What the heck is the gut microbiome and why is it important?
What is the gut microbiome?
The gut microbiome is the collective community of trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and microorganisms that live in the digestive tract. The microbiome has a significant influence on nearly every aspect of health which is why it’s something that I am so passionate about. Many common symptoms and health conditions are influenced by the health of the microbiome including:
Metabolism & Weight - energy balance and fat storage
Skin Health - acne, eczema, and rosacea
Hormones - hormone metabolism such as estrogen
Mental health - Synthesis of neurotransmitters
Immunity - 70% of immune symptom found in the gut.
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Did you know? There are actually more microbiome cells than human cells so its no surprise this community plays such an influential role on health.
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What influences the health of the gut microbiome?
Your mothers health during pregnancy
Birth: Vaginal vs C-Section
Formula feeding or Breast Feeding
Antibiotic use & medications
Diet & Lifestyle
Time in nature
Stress
Age & overall metabolic health
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Common signs of an unhealthy microbiome?
Digestive symptoms such as bloating, smelly flatulence, bad breath & reflux.
Undigested food in the stool.
Food Intolerances.
Diarrhoea, constipation or alternating bowels.
Reoccurring infections.
Thrush or fungal skin infections.
Nutrient deficiencies.
Anxiety & depression.
Skin conditions: acne, eczema, rosacea & psoriasis.
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How to support a healthy gut microbiome
Gut health is an important area of focus whether or not you experience obvious gut symptoms.
If you are looking to generally support the microbiome, the key areas of focus are microbial diversity, reducing inflammation and supporting gut integrity.
Foods to reduce or remove:
Processed foods and additives including emulsifiers, colours, artificial flavours, artificial sweeteners, preservatives & refined sugar.
Inflammatory vegetable oils such as canola oil, rapeseed oil and soybean oil.
Added sugar and refined salt
Food to include or increase:
Prebiotic foods such as onion, garlic, leek
Resistant starch: Cooked and cooled white potato & rice.
Slow cooked meats on the bone such as lamb shanks that are rich in collagen
Bone broth - Rich in collagen and supports the gut lining.
Variety of vegetable and herbs: Aim for 30 different plants per week.
Fermented foods (if tolerated) *Note that for some people with gut issues, fermented foods can exacerbate symptoms due to dysbiosis.
Healthy Fats including olive oil, avocado, grass fed butter/ghee and wild caught oily fish.
Well prepared nuts and legumes.
Gluten free grains such as rice, quinoa and buckwheat. If eating gluten choose proper sourdough bread & lower gluten grains such as spelt.
If you are someone who is experiencing chronic gut symptoms, it might be worth investigating this further through comprehensive stool testing to better understand the overall health of the gut and microbiome.
If you need further support with gut health, please book in a consultation for a personalised plan.
Heidi xx