Here's another reason to eat your fruits and vegetables the Mediterranean way. In a recent study, researchers found the Mediterranean diet is not only good for your heart but also good for your gut. And a healthy gut means a healthy life.

What is a Mediterranean diet? It is a diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, olive oil and fish and low in red meat and saturated fats. The new study, published in the journal Gut, finds that older adults who eat a Mediterranean diet tend to have more types of gut bacteria linked with healthy aging.

In the study, researchers from the University College Cork in Cork, Ireland, tracked how the Mediterranean diet affected the gut microbiomes of more than 600 people, ages 65 to 79, living in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the U.K. Gut microbiomes were assessed before and after 12 months of either eating their usual diet or a Mediterranean diet.

They found beneficial changes in participants who ate the Mediterranean diet: more diversity in their microbiome, which is thought to be healthier, and a rise in gut microbiota associated with keeping people physically and mentally stronger as they age.

The study also found an increase in gut bacteria that produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids and a decline in bacteria that help make certain bile acids. Overproduction of those bile acids has been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer, insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes), fatty liver disease and cell damage.

The bottom line? What you choose to eat makes a difference. Choose more fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, olive oil and fish, and save red meat for special occasions.

Q and A

Q: Do beans help lower high cholesterol?

A: Beans and other foods high in viscous soluble fiber, such as apples and barley, can be helpful for lowering blood cholesterol levels. Here's how it works, according to Nicola McKeown in the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter: "This type of fiber thickens and forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract. The gel traps bile acids which are needed for the digestion and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins in the small intestine. The trapped bile acids are eliminated from our bodies. Once bile acids are excreted, this signals our liver to make more bile acids, which requires cholesterol, thus leaving less circulating cholesterol available to be incorporated into unhealthy low-density lipoproteins."

And it's not just beans and apples. Other foods high in soluble fiber include pears, plums, citrus fruits, oats and oat-based products, shitake mushrooms and seaweed, as well as psyllium found in cereals or Metamucil.

RECIPE

Taco night always makes for fun family dinners. For a variation on the traditional ground beef taco, try this BBQ Chicken and Black Bean Tacos recipe. It's from Cooking Light.

BBQ CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN TACOS

2 teaspoons olive oil

2/3 cup diced red bell pepper

3/4 cup frozen whole-kernel sweet corn, thawed

3/4 cup canned unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained

12 ounces skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, shredded (about 2.5 cups)

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

10 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in corn and black beans; cook until warmed through, 2-3 minutes. Set aside. Place shredded chicken and barbecue sauce in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix until thoroughly coated. Loosely cover, and microwave on high for 1 minute. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Place 3 tablespoons chicken in center of each tortilla; top each with 3 tablespoons pepper mixture. Place yogurt, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Dollop each taco with 1 tablespoon yogurt mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serves 5 (serving size: 2 tacos).

Per serving: 331 calories; 27 grams protein; 45 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 6 grams sugars (1 gram added); 7 grams fat; 465 milligrams sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian at Hy-Vee in Springfield, Illinois, and the media representative for the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com

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