It is hard, even impossible, to keep up with the latest fad diet and even the long-established studies of how what we eat affects us. But research consistently shows a diet of meat, rich in sugar, and replete with processed foods can adversely affect the balance of these microbes in the gut and support the extraction of calories from food.

A plant-based diet may be more sensible, providing fiber and vitamins without all that sugar. Research has also shown that long-established diets like the Mediterranean or Atkins that steer this way will decrease chances of inflammation as a result of what we eat.

Studies in mice suggest that obesity is dependent on the biome of their bowels. A lean mouse given a stool transplant from a fat mouse results in the lean mouse gaining tremendous amounts of weight in a short period of time.

What I advocate for is balance in everything you eat that fits your lifestyle. I do not think vitamins and other nutritional supplements can supply what you don’t eat or undo the damage of what you do. But there are practical ways to use diet to eliminate the hyperimmune state and make you immunity strong and boost your immune system, particularly prebiotics and probiotics.

• Prebiotics are microbes that you ingest to encourage the growth of healthy microorganisms like bacteria or yeast that boost the health of your gut and your health overall. They are not digested by your gut but metabolized by the gut bacteria and can change the course of atherosclerosis, Type 2 diabetes, and possibly even correct behavioral issues. They can be found naturally in food sources such as onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, bananas, chicory root, and dandelion greens. Many consider foods with fiber like barley and oats as great prebi[1]otic foods as well.

• Probiotics are friendly bacteria that restore your gut flora. Certain foods like yogurt, sauerkraut and kefir, tempeh (a fermented soybean product), kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage), miso (a Japanese seasoning), kombucha (fermented tea), pickles, traditional buttermilk, natto (another fermented soybean product), and many kinds of cheese are natural probiotics for your gut. All of these can boost immune function by way of biomes.