Emily Leeming's Blog

Tea has been loved for over a thousand years, and matcha is one of its most striking forms - a vibrant green powder with deep roots in Japanese tea ceremonies.

It’s often touted as “healthier” than coffee, but is that true?

Before you whisk up a cup, it’s worth weighing the potential health benefits against whether you actually enjoy the flavour - and the fact that matcha comes with a premium price tag.

What matcha is and how it’s different from green tea

The polyphenols and...

BIG news I’ve been dying to share with you!

So many times it’s been right on the very tip of my tongue, and I’ve had to bite back the words. And now I finally can.

I’m so excited to share that my next book, Fibre Power, is coming May 2026 and you can pre-order it now.

Pre-orders make a huge difference in helping the book reach more people. If you’ve ever found my advice helpful this is the best way to suppo...

We’re always striving to do more for our health.

But what about doing less?

Taking a break to rest and recuperate – a mini breather where you step off the merry-go-round of life – to regroup and recharge is just as important.

We talk a lot about food and microbes here on .

But many other factors shape your gut microbes and your wider health too, like:

Time in nature

Moving your body

Managing stress and a good night’s sleep

So, in the spirit of looking after my microbes (and coming back to you fresh with...

A new trial has challenged the idea that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are always harmful for your health.

Instead they found that when UPFs met healthy eating guidelines, like being high in fibre and including whole grains, people lost weight and improved some measures of heart health, though less than with a diet based on whole foods.

Whole foods came out on top, but it’s not always realistic, affordable, or practical to eat them all the time.

It’s less about avoiding all UPFs, and more about choo...

Everyone’s talking about the gut microbiome these days.

It’s buzzy, it’s everywhere, and for good reason.

Trillions of tiny, living microbes in your gut - invisible to the naked eye - influence everything from digestion and immunity to emerging links with brain health.

But because it’s so complex, it’s sometimes hard to know what to say beyond the basics. Just saying “it’s important” only gets you so far.

So here are 9 surprising microbiome facts your friends probably don’t know. Nerdy, fascinatin...

There’s zero doubt that plant diversity is great for your health.

But the idea that we should all aim for exactly 30 different plant foods a week has taken on a life of its own.

You see it everywhere. In articles, on food packaging, and all over social media.

If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I’m not a fan of the “30 plants a week” message for gut health (read why here).

That said, if aiming for 30 helps you eat more variety, brilliant. Whatever gets more plants on the plate. I’m simply here ...

I’m feeling a bit teary as a write this (in the best kind of way).

The kind where I’m welling up with huge, heartfelt gratitude, and that feeling that life really is pretty awesome at times.

A year ago, my first book Genius Gut came out.

Since then, it’s travelled far and wide - now published in 13 different languages around the world. I still can’t quite believe it.

You’ve given it rave reviews (4.5 stars on Amazon, pinch me now), and it’s had some brilliant shout-outs in magazines and newspapers ...

One of the easiest ways to kickstart eating more healthily is by changing one thing - your snacks.

The trick is to be prepared, so that when hunger strikes, you have the ultimate gut-boosting combos at hand.

Here’s five simple snack ideas, that are packed with fibre, ferments and polyphenols for your gut microbes.

Plus, they’ll keep you feeling full and satisfied until your next meal.

Rye crackers are a store cupboard must have. The grain rye contains more fi...

What does an austronaut’s microbiome look like?

What happens to your gut in orbit could teach us a lot about health back on Earth.

These changes matter because your microbiome is closely related to your immune system (with 70% of your immune cells found in your gut).

And microbes are linked to many health issues faced in space.

Like how astronauts can get constipated, get skin flares ups, and their immune defences tend to drop (sometimes reawakening long-dormant viruses like herpes).

So understandi...

Only 13% of people report having good mental health, according to a 2017 survey by the Mental Health Foundation.

Mental health isn’t all or nothing, it exists on a continuum that changes over time.

We all have mental health, and like physical health, it needs time, care and attention.

When it comes to what we eat, we need to shift the conversation towards how we feel as a sign of health (rather than just shape or size).

So, can what you eat make a difference to your mood?

How...