A Year of Foraging and the Impact on Gut Microbiome

Exploring the Gut Microbiome

The gut microbiome is the complex and diverse microbial community that helps our digestive systems with nutrient production, immune support, energy and mood levels, and inflammation control. A balanced microbiome comes from a diverse diet, good sleep and exercise habits, stress care, and fiber-rich foods. When the gut microbiome is out of balance, it can cause low immune system responses, inflammation, and other imbalances within the body.

We now know that a human being is not an individual entity, but rather a culture of thousands of species of bacteria and yeast as well as viruses. We can’t survive without this interconnected culture of species and we can make it a practice to do our part to increase the diversity and health of these systems within our bodies. We are this culture, as much as that goes against our individualist mental framework. This year, I will be testing my gut microbiome health while eating a 100 percent foraged diet to see how the diversity in my diet interacts with the overall health of my gut microbiome.

My Microbiome During the Year of Foraging All of My Food

I will be testing my Microbiome and Gut Health throughout my Year of Foraging with the help of  Tiny Health. TinyHealth helps provide at-home microbiome test kits and also provides educational resources and research surrounding gut health.

Below are the results of my tests so far this year:

Click on each link to see the report.

• July 18th, 2025 — Baseline three months before the year of foraging began. 
• October 8th, 2025 — Baseline the day before the year of foraging began. Over the last three months, I had been eating a substantial amount of foraged foods, so this will also show changes from that transition
• January 2nd, 2026 — Day 86. I added this test because my diet will substantially change in Florida and I wanted to see these changes. This was two days before I left for Florida. 
• March 29th, 2026 (Day 173)— Approximately the six-month mark / halfway point of the year of foraging. This is also when I arrived in Wisconsin from my three-month tour in Florida and the southern US. We are still awaiting the test results for this.

Upcoming:

• October 8th 2026 — Day 365. Report on the year of foraging and its impact on gut health

Below I outline changes in my diet to see how they may affect my microbiome results:

Changes in diet 3/29/26 since last microbiome check.

Fruit was way down for the last month as I had run out of fruit. Fresh greens were way up for a majority of this time, especially the last month. Starchy vegetables way up because of wild yams. Wild rice way down for last two months as I replaced that with wild yams. Coconuts and green banana flour were new foods, and coconuts were a substantial portion of my diet.

Red meat and fish were way down for the few weeks before as I had run out. Raccoon was a new meat. Much less venison overall, and a higher amount of fish during my whole time in Florida. Very little fish for the last few weeks though. Fermented foods likely increased over the last month. Very substantial increase in onion. The number of unique plants may have been higher during this time, since I had the Florida plants plus what I brought from Wisconsin.

Note: I selected increase in garlic on the form, but it was actually onion

Once starting to eat wild yams in Florida, I had much more gas and bloating, sometimes severe with stomachaches. I got fairly sick in Florida (cold/flu like) which lasted about a week. My stool has been much more loose lately now that I am eating a lot more greens. 

Changes in diet 1/3/26 since last microbiome check.

Three months into the year of foraging my digestion has improved. Very little gas or bloating or diarrhea. Very rarely an upset stomach. My poop is generally solid on most days, rather than in the past when it had usually been much softer. My body feels very strong and solid. Very rarely a headache. Right now, my body and my stomach/gut are feeling about as solid as they ever have in my adult life. I have been concerned whether I’m getting enough fiber, much fewer vegetables than usual. I do often think that my heart is racing and sometimes beating irregularly. Often when I wake up my heart seems to be beating faster/stronger than usual. 

Calculated having about 28 plants per week plus mushrooms

Not having many leafy greens or vegetables

Resources

If you are new to learning about gut microbiome, Mastering the Microbiome: A Master Class in Gut Health on the Rich Roll Podcast gives an introduction that I recommend listening to.

Recommended education on the gut microbiome from TinyHealth:

• 30 Plants a Week: How eating a wide variety of plant foods each week supports a more diverse and resilient gut microbiome
• Digestive Health And Your Microbiome: Keys to Whole Body Wellness
• The Gut Barrier: A Living Fortress Microbes Build, Defend, and Repair
• Adult Page: Our adult page also has great visuals and soundbites for general microbiome and testing benefits