formerly: detox
Your microbiome weighs about two kilos and lives on what you do not digest: fibre. Fermented foods add new bacteria on top — and together the two measurably lower inflammatory markers in trials.
The digestion & liver rank scores what a food does for gut and liver: fibre and water for digestion, pro- and prebiotics for the microbiome, bitter and sulphur compounds from cruciferous vegetables, alliums and turmeric for the liver enzymes.
This is about support, not a "detox". Liver and kidneys detoxify by themselves, every day, without a programme. What you can influence is how well supplied they are while they do it.
Points come from fibre, water, probiotics from fermented foods, prebiotics such as inulin, plus bitter compounds and sulphur compounds. Points are lost to alcohol, sugar, salt and heavy processing.
The biggest lever is unglamorous: more plant variety. Not more of one fibre but more different ones — the microbiome lives on variety, not on volume.
Frequently asked questions
Which foods help digestion?
Flaxseed, chia seeds, wheat bran, pulses and unpeeled fruit deliver the fibre that keeps the gut moving. Sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi and apple cider vinegar add bacteria on top.
Two things decide more than the choice: enough water with it, and a gradual increase. Fibre without water makes things worse, not better.
The Food Secrets app shows you all 1000+ foods sorted by this goal, fibre per portion included. all 1000+ foods sorted by this goal
Which foods are bad for digestion?
Heavily processed products with a lot of sugar and little fibre, plus alcohol and very fatty meals. They give the microbiome nothing to work with and load the liver on top.
Then the individual part: with IBS often onions, pulses and wheat; with lactose intolerance, dairy. That is not a general rule but your own.
So the app filters by what you do not tolerate and shows you all 1000+ foods sorted by this goal. all 1000+ foods sorted by this goal
How do I improve gut health fast?
Faster than most people expect, and slower than the promises. Microbiome composition starts shifting within days of a real change in fibre and fermented food, but a stable improvement takes weeks.
What moves first: tempeh, natto, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha for new bacteria; Jerusalem artichoke, chicory and onion for the inulin that feeds them.
What should I eat after antibiotics?
Both halves of the job at once: fermented foods to bring bacteria back, and fibre to give them something to live on. Kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and live yoghurt on one side; pulses, oats, flaxseed and vegetables on the other.
Variety matters more than any single food here. A course of antibiotics reduces diversity, and diversity is what a varied plant intake rebuilds.
Which foods are highest in fibre?
Per 100 grams: wheat bran, chia seeds, flaxseed, nori seaweed and dried pulses such as kidney beans and broad beans.
In practice the portion decides, not the table. Two tablespoons of flaxseed, a serving of lentils and an unpeeled apple together beat any single headline ingredient.
Does a detox cure do anything?
Not what it promises. No organ is "cleansed" by a programme — liver and kidneys detoxify continuously on their own. What actually works in a detox week is usually the absence of alcohol, sugar and ready meals.
That can be done permanently, and permanently is worth more than a week. The rank gives you the foods for it, not a programme.
Studies
- [1] Makki K, Deehan EC, Walter J, Bäckhed F. The Impact of Dietary Fiber on Gut Microbiota in Host Health and Disease. Cell Host Microbe 2018;23(6):705–715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2018.05.012
- [2] Wastyk HC, Fragiadakis GK, Perelman D, et al. Gut-microbiota-targeted diets modulate human immune status. Cell 2021;184(16):4137–4153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.019
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