The 20th
anniversary
edition
March 14 & 15, 2025
at UNESCO • Paris

What have been the key moments in your personal and professional journey that led you to focus on microbiota issues, and how would you describe M et Moiand its mission today?

Biliana LESIC: To answer your first question about my journey, I am a microbiologist by training and a researcher. I spent over 20 years in research laboratories, 10 years studying pathogenic bacteria and infectious diseases at the Pasteur Institute and Harvard, followed by more than 10 years researching beneficial bacteria that make up the gut microbiota.

About 15 years ago, when I began to focus on the microbiota, it was still a relatively unexplored field. My research focused on understanding the composition of the gut microbiota, the impact of diet on its balance (both beneficial foods and harmful ultra-processed foods), and its links to obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

After 20 years of research, I decided to leave the laboratory and take action. I founded M et Moi with the desire to engage in on-the-ground prevention, to share what I had learned as a researcher, and to raise awareness about this vital organ for our health—the gut microbiota.

Over time, I offered various activities, from daily consultations for healthy people wanting to understand more, to individuals suffering from digestive issues seeking solutions. I quickly introduced awareness-raising activities through fermentation workshops, cooking classes, and meals with "microbiota-friendly" dishes, as well as a range of fermented products.

The science of the microbiota is evolving rapidly. How do you incorporate these discoveries into the development of your products at M et Moi, and what are the main scientific data sources that influence you the most?

You're right, microbiota science is evolving very quickly—over 20,000 scientific studies were published in 2024 alone! Of course, we stay informed through publications and scientific conferences we attend.

With 20 years of research behind us, we can confidently say that the gut microbiota is a key organ that needs care, just like our eyes, heart, and lungs. It’s also clear that ultra-processed foods, which are too rich in saturated fats and added sugars, can disrupt the gut microbiota, and this imbalance, called dysbiosis, is linked to many digestive issues, diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

M et Moi’s approach is therefore based on integrating the latest scientific knowledge, raising awareness of foods that benefit us, and guiding our clients step by step toward changing their dietary habits, aiming to increase their intake of fibers, omega-3s, and fermented foods to promote a balanced and diverse gut microbiota—key to our health.

In this context, we focus on:

• The design and production of artisanal fermented products
• The creation and preparation of "microbiota-friendly" meals
• An educational approach through interactive workshops and personalized advice.

You often talk about the importance of personalization in health solutions. How do you adapt your products to the individual specifics of microbiota, and do you think the future of healthcare lies in this individualized approach?

At M et Moi, we adopt a personalized approach, which manifests in:

• Daily individualized advice, particularly in-store
• Special attention to the specific needs of clients ("People who come to see us mostly have stomach problems and are looking for solutions")
• Adapted food solutions rather than standardized dietary supplements
• "Tips for daily life" that are personalized and easy to integrate

Our goal is to help everyone achieve a balanced and as diverse a microbiota as possible.

However, as you mentioned, it’s now possible to analyze your gut microbiota through laboratory tests using sequencing techniques, offering a personalized picture of your own microbiota. I must point out, though, that these data are still difficult to interpret, and doctors are not yet able to make recommendations based on these analyses.

Personalized nutrition is a challenge and will certainly become accessible in the near future. Our approach at M et Moi aims to reach as many people as possible, to focus on prevention rather than cure, and to act before the microbiota becomes unbalanced.

Dietary habits and lifestyle play a crucial role in maintaining microbiota balance. What are the major obstacles you face in convincing your clients to make lasting lifestyle changes alongside using your products?

Regarding dietary habits, I’ve noticed that some changes might seem difficult at first glance. For example, I recommend consuming 30 different plant-based foods per week because recent clinical studies show that people who consume 30 plant-based foods have a much more balanced microbiota than those who consume only 10. So it’s clear that diversity matters, and that’s what we advocate for.

Our approach is to offer practical solutions: for instance, our meals are designed to include between 10 and 15 different plants per dish. With just two of our meals, anyone can easily reach their "weekly plant quota"!

As for the obstacles to changing lifestyle habits, I identify several challenges:

• The perceived difficulty of achieving the goal of “30 different plants per week”—it may seem complicated.
• The lack of knowledge about certain beneficial foods, particularly legumes, which are "often forgotten in France," or fermented foods.
• The lack of desire or time to cook at home.

To overcome these obstacles, I simplify the messages as much as possible, offer practical and financially accessible solutions, and most importantly, I take a gradual "small steps" approach by putting my clients into practice during my workshops.

What are your upcoming challenges and ambitions for the future of M et Moi?

My challenge today is to transform M et Moi’s local impact into a regional or even national impact.

To do this, I have two major development focuses:

1. Expanding prevention efforts in partnership with companies engaged in employee health and health structures to offer our awareness/action workshops.
2. Increasing production capacity to make our solutions—products and meals—accessible to a larger audience.

The impact of M et Moi is already significant in the Paris region, with over 4,000 people having attended one of my workshops since their launch about two years ago. Interestingly, nearly half of our clients come to us to understand and find solutions to their health problems, and I’m thrilled to see the effects of these changes on their health and well-being every day.

Photo Credit – Charlene Yves