Healthy people have a DIVERSE microbiome… This means you have roughly 35,000 different microbe species living in your body. What makes you susceptible to leaky gut, low energy, IBS, colitis, autoimmune diseases and hosts of other problems? Low diversity. This happens when we take antibiotics, eat non-organic foods that have been treated with pesticides like Glyphosate, exposed to mold, or other environmental toxins, or just have a low-fiber diet… usually because of a high carb/processed food diet. This lifestyle kills off those little guys and can cause large, small and even subtle health problems. It really comes down to the balance of “good bacteria” vs. “bad bacteria”.
Essentially, we need a higher ratio of “good bacteria” to outnumber those that are bad in order to stay resilient and healthy. Unfortunately — due to factors I mentioned above — most people’s microbiomes are home to many billions of potentially bad and even dangerous bacteria, fungus, yeast and pathogens. When we carry around more bad bacteria than we should, and also lack the diversity of protective bacteria we need, our health suffers. Throughout our lives, we help shape our own microbiomes — plus they adapt to changes in our environment. So, the foods we eat, how we sleep, the amount of bacteria we are exposed to on a daily basis and the level of stress we live with all create the viability of having a diverse microbiome.
So, what do these bacteria actually do?? Our individual microbiomes are sometimes called our “genetic footprints” since they help determine our unique DNA, hereditary factors, predisposition to diseases, body type or body “set point weight,” and much more. Even the word “microbiome” tells you a lot about how it works and the importance of its roles, since “micro” means small and “biome” means a habitat of living things. I find that very interesting that our good bacteria is closely related to our genes, and genetic code. Even our mitochondria is an ancient bacteria in our cells that is the BASIS of our energy. It is what creates it! Another thing I found interesting, is that at Paleo f/x, this panel of doctors who spoke on this subject, discussed how many of these microbiome species are passed from mother to baby during childbirth, through mother’s milk, and that is how this diversity begins in a human being.
How do I even know if my microbiome is DIVERSE? You can ask yourself several questions, how are my energy levels? How am I sleeping? How are my bowel movements? Am I bloated or have tummy troubles? Do I suffer from an autoimmune or chronic disease? If you answer yes, to any of these questions, chances are you are lacking in the diversity of your microbiota.
Seeking professional guidance from a specialist or a functional medicine doctor can help you identify specifically which microbiome you need and they can help you with that.
For the rest of us?? Probiotics are the newest “buzz word” and everyone needs one, right? Well, I learned some interesting things at Paleo f/x about probiotics and their efficacy! As in, if the probiotic needs to be refrigerated to stay alive…. how is it going to survive your 98 degree body and your harsh stomach acid because it has to pass through all of that before landing in your small intestine where it belongs…. Even probiotics from greek yogurt can’t make it to the small intestine without dying.
I found a probiotic there that actually had research backing it with an amazing leaky gut study they conducted. This is the first spore-based probiotic. Please do your own research and enlist the assistance of health professional, but if you are a health enthusiast like myself, and would like to actually take a probiotic that will make it to your gut so you can actually feel it work, please learn more about this company! And no, they are NOT paying me to promote this… I’m too small time for that… haha. But in learning what I have about leaky gut, autoimmune diseases, and even trying to figure out my own stomach and energy issues, this made sense to me. This probiotic makes it to your small intestine, and has 4 different species of microbiomes. Most of us don’t need MORE lactobacillus! Which is what most of the refrigerated ones are made from.
Check them out, and read their study. It was something that totally made sense to me!
Enjoy!! and Happy Probiotic-ing!
~Kristy.