The gut microbiome is critical to our well-being. It seems like every day; new research comes out telling us how our gut impacts our brain, our mood, our health, and more. Make sure you are eating prebiotics and probiotics to keep your gut healthy.
How do I improve my gut health?
Your gut microbiome is impacted by what you eat, the pesticides and chemicals on your food, drugs, antibiotics, antibacterial soaps(!), and your environment. When you ask, “how do I improve my gut microbiome?” you are taking the first step to improving your well-being. Here are the top 6 things you can do to improve your gut biome:
- Take a look at the prebiotics and probiotics pages on this site and try incorporating as many of them as possible into your diet.
- Wash fruits and vegetables to remove any chemical residue.
- Antibacterial products with Triclosan, an antimicrobial and antifungal agent in soaps, toothpaste, and even toys will NEGATIVELY impact your gut microbiome. Of course, Triclosan is designed to kill bacteria and fungi. Rinse your hands well if you cannot avoid Triclosan.
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPI), Metformin, Laxatives, NSAIDS, and oral steroids are among the drugs shown to have an impact on your gut health.
- Antibiotics can really take a toll on your gut microbiome, and that’s why we gave this its own line. Antibiotics have a greater impact than most people realize and therefore, they should be taken with care. See below for more info.
- Your environment plays into your health. The air you breathe, chemicals you may be exposed to, things you touch, and more. Even your birth plays into the initial populating of your gut microbiome. A vaginal birth is the first step in getting your gut microbiome started. Even your Dad or Mom using their mouth to clean a bottle’s nipple after it fell on the floor helps get the bacteria you need. STERILE environments are not good for you.
How do I improve my gut health naturally?
Eat fermented foods – see the list of 12 Probiotic Foods. Now to take care of the 100 trillion bacteria, viruses, and fungi in your gut, feed them with this list of 20 Prebiotics foods.
How do I improve my gut bacteria after antibiotics?
Assuming you are not lactose intolerant, the easiest thing to do here is to eat yogurt that contains natural, LIVE cultures with a minimum amount of added sugars. We make our yogurt using an inexpensive yogurt maker with a natural starter. Unless told otherwise, eating yogurt during and after antibiotics should alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms.
Always consult a qualified medical professional before making changes to diet or medication. Individual circumstances vary. The information provided here is general advice and may not be suitable for everyone.
