Gut health seems to be #1 these days. What do we know about our gut. Some experts out in the online world call the gut our second brain (Aug 14, 2015. https://www.mindful.org/meet-your-second-brain-the-gut/) Yes, it seems that our gut IS just that important. As our gut is, so is the rest of our body. More and more, scientists are looking to our gut first to determine the cause of other diseases or body malfunctions.
Believe it or not, if you continue your research on gut health, you will soon learn that our human gut is home to over 100 trillion bacteria. Yes, that’s all good bacteria (hopefully) that makes up our gut flora or microbiome. We say “hopefully,” because that makeup of gut flora is dependent upon a number of things such as lifestyle, diet, medications, sleep and yes, even stress.
Please watch the following presentation and learn even more:
What can interfere with gut health and healthy bacteria?
I’m so glad you asked, because, as we said earlier, some of that interference can come from lifestyle choices. And, those can be dealt with very easily. So, let’s talk about some common gut microbiome interferences. Coyle, Daisy APD. (2017, June 19). 8 surprising things that harm your gut bacteria. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-things-that-harm-gut-bacteria#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
Cigarette Smoking
- Yes, it’s a lifestyle choice but it’s often easier to say “Just quit” than to actually do it. The good thing is that since so much has been known to be negatively impacted by smoking, there is more help available today than ever before. Best to start by verbalizing your concern to your healthcare provider. Then too, every state has a Health Department and even large cities within the state will have their own Health Department. Do be sure to contact your local Health Department and tell them that you’d like some help quitting cigarette smoking. This is a nice surprise that most Health Departments offer.
- The even bigger and good news here is that while it takes up to at least nine weeks, smoking cessation can lead to increased gut flora diversity. Yay!
Use of Alcohol
- While there is a decrease in the number of good gut bacteria with many alcohols, there can be a positive result with the use of RED WINE!
- This is because red wine contains polyphenols and seems to increase “good” gut bacteria and decrease “bad” bacteria. These polyphenols are plant compounds not digested in the stomach and digested by gut bacteria, thereby increasing the number of good bacteria. What has also been found in some studies is a decrease in blood pressure and improved cholesterol numbers. Amen!
Lack of, or consistency in, physical activity
- The consistency in physical activity decreases when one ages and quits working a daily job that keeps them up and active.
- Honestly, this is the only reason for a gym membership, in my humble opinion. The nice thing is that as we age and become Medicare-eligible, many of the Medicare Advantage programs include a free gym membership. Take advantage of it! Further, if you travel, be sure to get a Medicare Advantage PPO program that will allow you to seek healthcare anywhere that a connected insurance plan does business. That’s just a BIG tip from a fellow RV traveler!
Stress
- Need we say more?
- We do know that high levels of stress can decrease blood flow to the gut and thereby disrupt the normal flora
- While research in the area of stress on one’s gut flora is fairly new in the field of science, it might be of interest to note the studies done on college students before, during and after final exams. As one might expect, the numbers of “good” gut bacteria decreased, making students especially vulnerable and susceptible to untoward physical health.
Lack of a good restful sleep
- For instance, we all know that good sleep means good overall health, period.
- Good sleep means time for the body to repair, heal and recover. As a result, one’s metabolism keeps burning to do the job it needs to do.
- Science tells us that there is a connection from sleep deprivation to cardiovascular disease and obesity. The body’s metabolism just shuts down and doesn’t want to keep burning fat. At the very least, it becomes sluggish.
- Don’t forget about plôs® Thermo here to keep your body’s metabolism revving throughout the day to lose weight.
- Then too, there’s also zlēm®, to help you gain restful sleep and keep your body’s metabolism revving while you sleep!
A diet in which there is a lack of variety, or range, of foods
- A healthy gut means that the bacteria comes from sources that are rich and diverse in producing good amounts of healthy or “good” bacteria.
- Unfortunately, the Western diet has become one that is made of food that are highly processed. Few people eat a diet that is fully rich in WHOLE foods (non-processed). Think of it: even in making short cuts in preparing a family meal, mom often reaches for a can of soup, a box or packet of seasoning, a processed grain to put a meal on the table quickly. Do families even eat around a table anymore? Most are probably grabbing a processed food item on-the-run out the door to the job, the gym, shopping, etc.
- Therefore, a diet of WHOLE foods that are primarily plant-based and high in vegetables, fruits and whole grains will produce more healthy gut bacteria than a the typical Western diet.
A diet in which there is a lack of pre-biotic foods
- Pre-biotic foods are high in a type of insoluable fiber, which passes quickly through the gut, undigested. This increases the amount of friendly, or “good” bacteria.
- Again, we’re talk WHOLE foods here such as fruits, vegetables and whole (non-processed) grains.
Antibiotic Use
- Well, this is probably the type of iterference on our healthy gut flora that most of us know and understand.
- And, it’s the reason healthcare professionals will refer folks they place on antibiotics to ingest yogurts containing live cultures and/or probiotics during the course of medication.
However, the good news is, you can do something about your body’s micrbiome! But, not everyone likes yogurt and it does get tiring, eating yogurt day after day. This is where our bio-hack elixir, called byōm™ comes into play.
Byōm™ is one of our “SNAPS” that you take directly into the mouth. It is merely a safe and effective bio-hack food supplement with trace ionic minerals that help to promote optimal digestive health. The benefits of this “SNAP” are amazing. See this list:
- Can help fight “bad” bacteria in the gut
- Can help support your healthy immune system
- Can improve the digestive health of the gut
- Helps to balance the ph levels in your body to that of a more alkalizine state, which helps with cellular function and promoting sleep
- Helps to boost cellular hydration, which in turne helps the cell in it’s healthy function
If you want a good overall understanding of all that is available due to bio-hacking science, you will want to view my page on BIO-HACKING.
And, as always, if you have any to CONTACT US, please do. There is nothing that you can’t talk to us about, the good and the not-so-good. We’re hear to help in anyway we can. Just talk to us!