Inspired by the microbiomes of non-industrialized populations in Papua New Guinea, the NiMe diet emphasizes high fiber intake and minimal processing to combat chronic Western diseases, Professor Jens Walter, co-creator of the NiMe Diet, told NutraIngredients.
Following years of research and recipe development, the team granted Gourmet Fuel a two-year exclusivity period for their recipes. Gourmet Fuel is an Ireland-wide meal delivery service that focuses on making healthy, chef-made meals more accessible.
“Scientifically, NiMe is very successful, but accessibility is the real challenge, and there are economic, social, cultural and convenience barriers,” Walter said. “People have known how to eat healthily for decades, but the problem isn’t knowledge—it’s incentive.”
Research shows how traditional diets shape the gut microbiome
Walter explained that NiMe emerged from a decades-old line of thinking, inspired by the work of Dr. Denis Burkitt, who observed that while industrialized societies tend to live longer, they also suffer much higher rates of chronic disease.
“There’s a long-standing body of evidence showing that non-industrialized populations have far lower rates of chronic disease, largely due to what they eat,” Walter explained. A 2017 study conducted in Amazonian populations reported almost no heart disease, based on scans of hundreds of individuals that revealed minimal arterial plaque.
Based on this evidence, Walter concluded that it made sense to look beyond the Western diet, which appears to predispose people to chronic disease.
“I was interested in studying relatively undisturbed microbiomes, so I contacted a research institute in Papua New Guinea, and they sent samples, which we analyzed,” he said.
When the data were analyzed and published around 2015, diet emerged as a dominant signal. In late 2016, the NiMe project began as a concept to see if the Lactobacillus lineage observed in Papuan populations could be re-established.
“From there came the development of the entire meal plan and recipe work, which was led by Dr. Anissa Armet, who runs the MiMe project with me,” Walter said.
Dr. Armet developed a diet based on traditional eating patterns from rural Papua New Guineans, prioritizing minimally processed, fiber-rich plant foods. It centered on beans, rice, cabbage, cucumber and sweet potato, and included raffinose- and stachyose-rich foods such as peas, onions and Jerusalem artichokes to support beneficial microbes like Lactobacillus reuteri. The diet excluded wheat, beef and dairy, and avoided ultra-processed foods.
In 2025, research results showed the diet successfully reversed several microbiome effects linked to industrialization. Although overall microbial diversity decreased, gut community stability and interconnectedness increased. Fiber fermentation capacity improved, pro-inflammatory microbes declined, and health-promoting bacteria became more abundant.
Participants in the study also experienced broader cardiometabolic benefits. The diet reduced risk markers for non-communicable diseases, produced modest but significant weight loss, lowered several cholesterol measures and improved insulin sensitivity.
NiMe diet meal rollout marks a milestone in the food-as-medicine space
Walter explained that the partnership with the meal delivery company developed organically, following work the two companies were doing together in other trials that required completely controlled diets with a strong nutritional foundation.
“When I realized how scientifically rigorous they were and how closely their mission aligned with ours—providing genuinely healthy food—I suggested they look at the NiMe meal plan,” Walter said.
“There are very few Cell-level papers that include a complete, clinically validated meal plan with recipes, so they shared the excitement and were particularly impressed by the recipes, both in terms of quality and cost-efficiency, which is crucial for commercialization.”
The meals have now been available through the Gourmet Fuel platform for a few months, and as far as Walter is concerned, the rollout is a “game-changer in the ‘food as medicine’ space.”
The collaboration also has the potential to feed into future citizen-science projects, Walter noted, adding that while nothing is planned, the meals do provide a strong experimental framework for future studies.
“I’d love to do a citizen-science project where participants receive a free subscription and are asked to visit their GP before and after three or six months,” he said.
IPA World Congress Probiota 2026
Prof. Jens Walter will be presenting on the NiMe Diet during the “Microbiome Diets and Fermented Foods” session at IPA World Congress + Probiota 2026, the three-day global microbiome industry event taking place Feb. 11–13, 2026, at The Convention Centre, Dublin.
The 2026 program will feature sessions, discussions, and roundtables covering From Gums to Bums, Next-Gen Biotics, Gut–Brain Axis, Postbiotics, Strain Optimization, The State of the Market, and Regulatory Developments Across Europe. Registration is now open, so don't miss out - secure your spot here !
