We might not be aware but our body has loads of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Surprised? Don’t worry these things contribute to our health and well-being. They are also known as Microbiome.
We have known that bacteria are associated with diseases but what we don’t know is that some bacteria are crucial for the body’s immune system and maintain healthy organs.
What is Gut Microbiome?
Microbiome is the bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microscopic living things that can be found in the body. Believe or not there are trillions of these microbes that exist inside our intestines and skin.
Inside our large intestine, there are pockets that are called the cecum where we can find most of these microbes.
What’s more amazing is that there are over 1,000 species of bacteria in the human gut and each of them plays a different role in our body. Most of them are for maintaining balance in our health but for some they may cause diseases.
How does Gut Microbiome affect the body?
First of all these microbes have evolved over the years and the human body learned to adapt to it. Without these microbes, it would be difficult to survive.
It helps us to digest fibre by producing short-chain fatty acids. We all know that fibre is important in preventing diabetes, heart disease, weight gain and lessening the risk of cancer.
These microbes also help us to control our immune system by communicating with the immune cells thus the gut microbiome controls how we react to infections.
It is also said that these microbes also affect our central nervous system which controls our overall brain function.
Benefits of keeping the Gut Microbiome healthy:
- Having healthy microbes can promote good health and decrease the chance of obesity. An example of this is probiotics which help in promoting weight loss.
- It can help you prevent having Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
- Another microbe is known as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria which is often found in yogurt. Probiotic drinks help seal the gaps between the intestines & prevents having leaky gut syndrome. This also prevents disease-causing bacteria to stick in the intestinal wall.
- These healthy microbes also promote good cholesterol known as “HDL” of high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides.
- They also help to control blood sugar and lower the risk of diabetes.
How to keep the gut microbiome healthy?
Now that we know the impact of having a healthy microbiome to our body, it is important that we keep them healthy.
It is possible by doing the following:
- Eat fermented foods every day. These include kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, tempeh, miso, and kefir. All of these fermented foods contain good bacterias that can help fight bad bacterias in your gut.
- Eat a Plant-based diet with fibre. We all know that fibre promotes good digestion. Having healthy digestion can lessen the risk of having colon cancer.
- Take a probiotic. These probiotics support good bacteria to live longer.
- Consume Prebiotic Rich Foods. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are the preferred fuel of your gut’s good bacteria and they are the indigestible fibre found in plant-based foods. Excellent sources are garlic, onion, green bananas, oatmeal, artichokes, cooked and cooled rice and potatoes.
- Choose Polyphenol Rich Foods. These are found in green tea, blueberries, pomegranates, red wine, dark chocolate and cherries that act as antioxidants. Antioxidants decrease inflammation and they also stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria and they inhibit the growth of bad bacteria.
- Limit Sugar Intake. Sugars and artificial sweeteners are the fuel of the bad bacteria and they can cause gastrointestinal distress which includes bloating, diarrhoea and forming of gas.
- Collagen – as mentioned above these microbes are also found in the skin so nourishing them can promote having healthy-looking skin. Collagen is a good source and acts as a protective layer covering the skin and body organs like the heart and the kidneys. Adding it to your diet can help delay ageing and protect the gut lining by building new tissues.
- Try the 21 Day purify the system by Synergy. This will reset your gut microbiome and will improve your skin, sleep, and energy. Plus it also promotes weight loss by getting rid of unhealthy fats.
You are now one step away from making your gut healthy again. Try this out especially with what we eat today our gut really needs a reset to be healthy again.
