Researchers have found that our genes are only responsible for 10% of our health. The other 90% is influenced by our gut microbiome. The proper balance between beneficial bacteria and potentially pathogenic bacteria, the diversity of the organisms and the health and integrity of the gut lining all impact our health.

 

Your gut flora affects the health of your entire body, including your brain. Brain chemicals, 90% of them, are made by the bacteria in our gut and have a noticeable effect on mood and sleep patterns.

 

Many things can threaten our microbiome. What we eat either feeds or kills our gut flora. Being exposed to chlorine and fluoride in drinking water, GMOs,  processed and refined foods, sugar, antibiotics (also found in factory-farmed meats and conventional dairy), over the counter painkillers, heartburn meds, EMFs (from computers, cell phones, Wi-Fi) and pollution can all compromise our gut health. 

 

Think of your gut flora as a garden that we can cultivate. Eating foods that fertilize our gut flora helps them to flourish and do their job well, helping us to absorb nutrients, reduce inflammation, keep our digestion smooth and our immune system intact, fight invaders and improve our overall health.

 

1. Eat fermented foods regularly to get beneficial bacteria such as various pickled fermentations of cabbage (sauerkraut), kimchi (a Korean veggie dish), turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash, pickles and carrots; tempeh and fermented raw milk such as kefir (plain, unsweetened), yogurt (plain, unsweetened). Avoid traditional yogurt because the pasteurization destroys many of the naturally occurring probiotics.

 

2. Eat foods to feed the good bacteria:

3. Avoid sugar, which tends to feed the bad or pathogenic bacteria, yeast and fungi in the gut. Artificial sweeteners like Splenda are even worse than regular sugar, as a study performed at Duke University showed it contains a chlorine atom that kills off the good bacteria in your gut just like chlorine kills microorganisms in swimming pools.

 

4. Eat organic when possible because gut flora is negatively impacted by agricultural chemical, pesticides and antibiotics (found in meat).

 

5. Evaluate the activity of the microbiome and then supplement with high-quality probiotic products.

Knowing which foods you need to eat more of and finding the right probiotic, including spore or soil-based probiotics can be an important part of your health recovery. They can recondition and re-seed your gut microbiome, pull weeds and fertilize your flora for proper growth.

 

Having your unique microbiome population evaluated gives us the best direction of which foods and probiotics you need to be healthy and thriving.