Your gut and microbes….

There is a lot of conversation these days on the gut and microbes, microflora, probiotics.  I can almost picture some people looking at this a bit perplexed. What is the deal? Why is this important? Isn’t my gut one simple long tube that manages my food?

Let’s break it down to understand a little better.

What does this mean?

The deal is that the gut is very complex with a lot of functions in ensuring that we maintain our best selves. There is a lot of activity particularly in the intestines and

Different parts of the gut do have a different purpose in managing your food for sure! But your gut has several functions that impact your overall health and wellbeing.

We can all agree that the gut is the place where our food is broken down into micronutrients to support our body functions. Here are the overall areas of what the gut does and supports:

Digestion of food

Supporting our immune system

Mental wellbeing

Healthy skin

Remove toxins from our bodies

To accomplish these large tasks we need healthy bacteria, viruses, fungus. Yes our bodies do have these microscopic living entities that we call microbes. There are trillions in our gut and they are needed to keep us balanced, and feeling good.

We need to continuously support good supply of the microbes through diet and supplementation.

Our gut microbes can be disrupted poor diet high in fats, low fiber and lacking probiotics. It is also disrupted by taking antibiotics as well as illness.

Disruption of a good balance of microbes can lead to They play a strong role in diseases of the gut like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBD). 

Did you know foggy brain is a symptom as well.  The microbes are strong communicators with your brain in addition to the Vagus Nerve.  Mental wellbeing is also affected by the microbiome quantity and quality.

Why probiotics?

We hear about probiotics continually and how good they are for you… Why?

Probiotics provide you with the good bacteria and yeasts that we need for gut health. They support our need for the microbes to help in digestion of complex foods, support our immune system, mental well being and overall health.

There are two main strains of bacteria, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

Lactobacillus is found mainly in yogurt and fermented foods. Bifidobacterium is found in dairy products and is helpful in IBS. 

Saccharomyces boulardii is a yeast found in probiotics. It appears to help fight diarrhea and other digestive problems.

Probiotic supplements are a great way of ensuring that your gut microflora levels are supported.

What foods can I eat with probiotics?

Probiotics can also be found in food like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, miso, kombucha, pickles, certain cheeses like cottage cheese.  Ensuring your gut is receiving it’s needed microbes manage with diet and supplements.

We are entering an era where we can

increasingly modify health through food

and measure the effects through our

microbes or metabolites.

Anna M Valdes et al, BMJ 361 Suppl 1