1. Eat a plant-based diet. Scientists have found that eating a diet of processed and fast food leads to less diverse gut bacteria, which is associated with obesity. By sticking to a diet that includes lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you’ll be encouraging diverse bacteria to flourish.

2. Add foods that contain healthy bacteria. A number of foods are rich in probiotics. These include yogurt (with live and active cultures), kefir, sauerkraut, dark chocolate, pickles, tempeh, and kimchi.

3.Take a probiotic supplement. Although foods rich in probiotics can help, the most certain way to cultivate your gut is to take a probiotic supplement. They are available at local health food stores, but in order to make sure you’re not wasting your money, you should confirm that the probiotic contains the strain you are looking for, such as L. reuteri.

4.Protect your probiotic investment. Remember that, unlike other supplements, probiotics are actually living organisms, so you need to follow these precautions:

• Read the label to make sure you are getting a live probiotic

• Make sure that the company you choose follows delivery procedures to make sure the microbes are alive when you get them.

• Store the bottle or container in a place that won’t expose them to extremes of heat, light or moisture. Some probiotics need to be refrigerated, so make sure you follow any instructions on the label.