(7 min. read)

If you are expecting this short article to be an excerpt on nutrition and diet, you’ll be sorely mistaken. Well, sort of.

A buzzword that has been going around for the past few years in the medical community which has finally seen an uptick in research is the human microbiome.

I’m sure you know the name, but as a quick refresher the gut microbiome is the area in your gut in which billions of different bacteria live, break down food, and release nutrients back into your body.

Seems simple enough right? Well, the reason for its recent popularity is because recently we’ve been discovering that this microbiome may have more influence on our overall health than we thought.

I am going to tell you the impact of microbial function in our gut for our mental and physical health, and then I will provide some tips to make your microbiome as optimized and healthy as possible.

The Gut-Brain Axis

Recent studies have shown that there is an incredible relationship between the bacteria in your gut and your brain called the Gut-Brain Axis.

This word sounds intimidating to understand, but don’t worry, I’ve endured the boring medical-journal-lingo for us so that I don’t have to get into the intricacies of bidirectional communication of the gut and brain, and instead can tell you just the important stuff.

Basically, the Gut-Brain Axis is just fancy talk for the relationships and communication our gut has with our brain.

What was discovered is that our gut microbiota (bacteria) have an incredible influence over our mental well-being.

These microbiota interact with the central nervous system by regulating brain chemistry and influencing neuro-endocrine systems associated with stress response, anxiety, and memory function.

The effects appear to be strain-specific, indicating particular probiotic strains are able to prevent and treat certain neurological disorders.

Our gut microbiota have a very real tie to our emotions & mental cognition, and having a healthy microbiome will elevate your mental state noticeably.

Disease and Inflammation

Not only do microbiota help with your mental health, but recent data from the past few years has shown that a massive portion of diseases and inflammatory issues are correlated with poor gut health.

There are about ten times more microbes in the gut than there are human cells in our body, which means their role in our health is quite substantial. 

These cells supply essential nutrients, synthesize certain vitamins, aid in the digestion of cellulose, and promote angiogenesis (development of new blood vessels) and enteric nerve function (propulsion of food nutrient handling, blood flow regulation, and immunological defense).

Abnormal lifestyle changes such as antibiotic use, illness, stress, aging, and bad dietary lifestyle will disrupt the function of your microbiome and can cause serious chronic diseases.

These problems range from inflammatory bowel disease, to obesity, to even cancer.

Below is a short list of evidenced backed conditions that can be traced to poor gut health:

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Crohn’s Disease
• Diet-Induced Obesity
• Diabetes
• Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
• Appendicitis
• Liver Cirrhosis
• Hepatic Encephalopathy
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Hypertension
• Viral Hepatitis
• Gastrointestinal Cancers
• Prostate Cancer
• Anticancer Immune Response Suppression
• Pathogenesis of HIV (Speeds up virus replication leading to AIDS)
• Autism In Young Children (Yes, seriously)
• Insomnia
• Rheumatic Diseases
• Kidney Diseases

How to Heal Our Guts

All of these issues can leave us feeling a bit worried about the state of our internal health. After all, we still don’t fully understand the gut microbiome, yet more and more evidence is coming out that is confirming the correlation between our microbiomes and the issues listed above.

So what can we do to optimize our microbiomes? Fortunately, there are many easy solutions for us to nurse our guts back to health and to keep diseases from occurring.

Fermented Foods

The right fermented foods are the number one way to restore our gut microbiome and increase diversity. Here is a list of the best fermented foods for your gut:

• Kombucha
• Greek Yogurt
• Raw Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Tempeh
• Apple Cider Vinegar (Make sure it says “live active cultures” on the label)
• Cottage Cheese
• Pickles (In salt, not vinegar)

Avoid Antibiotics

Some antibiotics are necessary when fighting infections, but do not take any antibiotics unless absolutely necessary.

Antibiotics don’t just kill the bad bacteria, but the good as well. Remember, there are ten times more foreign cells in our body than our own, and since we aren’t constantly sick or dying, the majority of them are probably good!

A good tip is to also make sure the meat you eat is antibiotic free!

Avoid Ultra Processed Foods

Foods that are processed typically have high amounts of sugar, chemicals for preserving, and few nutrients.

Sugar feeds the bad bacteria that causes inflammation, and chemicals used in preservatives or pasteurization can kill your microbiota and leak into the rest of your body. Seed oils especially should be avoided.

Exercise

Exercise helps most parts of our bodies, and the gut microbiome is no exception

Longer duration and/or high intensity workouts allows for more oxygen to reach the brain and bloodstream, creating a great environment for good bacteria to flourish.

Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Overall, you should be choosing to live a lifestyle of proper nutrition, sleep, exercise, social interactions, low stress, and avoiding harmful activities.

The gut microbiome is integrated deeply with our existence as humans, and living a healthy lifestyle can only benefit this symbiotic system within us.

The next step of unlocking the full potential of our bodies and mind lies in the gut, and as we learn more about this extremely interesting system within us, the best we can do is optimize it in the best way that we know how.

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Allan, Sophie. “10 Ways to Strengthen Your Microbiome.” Canadian Digestive Health Foundation, 7 June 2023, cdhf.ca/en/10-ways-to-strengthen-your-microbiome/.

Anthea Levi, RD. “8 Fermented Foods You Should Be Eating for Good Gut Health.” Health, Health, 9 Jan. 2024, www.health.com/fermented-foods-7970958.

Carabotti, Marilia, et al. “The Gut-Brain Axis: Interactions between Enteric Microbiota, Central and Enteric Nervous Systems.” PUBMED Central, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4367209/.

“New Microbiome Research Reveals Exercise May Impact Gut Physiology.” UCLA Health, www.uclahealth.org/news/new-microbiome-research-reveals-exercise-may-impact-gut#:~:text=%22It’s%20showing%20how%20cardiorespiratory%20fitness,for%20good%20bacteria%20to%20flourish.%E2%80%9D. Accessed 25 Jan. 2024.

Zhang, Yu-Jie. “Impacts of Gut Bacteria on Human Health and Diseases.” PUBMED Central, National Library of Medicine, 16 Apr. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425030/#:~:text=Dysbiosis%20of%20the%20gut%20bacteria,obesity%2C%20cancer%2C%20and%20autism.