A healthy microbiome is essential for various creating the ideal house that is your body.

In recent years, the conversation around gut health has transitioned from a niche topic to mainstream awareness, highlighting its vital role in overall health. Decades of antibiotic prescriptions and their use in our food supply have significantly impacted our microbiome.

Our gut does far more than manage digestion; it influences mood, cognition, immune function, and even hormone balance. Understanding the delicate balance within our microbiome is essential, as its health can dictate our energy levels, cognitive function, ability to fend off illness, and much more. Fortunately, by making simple changes to our diet and lifestyle, we can restore our gut health.

The significance of gut health cannot be overstated. It forms the foundation of our overall well-being, influencing various aspects of our health.

Roles of the Microbiome

The gut microbiome, a complex ecosystem of microorganisms in our digestive tract, plays a vital role in our general health. These tiny inhabitants contribute to numerous bodily functions that most people are unaware of.

Research has shown that a balanced microbiome can help prevent chronic diseases, improve mental health, and even influence weight. It acts as a barrier against harmful pathogens, produces essential vitamins, regulates inflammation, and produces neurotransmitters for the rest of our body while protecting our liver by breaking down complex chemicals so our liver can focus on other functions.

See, it's not as simple as breaking down what we eat

It also communicates with our brain through the gut-brain axis, influencing our mood and cognitive function. This intricate relationship highlights the impact of gut health on our overall well-being.

Effects of Antibiotic Overuse

Antibiotic overuse has become a significant concern in modern healthcare, posing more risks than merely damaging our gut. While antibiotics are essential for treating bacterial infections, their indiscriminate use can disrupt the delicate balance of our gut microbiome.

When we take antibiotics, they eliminate both good and bad bacteria. This disruption can lead to dysbiosis, where there becomes an imbalance in bacteria. As each bacterium performs different functions, even an excess of "good" bacteria can be harmful – akin to drinking litres of kombucha every day – that's unlikely to be beneficial.

Finally, antibiotics don't just alter our gut bacteria! The global health crisis of antibiotic resistance poses a serious threat to global health.

Impact of Dietary Diversity

But, it's not just antibiotics changing our gut! Our diet does it too!

The common diet that I constantly see clients consuming isn't sufficient for us to cultivate and support a healthy microbiome. It lacks diversity, fibre, prebiotics, promotes inflammation and a reduced microbiome population.

Consuming a varied array of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fermented foods introduces different types of fibre and prebiotics. These substances serve as food for our gut bacteria, promoting their growth and activity. A diverse microbiome is more resilient and better equipped to handle whatever challenges we present to it.

Conversely, a limited diet lacking in variety can lead to a less diverse microbiome, potentially increasing the risk of digestive issues and other health problems.

Have you ever eaten a food and felt bloated afterwards? And then every time you eat it you feel the same symptoms? This could be a sign that you don't have enough of a particular type of bacteria to break it down. And, this can arise when you eat the same foods again and again starving some bacteria and feeding others.

So, what might be signs that your gut is compromised?

Mood and Cognition

The gut-brain axis is a huge area of research. We are constantly discovering more ways the gut affects mood with implications around anxiety, depression, anger. We can simplify how the gut is important in mood by the fact that it produces 90% of our happy hormone, serotonin. And although none of the serotonin in our gut actually makes its way into the brain, we know it still plays a crucial role in regulating the brain in areas like mood, sleep and appetite.

Immune Function and Balance

A significant portion of our immune cells resides in the gut. A healthy microbiome helps train our immune system to distinguish between harmful pathogens and beneficial microbes. This is essential for developing a balanced immune response that can effectively fight off infections and not overreact to harmless substances.

Moreover, certain gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that have anti-inflammatory properties. These SCFAs help regulate the immune system and reduce the risk of autoimmune disorders.

Hormones and Energy Levels

Gut bacteria can affect the production of the "hunger" hormone and the "full" hormone controlling appetite. It also modulates how our basal metabolic rate and energy production which is useful in weight management.

It can also affect how we metabolise oestrogen the estrobolome (a collection of bacteria that controls oestrogen levels in the gut), and through regulating oestrogen, can implicate testosterone levels also.

What is Your Gut Doing?

Steps to Improve Gut Health

Simple Dietary Shifts

Making small changes to your diet can have a significant impact on your gut health. These shifts focus on increasing the diversity and quality of your food choices to support a healthy microbiome.

1. Increase fibre intake: Aim for a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Many fibres act as fuel for gut bacteria.

2. Include fermented foods: Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi are rich in probiotics that can help populate your gut with beneficial bacteria. And no, not all probiotics are killed by our stomach acid.

3. Reduce processed foods: Highly processed foods often contain additives that can disrupt the gut microbiome. Opt for whole, unprocessed foods when possible.

By implementing these dietary shifts gradually, you can gradually create a more bacteria-friendly gut. Remember, consistency is key when it comes to supporting your microbiome through diet.

Lifestyle Tips for Natural Healing

In addition to dietary changes, certain lifestyle practices can support gut health and promote natural healing. These tips focus on creating an environment that allows your gut to thrive.

• Manage stress: Chronic stress can negatively impact gut health. Practice stress-reduction techniques like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises.

• Get adequate sleep: Poor sleep can disrupt the gut microbiome. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.

• Stay hydrated: Proper hydration supports digestive function and helps maintain a healthy gut lining.

• Exercise regularly: Physical activity can increase the diversity of gut bacteria and improve overall gut health.

• Limit alcohol consumption: Excessive alcohol can disrupt the gut microbiome and damage the gut lining.

The Importance of Testing

Without knowing exactly what is happening in our gut, it's hard to direct targeted interventions to improve. Promoting diversity is always a good thing. But if you have gut symptoms like IBS, knowing what is happening is paramount.

What can We Test?

Doing a functional medicine test of the microbiome can tell us so much more than a general stool test. There is so much that can be contributing to health from the gut:

• Microbial diversity and richness

• Digestive function markers

• Digestive metabolites

• Inflammatory markers

• Potential pathogens

• Intestinal health markers

This information can guide targeted interventions and treatment protocols. Whether you're dealing with digestive discomfort, unexplained fatigue, mood disorders, or any other chronic symptoms, this could provide some answers or tips to improving your health.