🍅 Want a Healthier Gut? Grab a shovel. Not a supplement
Is it time to revisit a forgotten pastime—one that could quietly transform your gut health from the ground up? 🌱
You’ve probably heard that fiber is great for your gut, and fermented foods are gold. But what if one of the most underrated tools for nurturing your microbiome was already in your backyard?
Literally 🤭
This month, I’m focusing on gut health, and today, we’re digging into a topic that’s close to my heart: Where our food comes from. I love this quote:
“We pay the doctors to make us better. But we should really be paying the farmers to keep us healthy.”
Gut health begins in the soil
If the soil is lifeless—stripped of microbes by pesticides and herbicides—then the food it grows won’t nourish us the way it should. I’m a huge believer in regenerative agriculture, a movement rooted in restoring soil health so we can grow truly nourishing food and build a healthy gut.
And don’t worry—this isn’t about moving off-grid or growing all your own food. Even 30 minutes a week of getting your hands in the soil might be enough to shift your gut microbiome in the right direction. Let’s get into it.
🌿 The Study That Sparked This Post
In a small but fascinating cohort study, researchers compared two groups of families1:
Gardening families: spent more than 30 minutes per week gardening
Control families: spent less than 30 minutes/week or didn’t garden at all
They collected fecal samples from all participants at two points:
April (before the peak gardening season)
August (during the height of the season)
They also looked at what participants were eating to see if diet might be a factor.
The results?
Gardening families had greater fecal bacterial diversity, especially in August. The greater the diversity of your gut bacteria, the healthier your gut.
Microbial richness increased throughout the season for the gardening group.
24 unique, mostly unassigned bacterial species were enriched in gardeners’ samples by peak season.
Some of these bacteria were associated with fiber fermentation, an essential process for gut health.
One child whose family gardened 5-8 hours per week and ate the produce daily showed strong evidence of soil microbes transferring into their gut.
Many of these soil-derived species were shared across family members, so even the people who weren’t gardening got to benefit if they lived together and shared meals.
Oh—and fiber intake?
Gardening families consumed 19% more fiber than controls at peak.
Their vitamin C intake was 67% higher, likely thanks to homegrown fruits and veggies.
Caveat: this was a small, observational study. We can’t say gardening caused these microbiome shifts—but the associations are compelling, and outside of these gut benefits, I can think of more benefits, like spending time outside, which is associated with better mood, lower stress, and more.
🤔 Why Would Gardening Affect Gut Health?
Let’s break it down:
1. Soil is teeming with microbes
When you dig, plant, weed, or harvest, you’re exposing your body—especially your skin, airways, and mouth—to billions of microorganisms. Some of these microbes make their way into your gut. And while not all environmental microbes stick around, some do become long-term residents, enriching your gut’s microbial ecosystem.
2. You're more likely to eat fresh produce
Gardening often leads to eating what you grow—whether it’s a handful of tomatoes, backyard greens, or herbs from your windowsill. These foods are rich in fiber and micronutrients, which nourish beneficial gut bacteria. Fiber is a key substrate for your gut bacteria. It’s what they ferment to make short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which help maintain gut lining integrity, lower inflammation, and regulate metabolism.
3. You might diversify your diet
Gardeners often experiment with new crops—kale, kohlrabi, different lettuces, or unusual herbs—which means a wider variety of plant fibers. The more diverse your plant intake, the more diverse your gut microbiome tends to be.
4. You’re outside, moving, and de-stressing
We can’t talk about gut health without talking about stress. Cortisol (your stress hormone) influences gut permeability, inflammation, and microbial balance. Gardening has been shown to reduce stress and improve mood—potentially another indirect way it supports gut health.
💡 Wait, Dirt in My Gut? Is That Safe?
Believe it or not, yes—exposure to soil-based microbes isn’t just safe for most people, it’s likely beneficial. In fact, there are expensive ‘soil-based’ probiotics you can buy - but why spend that money when you can just get outside!? Even if you don’t have space for a garden, being outside in nature helps.
I get asked all the time about the products I personally use at home—so I’ve put together a list to make it easy for you to find everything in one place. Hope it helps! Click 👉 here!
🔹 The Bigger Picture: Urbanization, Microbes & Health
Let’s zoom out.
The biodiversity hypothesis argues that our reduced contact with natural environments (and their microbial ecosystems) is contributing to the rise in inflammatory diseases. We see this especially in:
Highly urbanized areas
Populations with minimal green space access
Indoor-heavy lifestyles
So even if you don’t have acres of land, a small patio garden, community garden plot, or even potted herbs can offer a meaningful microbial connection.
And if you can’t garden? Other nature-connected behaviors like forest walks, park visits, or even handling soil-rich produce (from a farmer’s market, for example) can help diversify microbial exposure.
📅 Small Steps to Start
You don’t need to overhaul your life. Try this:
1. Start with one edible plant
Herbs are low-maintenance and rewarding. Try basil, parsley, mint, or rosemary.
2. Use what you have
No garden? No problem. Use a sunny windowsill or balcony. Many vegetables and herbs grow well in containers.
3. Involve your family
Kids love digging, watering, and tasting things they’ve grown, and if you have kids who aren’t veggie lovers, growing it with them might make them more interested in eating it. Even one plant can be a shared experience.
4. Find neighbors or friends who grow
Get tips from your friends or family who are into gardening, or arrange garden dates where you can hang out and connect over some gardening.
📈 Final Thoughts: It’s Not Just About the Gut
Sure, this study looked at microbial diversity—but that’s just one piece of the puzzle.
Gardening brings together movement, fresh air, sun exposure (hello, vitamin D), connection with nature, and better food.
And while we still don’t know if the bacteria found in higher numbers in gardeners actually improve health, the direction of the data—and the logic behind it—is strong.
In a world that’s growing more modern—and somehow less human 😭 —it’s never been more important for our health and sanity to reconnect with nature.
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Brown MD, Shinn LM, Reeser G, Browning M, Schwingel A, Khan NA, Holscher HD. Fecal and soil microbiota composition of gardening and non-gardening families. Sci Rep. 2022 Jan 31;12(1):1595. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-05387-5. PMID: 35102166; PMCID: PMC8804003.