Evaluating the Effects of a Fermented Diet on Microbiome Diversity in Individuals With Long COVID

Prior treatment

• Potential contraindications to a fermented food diet (chronically immunosuppressed including organ transplant recipients)
• Undergoing chemotherapy at the time of consent

Other illness

• History of dementia, moderate or severe cognitive dysfunction, developmental delay, psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia
• Active uncontrolled inflammatory bowel disease including ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, indeterminate colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (moderate or severe), infectious gastroenteritis, colitis or gastritis, Clostridium difficile infection (recurrent), malabsorptive diseases (such as Celiac disease), major surgery of the GI tract with the exception of cholecystectomy and/or appendectomy in the past 5 years, or any major bowel resection at any time.

Other

• Unable to tolerate oral foods
• Neutropenic as listed in the "active problems" list in the EMR
• Taking MAOIs at the time of consent.
• A reported consumption of 2 servings of probiotic fermented food per day in their normal baseline diet.
• Pregnancy

• Adult (\> 18 years old)
• Patients who have long COVID symptoms
  • Long COVID will be defined as: i. A previously documented COVID + infection within the last year ii. A presence of neurological symptoms that started within 4 weeks of the COVID infection (fatigue, difficulty concentrating, depression, anxiety) as per CDC definition of Long Covid.
• Own a smart device capable of downloading a food logging application. Able to understand and document informed consent
• Seen in the Mayo Clinic long-COVID Clinic within the Department of General Internal Medicine