Eat high-fiber, diverse plant foods to rebuild diversity

What to Do

Focus on eating a wide variety of plant foods during and after antibiotic treatment. Aim for maximum plant diversity — different vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds at each meal.

Why It Works

Diverse dietary fiber provides fuel for the surviving and returning bacterial populations to rebuild. Different fibers selectively nourish different species, supporting the re-establishment of a diverse community rather than allowing a few opportunistic species to dominate the depleted ecosystem.

Tips

• This is the safest and most evidence-supported recovery strategy
• Prebiotic-rich foods (garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, bananas) specifically feed beneficial Bifidobacteria
• Increase fiber gradually if you were not eating much fiber before the antibiotic course
• Research shows gut microbiota returns to near-baseline within 1.5 months, but some species may remain undetectable for 6 months