Bacteria, fungi and viruses are found in your body and comprise the microbiomes. It seems that nothing can be picked out of these three but health problems. They may have panicked you as they are widely known to cause disease.
These microbiomes, or microbes, are present inside and outside our body, especially in the gut and skin. It may sound strange, but they are an essential part of maintaining good health and overall wellbeing provided they stay balanced.
In this article, we will tell you what a gut microbiome is and how we can manage its levels to stay healthy.
What is gut microbiome?
Microbes are found in the large intestine, called the appendix, and are collectively referred to as the gut microbiome. Bacteria are the most studied microorganisms and they are also abundant in our bodies at 40 trillion compared to only 30 trillion human cells.
How does it affect our health?
While bacteria are linked to disease, they can also help us stay healthy. In fact, gut health depends on how better your immune system, mood, and mental health are. Autoimmune diseases, endocrine disorders, skin conditions, and cancer are also related to the health of your gut.
Depending on how it affects our bodies, bacteria can be either good or bad. For example, bad bacteria cause you to get sick by upsetting the body's natural balance, and the good bacteria fight them to restore balance and regain health. In addition, a variety of good bacteria in your intestines improve the functions of the immune system, relieve symptoms of depression and help with weight management, among other things.
How do we keep our gut microbiome healthy?
What you eat doesn't just define who you are. It can also affect the diversity of your gut biome. This means it can either help you get well or get sick. If you are curious about how healthy or bad the microbial levels in your gut are, My Psomagen's services are a good place to check out.
Additionally, here are some tips on how to protect your gut microbiomes from good bacteria:
- Increase Your Consumption Of Probiotics And Fermented Foods – Good bacteria or probiotics can benefit your health. Fortunately, probiotic supplements come in a variety of forms that you can take. Fermented foods like kimchi can also help improve your gut health.
- Familiarize yourself with prebiotic fiber – It is well known that fiber promotes digestive health and prevents constipation. Prebiotic fibers are indigestible carbohydrates and probiotics feed on them, which increases the proliferation of good bacteria in the gut.
Asparagus, banana, garlic, onions, and whole grains are some of the foods that are packed with this type of fiber.
- Reduce sugar intake – Sugar can upset the balance of intestinal microbes and lead to dysbiosis. A diet high in sugar and fat is responsible for this imbalance, which can negatively affect a person's brain and mood functions.
- Coping with stress properly – Chronic Stress can affect a person's overall health and increase the risk of serious health problems. It can also affect the gut microbiomes and upset the balance.
Managing the effects of stress through various forms of meditation, regular exercise, and a healthy diet can help.
- Wine and food more – Polyphenols are broken down by the gut microbiome to promote healthy bacterial growth. Red wine, green tea, dark chocolate, olive oil and whole grain products are rich in polyphenols.
- Regular training – Exercising can contribute to cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of serious illness and obesity. Regular adult exercise means moderate physical activity of at least 150 minutes per week with muscle-strengthening activities for at least two days.
- Do you have some quality shuteye – As with exercise, getting at least seven hours of sleep can improve your health and help your gut microbiome as well.
- Avoid Antibiotics – The human body has its own line of defense against foreign objects that cause disease. However, when a particular bacterial infection is severe, a patient has no choice but to take antibiotics. However, taking these medications unnecessarily or for a long time can prevent beneficial bacteria from growing in your gut.
- Eat your vegetables – In addition to contributing to overall health and wellbeing, eating vegetables can also help improve your gut microbiome. In fact, a study of the gut biomes of vegetarians and meat-eaters showed significant differences, with vegetarians showing fewer disease-causing bacteria and an overall healthier balance of gut microbes. That is, tame your inner carnivore and try to cut down on the red meat.
Signs of an unhealthy bowel
In addition to knowing how to keep your bowels healthy, knowing when you suspect an unhealthy bowel is also important. Although a particular disease can cause a variety of symptoms, bowel imbalance can typically be caused by:
- Stomach pain: Digestive problems, which indicate difficulty processing food and eliminating waste, can indicate an imbalance in the gut.
- Inflammation: Inflammation is a common symptom of various diseases and a sign of gut microbiota problems caused by too much sugar. An unbalanced bowel can affect the absorption of nutrients and the regulation of blood sugar.
- Autoimmune Diseases: Apart from A problematic intestine that contributes to inflammatory processes in the body is also said to have a negative effect on the functioning of the immune system, which can lead to autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune disease is a condition in which your immune system mistakes healthy cells for foreign objects and attacks them.
- Sleep deprivation: Your sleep and mood hormones – serotonin – are made in the gut. Bowel problems also affect serotonin production, which affects your ability to sleep deeply and soundly.
- Eczema and other skin diseases: A disturbed bowel can cause certain types of proteins to leak, leading to skin problems like eczema.
Summary
Maintaining a healthy balance of gut microbes helps improve brain, immune, digestive, and mood functions. Some lifestyle and diet changes may be required to achieve the desired balance that will favor beneficial bacteria.
A high-fiber diet with less sugar and less meat, active exercise, and adequate sleep are some of the most important changes you need or keep for a healthy bowel.