The Microbiome was addressed in an earlier blog (http://egglrock.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-microbiome.html)
but I thought the New Year would be a good time to revisit this topic. The Microbiome is just a cool sounding word
that describes how your body provides the perfect host environment to support
the growth of trillions of bacteria.
Ick! Did you know that there are about
ten times more bacteria living in and on your body than the sum total of all
your human cells combined? And that’s a
good thing. Believe it or not all those
bugs do wonders for your health by boosting your immune system (Knight et al., J. Immunol 2010). Think of
your microbiome as your own personal army that protects you from disease.
Are you a germ-o-phobe? Too bad. All those showers and incessant use of Purell
are killing off your main-line-of-defense (not to mention drying out your skin
and hair-I’ll bet you have a REALLY bad case of dandruff, but that will be the
topic of another blog). I’m not saying
go out and stand in front of a person with a really bad cold. Get outdoors and expose yourself to whatever
is in fresh air, do some gardening, shoot some outdoor hoops-even if you never
make a basket. I have yet to catch a
cold by going to my local Y every day but I bet it’s a great location for
building my immunity, not to mention my strength.
The other Microbiome slayers are all those antibiotics your
doctor is prescribing you. Although
antibiotics and antiseptics have altered the course of history, contributing to
the longevity that we enjoy today, they have also altered our immune system.
Over the past few decades we have gotten a little over-zealous with
these antibacterial agents, killing off both the bad bacteria and the
good. If you must take an antibiotic for
a dangerous infection then be sure to replenish the bacteria with probiotics. These healthy bacteria may be found in yogurt
and other fermented foods such as sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi and even pickles. If these foods do not appeal to you then you
may want to take a probiotic supplement that delivers 20-50 billion live
organisms per dose and contains a combination of different strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. If the meat
that you are eating is not labeled Organic then it too, has been adulterated
with antibiotics. Most animals are given
antibiotics whether they need them or not since the close quarters they are
housed in are a potential source of infection. These antibiotics alter immunity
in animals the same way that they alter your immunity.
In order for the good bacteria in your gut to thrive you
need to feed them food they like and that means eating lots of fibrous fruits
and vegetables. Green vegetables have the most fiber but just about any plant
will do. The jury is still out on whole
grains as they are a significant mediator of food sensitivities, possibly due
to the fact that the gut is lacking the kind of bacteria needed for digestion
of whole grains. Other forms of
sustenance for your gut bacteria are called prebiotics which are non-digestible
carbohydrates that help your good bacteria flourish. These can be found in
artichokes, garlic, beans, oats, onions and asparagus. Without
a nutritious diet the good bacteria will starve to death and, in a final act of
desperation, they will start to eat you!
Do you suffer from an
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) like Colitis or Crohn’s disease? These diseases are caused by an inflammation
of your colon and other parts of the digestive system whose defenses have been
ravaged by a poor diet or weakened immune system. IBDs are reversible but you need to heal your
gut and improve your diet. This means
eliminating processed foods, wheat, and sugar and possibly eliminating soy,
dairy, eggs, peanuts and anything else that you might be sensitive to. Unfortunately, the standard American diet
(SAD-what an ironic acronym!) is so adulterated that it has sapped our ability to
digest what were once perfectly nutritious foods. At the same time, you should increase consumption
of fruits and vegetables. Once the cells
that line your intestine are healed, and you’ve replenished your gut with
healthy bacteria, you may find that you are no longer sensitive to the whole
foods that used to cause gastrointestinal distress.
