Understanding Your Gut Microbiome

If you’ve never heard of this term before, your gut microbiome is a microscopic world that’s actually found within your own body. There are trillions of microorganisms that live inside your GI tract and influence many aspects of your health. Your gut microbiome is unique to you, and it’s influenced by your lifestyle. Your diet and environmental exposures can introduce new microbes or bacteria to your microbiome. Some exposures can also do harm and diminish the good bacteria.

So, we’re going to talk about the different things that influence it.

What Is the Gut?

Your gut refers to your GI tract. Most people use it to mean your intestines. You have some bacteria in your small intestine and in your stomach, but most of the good bacteria actually live in your colon. They float around inside there and attach to the lining on the inner walls.

The Role of the Gut Microbiome

Your gut microbiome interacts with your digestive system, your immune system, and your nervous system. It plays a very active role in your body and in your health, to the extent that some healthcare providers actually say it’s almost like an organ itself. Some of the microbiome effects on our bodies are still being studied, while others we already know a lot about.

Digestion and Nutrient Absorption

The first function of our gut bacteria is helping with digestion. The good bacteria in our gut help break down complex carbohydrates and certain fibers in food that our bodies can’t break down on their own. The bacteria feed on these fibers and produce short-chain fatty acids.

Short-chain fatty acids feed the cells that actually line your gut, which are the cells that make up your intestines. They also enter our circulation and reduce inflammation throughout the body. Additionally, our gut bacteria help produce enzymes that assist in creating certain vitamins, including vitamin B1, B9, B12, and vitamin K.

Immune System Support

The good bacteria in our gut also train our immune system to differentiate between helpful and unhelpful or pathogenic types of bacteria. Your gut is actually your largest immune system organ, holding about 80% of your body’s immune cells. The cells in our GI tract clear out many pathogens that pass through it every day.

Maintaining Gut Integrity

Short-chain fatty acids, the byproducts of our good bacteria, help maintain your gut barrier. They keep all your intestinal cells tightly bound together, preventing harmful bacteria and toxins from entering your bloodstream.

The Gut-Brain Connection

Our gut microbiome can affect our nervous system through the gut-brain axis. This is a network of nerves, neurons, and neurotransmitters that runs from your brain to your GI tract. Certain bacteria in our gut produce or stimulate the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, which sends chemical signals to your brain.

The Importance of Serotonin

Serotonin, as you may know, is a key chemical messenger that helps stabilize mood. It increases feelings of well-being and happiness. Beyond mood regulation, serotonin also influences other body functions, such as sleep cycles, appetite, wound healing, and regulating body temperature. About 90% of the serotonin in our body is made in our gut, while the rest is produced in our brain.

Foods That Support Gut Health

Probiotic Sources

Now, what foods are good sources of probiotics? One effective way to keep our gut healthy is to eat foods that contain probiotics. Many fermented foods contain probiotics, but if they are pasteurized, that heat treatment can kill the probiotic bacteria, removing their benefits.

Look for unpasteurized versions of the following foods: sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir (or kefir, depending on pronunciation), miso, and kombucha. Another excellent source of probiotics is yogurt, which is more commonly consumed. Look for yogurts that say “live and active cultures” on the container, as these will be great sources of probiotics.

Prebiotic Fiber

Our gut bacteria need a good fuel source, so eating enough fiber is essential. Certain plant fibers, known as prebiotic fibers, feed the bacteria that live in our GI tract. Prebiotic fiber is found in foods like chicory root, garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas, apples, and berries. Other excellent sources include oats, barley, flaxseed, jicama, and seaweed.

Foods to Limit

There are certain foods we want to try to reduce in our diet because they’re known to favor less helpful types of microorganisms. A diet high in sugar and saturated fat tends to promote the growth of unhelpful bacteria in our large intestine.

Processed foods not only lack fiber and essential vitamins and minerals, but they also often contain many additives and preservatives, which can harm your gut microbiome. Alcohol is another factor that reduces the diversity of beneficial bacteria, allowing harmful bacteria to thrive and creating a more inflammatory environment. Therefore, we should consume alcohol in moderation, keeping in mind the importance of maintaining our gut health.

Tips for Gut Health

What can we do to take care of our gut microbiome? You can improve your gut health naturally with a plant-rich diet. Aim to eat a variety of whole foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. These foods offer plenty of fiber for gut microbes, as well as vitamins and minerals for your body.

You can try eating probiotic-rich foods or consider taking probiotic supplements. There are numerous probiotic supplements available, and some are better than others in terms of surviving stomach acid and reaching the large intestine. Different probiotic strains or types of bacteria in various supplements have different intended health effects. Depending on the benefits you’re looking for—whether it’s mental health or regulating your digestive tract—certain supplements may be more effective than others.

Use Antibiotics Wisely

Lastly, it’s important to use antibiotics with care. There are times when you may need to take an antibiotic for an infection, and that’s acceptable in the short term. However, if you don’t truly need an antibiotic, I don’t recommend taking one.

For example, if you have a viral infection, an antibiotic likely won’t provide much benefit. Antibiotics disrupt the balance in your gut microbiome; while they eliminate bad bacteria, they also wipe out good bacteria.

If you have any questions about your gut microbiome, probiotic supplements, or how to incorporate more prebiotic fiber into your diet, feel free to stop by the front desk of the fitness center and schedule a nutrition appointment. I wish you all a happy and healthy month of June. Take care.