Your gut microbiome

"Art of Physical Wellbeing" March 2023 - Your gut microbiome

I hope you are doing well!

Your gut microbiome is in the news! Okay, well maybe not YOUR gut microbiome specifically but the human gut microbiome generally. This attention is well deserved because your gut microbiome is critical to your health.

The gut microbiome is a community of microorganisms that live in your GI tract. This microbial community is mainly made up of bacteria but it also includes fungi, parasites and even viruses.  These microbes work symbiotically with your body to digest foods, synthesize vitamins, produce and maintain neurotransmitters, as well as a lot of other functions that have not been identified yet. 

What, what !?! Bacteria, and other microorganisms are alive in my GI tract?  Yes, and without them you would not be able to live.  In fact, they are central to your health.  Virtually every aspect of your physical wellbeing is affected by your gut bugs.  As you will read, these bugs effect your health not only regarding digestion and other "physical" processes in your body, but also your mood and cognition.

That said, I am not a microbiologist, GI doctor or metabolic researcher.  So, my role as your health coach is to highlight what information is important to your physical wellbeing and then provide you with actionable and accessible resources that support you in improving your state of health, fitness & cognition.

This is CRITICAL to your health.     

The first resource I would like to share is: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/microbiome/  This is a great "primer" from the Harvard School of Public Health that describes the microbiome.

Here is a quick "info-graphic" that helps to understand probiotic & prebiotic foods: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/-/media/national-files/documents/hometown-health/2019/good-bacteria-for-your-gut.pdf?la=en&hash=52AFC83889CAE02E30FD73440404A449

Here is a description of a research study around fermented foods with a fun little video at the end: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/07/fermented-food-diet-increases-microbiome-diversity-lowers-inflammation 

Great "tips & tricks" for good gut health: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/gut-microbiome/

After looking at the attached information I hope you have a good understanding of what your gut microbiome is and how to support it.  Now comes the fun part, how do we profit from this information?

Actionable strategies to support your gut health include:

1) Consider ways to add "probiotic" and "prebiotic" foods into our nutrition plan.  Take a look at the info-graphic I linked to (above) and jot down some ways to incorporate more of those foods into your diet.  Additionally:

• Try to get at least 30g fiber each day

• Eat a large variety of different foods, focusing on fruit and veg

• Include fermented foods whenever possible

2) Actively avoid things that harm your gut bugs.  Some things to consider minimizing or avoiding:

• Refined sugar

• Alcohol

• Processed foods

• Trans fats

3) Adopt healthy "gut bug" habits

• Get adequate sleep

• Actively manage stress

• Avoid unnecessary antibiotics

These are just the high notes.  The human gut microbiome is wildly complicated, has far reaching implications for your health and matters immensely to your day to day life.  So, be curious about this aspect of your health and It will pay off with better digestion, lower inflammation, less disease and improved mood & cognition.

I highly encourage you to take action to improve your gut health.  If you have any questions as to how to start benefiting from improved gut health please hit me up!  george@zoeticcoaching.com