What can we do to grow and protect our microbiomes? The trillions of little roomies getting cozy in your body were hoping you would ask. They work tirelessly to keep your immune system, mental health, cognitive function, stomach and gut healthy– and they ask very little in return. Gut bacteria physically line intestines but also create many vital byproducts and metabolites, like short chain fatty acids, that reduce inflammation and modulate immune properties. Below are two simple and common sense suggestions for maintaining the health of your bacterial besties: nourish them well and don’t kill them.
Feeding Your Microbiome. Feeding your microbiome seems logical yet most of us are not intentional in doing so. We think about feeding ourselves, feeding our kids, feeding our guests… but feeding our guts? That takes an extra step of thinking. Historically, we did not need to focus on sustaining our intestinal ecosystems. Humans ate mostly plants, including roots, nuts and seeds which provided the necessary substrates to cultivate healthy microbial communities. In modern diets, however, we eat foods that not only starve our bacterial buddies but also harm them. And when our gut flora don’t thrive, our entire microbiome, from brain to gut to toe jam (your skin has a microscopic community, also!), is affected.
So what should you feed your gut? Broadly, the answer lies in plants. To make it simple, make probiotic-rich foods like yogurts, kefir, cultured cottage cheese and pickled vegetables (like kimchi or sauerkraut) a part of your family’s diet. To ensure live and active cultures, choose pickled foods from the refrigerated section where small bubbles may indicate active fermentation. If they are vacuum sealed in a jar near the ketchup, any life was literally sucked out of them.
Another imperative, especially for kids, is to let them eat dirt. Play in dirt, plant a garden, be outside, play with animals. Nature is full of immune bolstering bacteria yet we have come to be afraid of it. Yes, we need to wash our hands to rid ourselves of stomach bugs and cold viruses. By all means, wash hands after playing with small children and their indoor toys; be less concerned about the richness of dirt, soil, and animals.
In addition to eating probiotic rich foods which may populate your gut, our friends need nourishment in the form of prebiotic rich foods. Prebiotics are found in all sorts of plant foods like nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, lentils, fruits and vegetables. They may also be added into foods or infant formula in the form inulin, fructo- and galacto-ologisaccharides. Fibers, like psyllium husk, can also act as prebiotics. Like many problems in life, the solution is found in eating more plants.
Don’t Kill Them. The most obvious way to not kill your microbiota is to avoid antibiotics, which, by definition, kill bacteria without discriminating between good and bad. Even one round of antibiotics can alter developing immune systems, not just for small kids, but even for teens. Armed with this information, give a little pushback next time your doctor offers antibiotics as a treatment choice. For example, when your child has an ear infection, ask if the “watch and wait” option is appropriate in your situation. For two decades now, we have data and guidelines to help providers reduce antibiotic use for ear infections. Most sinus infections will also self resolve. Sadly, it is often faster for a provider to write a prescription than have a conversation on the risks and benefits of holding off on antibiotics. Having said that, when antibiotics are necessary, they are life saving and absolutely necessary. But most of the time, we are taking them to reduce symptoms by a few days– if that. This is not worth altering your microbiome and, in turn, your immune health.
Next up on keeping your bacterial buddies alive may be even harder than avoiding antibiotics: limit processed foods. An American diet, rich in processed foods (like anything made in a factory) impacts the diversity of your gut ecosystem and kills off healthy gut bacteria. Studies show that a shift from a plant-rich diet to one high in processed foods can lead to significant reductions in the number and variety of gut bacteria within days to a couple of weeks Fortunately, the converse is also true: adopting a more whole, plant-based diet can improve the number and diversity of the gut microbiome.
Take Homes:
- Incorporate probiotic rich foods like yogurt, cultured cheeses, and actively fermenting pickled vegetables into your cuisine.
- Spend time in nature. Let kids eat a little dirt. You can, too.
- Eat plenty of prebiotic rich foods, like fruits (including their peels and seeds when possible), vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds to feed your gut and keep the intestinal barrier intact. This allows your microbiome to function properly and generate various immunomodulatory compounds.
- Minimize antibiotic use. Ask if watching and waiting is an option the next time you or your child is prescribed antibiotics.
- Avoid processed foods. Opt for whole, unprocessed foods to support a diverse and resilient gut microbial community.
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References:
Bamigbade, Gafar Babatunde, et al. “An Updated Review on Prebiotics: Insights on Potentials of Food Seeds Waste as Source of Potential Prebiotics.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), vol. 27, no. 18, 13 Sept. 2022, p. 5947, doi:10.3390/molecules27185947.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Sinus Infection. n.d. https://www.cdc.gov/sinus-infection/about/index.html
Davani-Davari, Dorna, et al. “Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications.” Foods (Basel, Switzerland), vol. 8, no. 3, 9 Mar. 2019, p. 92, doi:10.3390/foods8030092.
Miniello, Vito Leonardo, et al. “Gut Immunobiosis and Biomodulators.” Nutrients, vol. 15, no. 9, 28 Apr. 2023, p. 2114, doi:10.3390/nu15092114.