Did you know that we are more bacteria than human cells?
It’s true!
Actually, it is in fact less than what researchers initially discovered, but although we are not 10:1 bacteria and more like 1:1, we are still slightly more bacteria.
I find that fascinating. Think about it, if we are more bacteria then maybe we should be paying closer attention to their role and how their presence affects our wellbeing. Heck, if I had 39 trillion guests barging into my home, taking space and calling it their own, I would certainly like to observe the dynamic to make certain the bad guys don’t take over and start trashing the place.
That house, is your body and 95% of these microbes live in your gut.
So when we ask ourselves “Should I be taking probiotics?” I believe it’s important that we know what we mean.
Our microbiota changes over time and differs from person to person. They contribute to
- The integrity of the intestinal barrier (our gut lining), too many bad guys and not enough defence and they literally start eating your mucosal lining leading to leaky gut.
- Optimize digestion and absorption
- Regulate our immune response
- Support the gut-brain connection
- Boost metabolic health
Dysbiosis, or imbalance can be the cause of all kinds of struggles even dementia, ADHD and autism.
How do you know if you should be paying special attention to your gut?
You:
- Have taken antibiotics
- Eat non-organic foods that have been sprayed with round-up (glyphosate)
- Eat lots of ultra-processed foods
- Eat lots of sugar (including artificial sweetener)
- Drink alcohol regularly
- Take NSAIDS ( Non steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs- Like Ibuprofen & Naproxen)
This means you will probably want to begin with taking inventory on what you choose to feed your microbes. Remember they need food (prebiotics) to multiply and to create postbiotics, which are the vitamins and amino acids your body uses to maintain your health.
Before you begin taking a good quality probiotic from a reputable company (Metagenics, Pure Encapsulations, Genestra) begin with increasing your fiber intake and decreasing all that which does not serve your gut (see above). Then try to introduce fermented food into your food rotation:
- Yogurt
- Kefir
- Sauerkraut
- Miso
- Kimchi
- Some pickles
**Exercise and stress management both affect your microbiome.
Taking a probiotic is a good jumpstart but only if you’re doing the work as well. Think about the house party, if you bring a few new nice friends everyday but the majority of your party is trashing the place, and no one is there to cater to the nice guys, they won’t survive. Same with your gut microbes. Cater to the nice guys…
If you need guidance restoring your gut health email me and we can set up a discovery call.
