Plate to Poo - A drop-in activity to introduce the role of diet in shaping the gut microbiota

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in host health. However, public understanding of microorganisms is often dominated by a germ-centric perspective, where microbes are primarily associated with disease rather than beneficial biological functions. Improving public awareness of the gut microbiota is therefore important for promoting microbiology literacy and encouraging a more balanced understanding of microbial life. Plate to Poo is an interactive drop-in activity aimed at highlighting the relationship between diet and the gut microbiota. The activity demonstrates how dietary patterns in different countries can shape distinct microbial communities within the gut. Using colourful visuals and hands-on clue-solving challenges, participants explored how nutritional components of foods influence microbial growth and diversity. Participants were asked to choose a country and select two foods commonly consumed within that region. Using Food Cards and Microbe Cards, they identified microbial preferences for different nutrients and constructed a representative poo microbiota by matching microbes to the selected food. These microbes were then added to country-specific poo sheets, resulting in colourful visual representations of diet-associated gut microbial communities. By combining interactive learning with creative problem-solving, the activity aimed to improve understanding of the beneficial roles of gut microbes and support longer-term retention of microbiome-related knowledge beyond the session itself.