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Gut health—it’s the hot topic in health, for good reasons. Immunity, metabolism, mood, longevity—all starts in our gut microbiome.
While eating well and taking probiotics are important, environment and lifestyle play an enormous role in the health of our gut. Your gut produces vitamins, digests food, regulates hormones, excretes toxins and produces healing compounds. There are over 1000 species, 3 pounds of bacteria in your gut-trillions of bacteria are living in there!
There are several lifestyle and environmental ways to you can improve your all-important gut health.
Avoid antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers. Use only when absolutely necessary.
Spend more time outdoors, in parks, camping, walking, or hiking.
Drink filtered water.
Shower less; or use soap sparingly. Research has revealed that just as the gut contains good bacteria, so does the skin. Showering washes those beneficial bugs right down the drain. Quick showers, washing the important parts, is better than a long, hot shower.
Buy organic produce whenever possible, and if you eat a food regularly make sure it is organic.Avoid taking broad-spectrum antibiotics unless absolutely necessary.
Adopt a pet. Pets have their own distinctive microbiomes, which they cultivate by playing around outside. One of the biggest benefits is that those good bacteria your pet provides helps train our immune system to react appropriately to things such as dust, pollen, and even certain types of food by bringing in lots of different types of bacteria. Children who grow up around animals have very different immune responses than those who don't and are more likely to have immune systems that respond appropriately to external stimuli.
Enjoy your meals; take time eating. Eating on the go can cause stress response mechanisms in the body that hinder digestion, not only impairing the absorption of nutrients but affecting your gut bacterial as well.
Food and its Affects the Gut Population
The Western diet is quite unhealthy, lacking in diversity and is loaded with fat and sugar. A few studies have shown that gut microbiome diversity is much greater in people from rural regions of Africa and South America than those from Europe or the United States. How can we fix this?
We need to eat more Vegetables, Legumes, Beans and Fruit.
Fruits and vegetables provide an abundant amount of nutrients for healthy gut microbiome. They are high in fiber, which can't be digested by your body. Fiber can be digested by some bacteria in your gut, which helps stimulates their growth.
Some high-fiber foods that are good for your gut bacteria are: Raspberries, Artichokes, Green peas, Broccoli, Chickpeas, Lentils, Beans (kidney, pinto and white), Whole grains. A diet high in fruits and vegetables may prevent the growth of some disease-causing bacteria.
Try incorporating Fermented Foods in your diet
Fermented foods are foods that are full of probiotics or good bacteria. These foods include: Organic Yogurt (no sugar), Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kefir, Natto, Kombucha, and Tempeh. These foods are rich in lactobacilli, a type of bacteria that has huge health benefits. The best yogurt to consume is organic plain yogurt.
Fermented foods, will benefit the gut microbiome by improving its function and reducing the amount of disease-causing bacteria in the intestines.
Stay away from Artificial Sweeteners, they destroy the gut microbiome. No pink, yellow or blue!
Eating Prebiotic Foods-Prebiotics are non-digestible fiber compounds found in certain foods that are needed for your health. Their sole purpose is feeding the good gut bacteria so they can provide health benefits, such as promoting your immune system and improving nutrient absorption.
The human body is not capable of completely breaking down prebiotic compounds, they actually pass through the upper part of your gastrointestinal tract undigested. As they pass through your small intestine and reach your colon, they are fermented by your gut flora. This fermentation process feeds the friendly bacteria in your gut. Many fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain prebiotics, but they can also be found on their own.
Breast Feed Babies
A baby's microbiome begins to properly develop at birth. During the first two years of life, an infant's microbiome is continuously developing and rich in beneficial bacteria, which can digest the sugars of mother’s breast milk. Many studies have shown that infants who are formula fed have an altered gut microbiome and has fewer beneficial bacteria than infants who are breastfed.
Breastfeeding is also associated with lower rates of allergies, obesity and other diseases.
Eat Whole Grains
Whole grains contain lots of fiber and non-digestible carbohydrates. These carbs are not absorbed in the small intestine and instead make their way to the large intestine. Once in the large intestine, they are broken down by the gut microbiome and promote the growth of the good bacteria.
Eat a Plant-Based Diet
Diets containing animal-based foods promote the growth of different types of intestinal bacteria than plant-based diets do. Several studies have shown that vegetarian diets may benefit the gut microbiome. This is probably be due to the higher fiber contents of the foods.
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Take a Probiotic Supplement
Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits when taken, by improving or restoring the gut flora. These beneficial bacteria—not only break down food that your body can absorb, but they also produce enzymes that aid digestion and absorption.
Your food choices are important
Our modern diets are highly processed and void of nutritious foods. These processed foods, sugar ladened foods, and artificial ingredients wreak havoc on our gut health by weakening and sometimes even destroying the good bacteria meant to keep us healthy. The foods we eat are so important, they can alter our gut bacteria within just hours of eating.
The good news is that you can get things back on track by eating whole and plant-based diet.
Making a gut-healthy life a priority will have you well on your way to feeling happy and healthy! Your belly will thank you!
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