A 2020 review into ultra-processed foods and gut health found no link between a high intake of saturated fat, salt and free sugar and higher levels of pathogens. Instead, it concluded that a low-fibre diet was the most common cause of microbiome imbalance.

According to researchers, bacteria like “bifidobacterium and some clostridium subgroups exhibit a significant reduction with reduced or limited fibre intake” while other microorganisms such as lactobacillus (one of the most popular ‘good’ bacterias found in probiotic supplements) is increased to an unhelpful level through a diet high in ultra-processed foods.

In other words, you’re vastly better off concentrating on what you should eat more of rather than restricting.

“If the good bacteria aren’t fed correctly, they can die off – allowing more room for the bad bacteria. If you feed the good bacteria the nutrients they need, they will reproduce at a faster rate, leaving less room for the bad bacteria,” says Parsad.

Struggling with poor gut health? Here’s why you shouldn’t try to ’starve’ away bad bacteria