This post is all about your microbiome, why it needs cultivation, and how to do that.
Microbiome. What is it and why should I care?
Scientists are calling the human microbiome a new organ system because of its importance to overall body health. This abstract discusses how the microbiome can turn on and off our genetic predispositions to disease. The gut can actually influence the progression or decline of health issues like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, among other things. And our microbiome doesn’t just impact our physical health, it has a significant impact on our mental wellbeing. This is why the gut is often called the second brain.
The gut-brain axis is an intricate and complicated one. Just as our mood can manifest in an upset stomach, or butterflies in the tummy; what is happening in our guts is also intimately connected to how our mind functions. There are even probiotic supplements (for your gut) marketed specifically for mood balance (in your brain).
Our microbiome is a delicate balance of good and bad probiotics, bacteria, yeast, and fungi. If we want to feel our best and be in optimal health, it’s important to proactively cultivate a healthy microbiome. Some foods and behaviors will encourage the good guys, some will favor the bad guys.
Who are the bad guys and how do you tell them it’s time to go?
There are some obvious enemies of a happy microbiome: processed food, highly refined oils, and stress. Is it any wonder that so many of us are struggling with optimally functioning minds? I don’t know about you, but I often think our whole country has gone off the deep end and I suspect our Standard America Diet (SAD) is one of the many contributing factors.
Who are the good guys and how do you encourage them?
In cultivating a strong microbiome, diversity is the name of the game. If you want diversity in your microbiome you need to feed the good guys with a diversity of fiber, which is found in plants. At the same time, you can make the bad guys unhappy by cutting back on refined and processed foods. A good rule of thumb is that if it comes in a package with a beautifully crafted label bragging about its nutritional quality, it’s probably not that good for your microbiome. There are exceptions but you have to look carefully.
EIGHT EASY ways to support a diverse Microbiome:
- Eat a wide variety of plant based foods everyweek. This includes obvious things like fruits and vegetables but also, nuts, seeds, and herbs. Try to eat over 25 different plants every week.
- Eat high polyphenol foods and drinks. These are usually full of naturally bright colors and can sometimes be on the “bitter” side. Examples would be freshly roasted organic coffee (which you can learn how to roast at home), red wine, dark chocolate, and berries. Suprisingly, there are a few foods that are very high in polyphenols that are not colorful, like artichokes, beans, tempeh, and nuts.
- Eat naturally fermented foods every day, like plain whole fat yogurt, kefir, non pasturized sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and raw cheeses.
- Stop snacking and give your gut a good rest overnight. One of the benefits of time-restricted eating is that your digestive tract has time to rest and repair. Many people with GI issues find huge benefits from this small change alone. For more information on how to start time-restricted eating see my post on Intermittent Fasting.
- As mentioned already, go easy on processed foods like sugar, refined industrial seed oils (soybean, corn, canola), and for the love of all things good PLEASE don’t EVER use artificial sweeteners, like Splenda or Aspartame. Chemical sweeteners are known to (ironically) cause weight gain and it is probably because of the castastrophic impact on the good bacteria in the microbiome.
- ONLY eat ORGANIC grains, beans, and seeds. I know sometimes it’s not possible to only eat organic but there are a couple items that are non-negotiable if you want a healthy microbiome. The reason for this has to do with how these crops are harvested. With conventional and even some non-GMO plants, RoundUp (aka Gyphosate) is used to quickly dry (dessicate) the grains, beans, and seeds to prepare the crop for harvest. Unfortunately, this study from Finland found that up to 54% of healthy microbiota in the gut was sensitive to the effects of glyphosate. If you are lucky enough to live in Finland where they do not allow dessication of crops with glyphosate you should be ok eating non-GMO crops. Since this is not the case in America, choose certified organic grains, beans, and seeds to avoid this chemical.
- Supplement with PREbiotics like inulin found in chicory root or jerusalem artichoke. These fibers will help feed the PRObiotics so they can thrive and overtake the bad guys. These are easy to add to a hot drink like coffee or tea in the morning so you start your day off right. Additionally, inulin has been linked to all kinds of amazing benefits including weight loss, blood sugar regulation, and mineral absorption.
- Lastly, but maybe most importantly, stress can change the pH of the intestines and encourage gut dysbiosis and leaky gut. Because of this impact, it is very important to find ways to regularly manage your stress. Walking in nature is one of the best ways to decompress but if time or location doesn’t allow, praying, journaling, or meditating are all very effective ways to lower your stress.
The study of the human microbiome is an infinite rabbit hole. With the insane number of bacteria in our bodies, we will probably be learning about this mutualistic relationship for years to come. In the meantime, if you “keep the light on” for probiotics, offering them free bed and breakfast, a low-stress environment, they are likely to make very nice guests that you will enjoy having around.
