Poop Matters! or What is Microbiome?
What do the topics of diet, weight loss, Probiotics, gut health, and Prevention have in common? Not long ago, we would have been hardput to answer this question. Today, the link in these topics is the latest shot of adrenaline to the study of health promotion. And oh yes, scientists, health promotion aficionados, healthcare providers, nutritionists, and those strange folk that actually want a high quality of life experience (You) are excited by the ongoing stream of information coming through more and more research studies.
Just to get your attention? is the subject of "poop" brazenly broached! And well, this is the very kernel of the science behind Probiotics that has opened a storm of revelation. To say it as plainly as possible, your poop, like the revered oracle of ancient Greece (must laugh, yes?) tells the story of your current health condition like lines in the tea leaves... like bones in the bowl... like the colours of a sunset... Forgive the poetic hyperbole haha! but this is the facts of it. The poop must be healthy! or the patient is not... healthy, that is.
Wait, really?! YES, really. There is supposed to be a whole host of healthy/normal micro-organisms living in our guts...our intestines. And these organisms are not merely passersby, these teeny lifeforms must be able to establish colonies and symbiotic connections to one another and to the individual human body of the intestines (the host). I think of it as similar to how those various small fish and other creatures live on the most fearsome predators of the seas. Without them, the predator could not be healthy, because these little creatures perform vital tasks to maintain the host fish's health. Of course, what they do keeps them alive, too. And so it is with our microbiome.... that is what we call this village of gut bacteria living in our intestines- our microbiome.
Okay, whatever...Why should I care? And what can I do about keeping the wee boogars happy in my bod? Quite a bit, it turns out. Oh yeah, and what if I do NOT do these things? !Voila`! you get sick, really sick after awhile, if your poop and its environment allow the naughty microbes to move in. Well, that seems simple, right? And really it is.... except that ...you knew this was coming if you have been paying attention in this blog and others on the same vein.... Our modern diet does NOT promote healthy gut microbiomes.
Please, Keep It Simple, Sweetie! Alright, here is the short and sweet list of do's and dont's. And if you are like me and want convincing, follow up the Resources and Ideas links at the end of this post as well as the many links in the Meet Probiotics article and the other posts/reviews shared in Lifestyle Modification Support website.....
DO -
- Choose the freshest locally grown food that is NOT using agricultural methods that kill off the soil and plant microbiome.
- Cook your food as lightly as possible. Heat kills food's naturally occurring pre- and probiotics
- Drink and eat naturally fermented foods and beverages. Fermentation means that healthy micro-organisms are thriving in the food and will transfer to your gut to set up housekeeping :)
- Supplement, if necessary, with multi-strain probiotics products.
- If you must take antibiotics, use probiotics during and after the unfortunate situation.
- Become a food label reader! Learn all the code names for sugar.
DON'T -
- Don't have sugar in your food choices. Period. Wherever you catch it as an ingredient, find another way to eat that food without sugar, because it will ruin your microbiome.
- Don't cook on high unless you need to boil water for pasta for example. Slow, low heat makes all the sumptuous flavours remain and blend into your dish...& saves the nutrients for your microbiome.
- Don't beg your medical provider for antibiotics! If the doc says antibiotics are not called for, guess what? The doc is trying to SAVE YOUR HEALTH! Antibiotics kill the microbiome.
The problem with simple lists is that they leave out the whys and wherefores. So, ask for more info... and Read everything on the topic of your poop's happiness and well-being! And come on, you can be a researcher, too, of your own body. Try out some of the healthy suggestions for keeping your guts happy.
Resources and Ideas
The Healing Power of Poop May Surprise You; friendly article on the focus for understanding our gut's health. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-healing-power-of-poop_us_56e75c36e4b0860f99da2a3b?
A storm of research continues, but where to begin? How about at the beginning? What did you eat today? Consider prebiotic sources of food choices to fatten up the good microbes your gut is already hosting... https://peerj.com/articles/659/ and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705355/ and https://authoritynutrition.com/why-is-fiber-good-for-you/
Healthy suggestions... just remember to take all the info with a grain of ....healthy microbes!! http://www.drfranklipman.com/build-a-better-microbiome/