How was your summer? Mine was GREAT! We were away 5 out of 8 weekends plus 2 solid weeks of camping. Anyone else out there big into camping? I would guess yes, since we had to book our campsites 3 months in advance to the minute, otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten a campsite at all! (Thanks to “C” word pandemic). We have a little tent trailer that we bring along for most of our trips but for our 2 week holiday out to the Sunshine Coast in BC, my husband was adamant that we take the tent instead. Our boys loved it, but my back (and my husbands back) sure didn’t. I am glad that he sees the light now 🙂
What do you guys eat when you go camping? Do you find it easy to eat healthy? I definitely don’t. It is usually sausages, burgers, chips, ice cream, chocolate, s’mores, beer and a few veggies and fruits here and there. I always try to make healthy meals but it never works out that way when you are on holidays. My good intentions don’t go very far.
So what is your MICROBIOME? And why am I talking about camping? I just wanted to show you how easy it is to fall of the bandwagon during the summer. So if your pants are feeling a little tight, you’ve probably assaulted your gut health as well.
Your Microbiome consists of the microorganisms (bacteria, fungus, yeast, viruses, parasites etc.) that live in us and on us. There are thousands of different species of microorganisms that (in a healthy person) live harmoniously together and they all have different jobs to do that keep our health in check.
From your mouth to your bum is your digestive tract. In there, as well as in any other mucus membrane (like your eyes, nose and vagina), there are TRILLIONS of microbes living there. There are actually more foreign microorganisms than human cells in our body. It almost makes you more alien than human! Bad joke.
If these bacteria (or fungus or yeast etc.) becomes out of balance or overgrown, it can cause a whole whack of problems for us. For example, you could have or develop:
- Skin rashes
- Infections (yeast infection anyone?)
- Mood disturbances
- Sleep disturbances
- Upset stomach or cramping
- Diarrhea or Constipation
- Food intolerances
- Autoimmune disorders
So how do I keep my Microbiome in balance?
The short answer? You feed your good bacteria. The good bacteria are PRObiotics. The good bacteria eat PREbiotic fiber. And what happens when you feed a living thing? It grows and multiplies. The food they eat is the insoluble fiber YOU eat. This is the reason why you always hear that you should be eating more fiber! The more diversity of the good microorganisms, the healthier you are. This is why you should be eating a diverse range of foods from the entire colour spectrum.
There are many things you can do to improve your gut health, but here are my top 3 things you can do to get your health back on track and restore balance to your Microbiome:
- Consume prebiotic foods high in insoluble fiber. Examples of prebiotic foods are artichokes, bananas, chicory, dandelion greens, broccoli, garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, seaweed, raspberries and apples.
- Consume fermented foods. These foods introduce more probiotics (the good bacteria) into your microbiome. Examples of fermented foods are yogurt, kombucha, kefir, tempeh, miso, kimchi and sauerkraut. You could also take a probiotic supplement. I take one every day! Read through to the bottom and I’ll share with you which one I use.
- Limit alcohol. Yes I said it. If you’re like me, then you’ve drank enough over the summer! Consuming alcohol, has implications for your gut health. It affects the guts lining and the speed at which food travels through it. Alcohol can also increase the number of bad bacteria, in addition to the diarrhea, constipation and bloating (and headache!). The occasional glass of red wine can be beneficial since it contains polyphenols, antioxidants that help protect you from inflammation, and increase the abundance of good bacteria. Remember, I said “occasional”.
Studies around the microbiome are just emerging. In the medical world, this is exciting stuff! I found these two areas of research totally mind blowing:
1. The correlation between mental health and gut health.
Did you know that the majority of the serotonin in your body is made in the gut? People who suffer from depression are often low on serotonin. Researchers are now treating people with depression by improving their gut health and microbiome! So cool!
2. Treating the intestinal infection Clostridium difficile, with a fecal transplant.
Yes, you did read that correctly. I know this works first hand. I watched my grandmother suffer in the hospital for weeks, if not months, with C. diff. She received standard medical treatment of a concoction of antibiotics. The heavy hitting antibiotics to boot. Nothing worked. It kept coming back. Cramps, pain, diarrhea. A world of misery. I do not wish C.diff upon anyone.
What did work? A fecal transplant. Her entire microbiome was wiped out from all of the antibiotics. They take feces from a donor and, as you can imagine, shoot it up there. You may think that sounds like the most disgusting thing in the world, BUT it introduced a diverse plethora of microorganisms into her digestive tract. The good bacteria then outnumbered the bad and the C. diff symptoms went away. HOW AMAZING IS THAT????
I don’t know, maybe the nurse in me just gets excited about weird things like this. I think it is just simply amazing how our health can be so intensely affected by our food and lifestyle choices.
In summary, be good to your gut and your microbiome. It will, in return, take care of you.
If you want to know what pre and probiotic supplement I use, click HERE. Comment below how you keep your gut health in check! How healthy is your microbiome?
