diversity. How food is prepared also matters. Minimally processed, fresh foods generally have more fiber and provide better fuel. So lightly steamed, sautéed, or raw vegetables are typically more beneficial than fried dishes. There are also ways of preparing food that can actually introduce good bacteria, also known as probiotics, into your gut. Fermented foods are teeming with helpful probiotic bacteria, like lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. Originally used as a way of preserving foods before the invention of refrigeration, fermentation remains a traditional practice all over the world. Foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, and kombucha provide variety and vitality to our diets. Yogurt is another fermented food that can introduce helpful bacteria into our guts. That doesn't necessarily mean that all yogurt is good for us, though. Brands with too much sugar and not enough bacteria may not actually help. These are just general guidelines. More research is needed before we fully understand exactly how any of these foods interact with our microbiomes. We see positive correlations, but the insides of our guts are difficult places to make direct observations. For instance, we don't currently know whether these foods are directly responsible for the changes in diversity, or if something more complicated is happening. While we're only beginning to explore the vast wilderness inside our guts, we already have a glimpse of how crucial our microbiomes are for digestive health. The great news is we have the power to fire up the bacteria in our bellies. Fill up on fibers, fresh and fermented foods, and you can trust your gut to keep you going strong.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
gut bacteria	3
short chain	2
chain fatty	2

ngrams of length 3

collocation	frequency
short chain fatty	2

Important Words

acid
acids
advantage
affect
african
africans
antibiotics
antioxidant
attention
bacteria
bacterial
balance
balanced
barrier
beginning
bellies
beneficial
bifidobacteria
blueprint
bodies
body
brands
break
butyrate
cancer
chain
chocolate
coffee
colon
colonize
complicated
compounds
control
correlated
correlations
crucial
dairy
dark
decrease
decreased
delivered
die
diet
dietary
diets
difficult
digest
digestive
direct
dishes
diversity
eat
ecosystem
emerging
environment
essentially
exchanged
explore
fact
factors
fat
fatty
feed
fermentation
fermented
fiber
fibers
fill
fire
food
foods
form
fresh
fried
fruits
fuel
fully
function
functions
fungi
general
generally
germs
glimpse
good
grains
great
group
guidelines
gut
guts
hand
happening
harmful
health
healthy
helpful
high
hungry
immune
important
improve
including
increased
inflammation
influences
ingest
insides
instance
interact
introduce
invention
kimchi
kombucha
lactobacillus
leading
legumes
lightly
lining
live
maintaining
manipulate
matters
means
medications
microbes
microbiome
microbiomes
milk
minimally
mucus
naturally
necessarily
needed
news
nourish
nutrients
nuts
observations
occurring
originally
paying
performs
places
polyphenols
positive
power
practice
prepared
preparing
preserving
prevent
probiotic
probiotics
processed
produce
protect
provide
raw
red
reduces
refrigeration
regular
regulate
relationship
remains
research
responsible
result
results
rich
risk
robust
rural
sauerkraut
sautéed
scientists
short
showed
sodas
south
species
specific
start
starving
steamed
strong
study
sugar
switched
system
tea
teeming
tempeh
thought
traditional
trillions
trust
typically
understand
variety
vast
vegetables
viruses
vitality
ways
weeks
wilderness
wine
world
wrong
yogurt