Imagine a community where everyone functions at a high level.

Challenges are solved efficiently. New circumstances are greeted with enthusiasm, resulting in very few long term problems.

Now imagine one where things don't run as smoothly.

Communication is poor, and any variation to the norm throws everything out of whack. As time goes on, more and more problems pile up.

Believe it or not, one of these two scenarios is actually playing out inside of you right now.

The 'community' is known as your gut microbiome, a term which refers to the millions of microorganisms that live and interact there.

When yours is working well, you have a far lower risk developing Type II Diabetes and all types of cancer.

You're less prone to anxiety and depression.

Stomach issues like Crohn's, celiac disease, IBS, and more are a result of a low functioning gut community, as are obesity and a weakened immune system.

Although we inherit our initial gut microbiome from our mother at birth, it continuously evolves over our lifetime based on the foods we eat.

Our diets are continually strengthening or weakening its makeup.

And guess what?

Most of us today are really bad at developing this.

We know because a group of well-meaning but slightly odd scientists studied fossilized poop from centuries past and compared it to those from today.

Those ancient microorganism communities were far healthier than ours.

The good news is that your diet can massively alter the functioning of your gut, which means improving it is entirely within your control.

Your best weapon is not any particular food, though.

Rather its the variety of whole foods you eat that has the most impact.

This is the essence of the 50 Food Challenge.

Pioneered by a handful of nutritionists, the idea is simply to take in at least 50 different all-natural foods (fruits, vegetables, proteins, healthy fats & carbs, herbs and spices) each week.

Seeing as how most of us today tend to be repetitive in our food choices, the diversity can spark some relatively quick improvements to your health, energy levels, and athletic performance.

If you take this challenge on, you may find it's a little harder than you'd think!

Perhaps you'll see, as I did, that there were certain things you are having over and over. For me, it was coffee, sourdough bread, leafy green lettuce, lemons and cheese

Congratulations to you if you find this challenge to be easy.

You've got some great nutritional habits in place that are likely leading to some very positive health outcomes.

Maybe it isn't that easy for you, though, and it shines a light on the need for your to better diversify your eating habits.

For those who need to improve, here's a few suggestions.

Buy 2 Whole Food Items Each Week You Don't Normally Eat

If you tend to hit the exact same protein, vegetable and snack choices every week, mix up your routine in just a couple spots.

Maybe one week you try a couple different fruits. The next week it's vegetables or protein sources.

Get in the habit of regularly shaking up your grocery list.

Spice Things Up!

Something as simple as a cheeseburger can be a source of variety if you add some different seasonings in there. Paprika, onion powder, italian seasoning...there's quite a few to choose from.

Throw a little cinnamon in your protein shake or on your toast.

These are simple changes you can experiment with in practically everything you eat.

Who knows, you may stumble onto a really delicious new snack or meal!

Add Chopped Veggies Or Fruits Into Your Typical Foods

Veggies, herbs and spices added to a pasta dish doesn't just improve the variety, it can add texture and flavor to a basic dish.

Chopping up fruit and adding it to cereal, if you are a cereal person, is another place to up your score.

One meal can have 10 or more different whole food ingredients with a little creativity.

Change Up Your Dips & Dressings

Hummus and guacamole are both excellent whole food choices, far better than using store bought dips.

Make your own salad dressings with olive oil and vinegar as a start, but infuse it with some fruits, herbs and spices. It doesn't take a cooking expert to be able to create a bunch of different options that taste great.

These are just a few ideas to spark your imagination.

The key takeaway is that a repetitive diet, even one that's somewhat healthy, can lead to a wide range of problems.

Mix things up to create a stronger, happier community in there.

, more and more problems pile up.

Believe it or not, one of these two scenarios is actually playing out inside of you right now.

The 'community' is known as your gut microbiome, a term which refers to the millions of microorganisms that live and interact there.

When yours is working well, you have a far lower risk developing Type II Diabetes and all types of cancer.

You're less prone to anxiety and depression.

Stomach issues like Crohn's, celiac disease, IBS, and more are a result of a low functioning gut community, as are obesity and a weakened immune system.

Although we inherit our initial gut microbiome from our mother at birth, it continuously evolves over our lifetime based on the foods we eat.

Our diets are continually strengthening or weakening its makeup.

And guess what?

Most of us today are really bad at developing this.

We know because a group of well-meaning but slightly odd scientists studied fossilized poop from centuries past and compared it to those from today.

Those ancient microorganism communities were far healthier than ours.

The good news is that your diet can massively alter the functioning of your gut, which means improving it is entirely within your control.

Your best weapon is not any particular food, though.

Rather its the variety of whole foods you eat that has the most impact.

This is the essence of the 50 Food Challenge.

Pioneered by a handful of nutritionists, the idea is simply to take in at least 50 different all-natural foods (fruits, vegetables, proteins, healthy fats & carbs, herbs and spices) each week.

Seeing as how most of us today tend to be repetitive in our food choices, the diversity can spark some relatively quick improvements to your health, energy levels, and athletic performance.

If you take this challenge on, you may find it's a little harder than you'd think!

Perhaps you'll see, as I did, that there were certain things you are having over and over. For me, it was coffee, sourdough bread, leafy green lettuce, lemons and cheese

Congratulations to you if you find this challenge to be easy.

You've got some great nutritional habits in place that are likely leading to some very positive health outcomes.

Maybe it isn't that easy for you, though, and it shines a light on the need for your to better diversify your eating habits.

For those who need to improve, here's a few suggestions.

Buy 2 Whole Food Items Each Week You Don't Normally Eat

If you tend to hit the exact same protein, vegetable and snack choices every week, mix up your routine in just a couple spots.

Maybe one week you try a couple different fruits. The next week it's vegetables or protein sources.

Get in the habit of regularly shaking up your grocery list.

Spice Things Up!

Something as simple as a cheeseburger can be a source of variety if you add some different seasonings in there. Paprika, onion powder, italian seasoning...there's quite a few to choose from.

Throw a little cinnamon in your protein shake or on your toast.

These are simple changes you can experiment with in practically everything you eat.

Who knows, you may stumble onto a really delicious new snack or meal!

Add Chopped Veggies Or Fruits Into Your Typical Foods

Veggies, herbs and spices added to a pasta dish doesn't just improve the variety, it can add texture and flavor to a basic dish.

Chopping up fruit and adding it to cereal, if you are a cereal person, is another place to up your score.

One meal can have 10 or more different whole food ingredients with a little creativity.

Change Up Your Dips & Dressings

Hummus and guacamole are both excellent whole food choices, far better than using store bought dips.

Make your own salad dressings with olive oil and vinegar as a start, but infuse it with some fruits, herbs and spices. It doesn't take a cooking expert to be able to create a bunch of different options that taste great.

These are just a few ideas to spark your imagination.

The key takeaway is that a repetitive diet, even one that's somewhat healthy, can lead to a wide range of problems.

Mix things up to create a stronger, happier community in there.