The Top 10 Ways to Support Your Microbiome (Part 1)
In my previous video and blog, I talked about the effects of an imbalanced microbiome, or dysbiosis, on our physical and mental health. It starts as inflammation in our gut that can lead to gastrointestinal disorders, food sensitivities, allergies, mental health imbalances, chronic disease, and more. Today, I want to address how we can turn things around to bring our gut health back into balance. Every change makes a difference and happens over time.
Incorporate Prebiotics & Avoid Highly Processed Foods
The most important thing to consider is the food you are eating. Are you eating foods that feed the beneficial microbes in your gut? These are called prebiotics and include whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. The less processed, the better– since processing removes beneficial fiber that bacteria prefer, and often includes additives and chemicals that harm them. And yes, buy organic when possible. You can go to the Environmental Working Group's website to look up "The Dirty Dozen,™" which are 12 foods with the highest pesticides to avoid. There, you can also find "The Clean Fifteen™" to see those that tend to have little to no pesticide residue and are less important to buy organic. See ewg.org for more information.
Add Probiotics Into Your Diet
A second way to improve your microbiome is to add probiotics, which add more good bacteria to your gut. This can be through fermented foods, such as yogurt and kefir (but avoid the ones with high added sugars or food coloring). Try mixing unsweetened varieties with fresh fruits, or blend in a smoothie. Other fermented options include kombucha tea, miso, tempeh, sauerkraut, kimchi, or other fermented vegetables. Be sure they are refrigerated to ensure you are getting live organisms.
Probiotics can also be taken in capsule form. There are many options out there and it can be very confusing. Most probiotics require refrigeration, though some do not, and include a variety of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium strains. Some only contain one strain that provide a specific benefit, while another may contain 14 or more strains with more benefits. The amount per capsule is given in CFUs or colony forming units, and often ranges from 5, 10, 25, 50, or 100 billion CFUs per capsule. The recommended amount depends on age and health goals. I will go deeper on this in a future video and blog.
Consider Spore-Type Probiotics or SporeBiotics
In some cases, a person may not tolerate probiotic foods or supplements and may need to treat an overgrowth of bad bacteria before adding the good. As an alternative, SporeBiotics that are bacillus strains offer a better solution, since they crowd out harmful bacteria growth and don't stay in the intestine long term. Saccharomyces boulardii is another spore-type probiotic that is beneficial, but it is a yeast spore that helps crowd out harmful yeast overgrowth.
Include Healthy Fats
A third way to improve the microbiome is including omega-3 anti-inflammatory fats in your diet. This includes from fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines, as well as from flax meal, chia seeds, and walnuts. When cooking, it is best to use neutral fats, such as olive oil and avocado oil, since most other vegetable fats are pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats. The western diet includes up to 20 times pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats in their diet as compared to anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats. Yet, these two fats should be eaten in a ratio of about 1:1.
If you focus on including omega-3 food sources every day, cook with avocado or olive oil, and eat smaller portions of processed foods, you will do well. This also means consuming grass-fed lean animal meats to lower saturated fats.
Avoid These Other Gut Disruptors
A fourth way to support the microbiome is to avoid gut disruptors that I discussed in a previous video. This includes limiting highly processed foods, refined grains and sugars. Processed foods are a poor food source for the microbiota and also include preservatives, additives, and chemicals that can harm your microbiome.
Here are some other reminders:
Drink filtered water to avoid consuming too much chlorine.
If reflux is an issue, try adding apple cider vinegar or betaine HCl instead of choosing antacids on a regular basis.
Start to question the use of antibiotics as the first and only option.
And finally, limit alcohol.
Avoid Common Foods That Can Irritate a Sensitive or Inflamed Gut
A fifth way to support the microbiome is by avoiding food allergens and gut irritants. Common foods that can irritate a sensitive or inflamed gut include dairy, gluten, soy, eggs; or nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. These can further irritate the gut lining and increase leaky gut.
Follow Me for Part Two & Other Tips
These are just some of the first steps in bringing the microbiome back in balance. Please catch me in part two, where I touch on treating bacterial overgrowth, healing the gut lining, and managing environmental and lifestyle factors. You can find my weekly videos at youtube.com/@normaflood and follow me on social media at the links in the footer of my website. Until then, be well.
About the Author: Norma Flood, Integrative & Functional Nutritionist
Norma Flood is a busy mom, wife, friend, and Registered Dietician Nutritionist guiding adults and teens to better brain balance and gut health. Holding a Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences, she is recognized as one of San Diego’s top Integrative and Functional Nutritionists. With a deep commitment to holistic well-being, Norma provides personalized health counseling and applies functional nutrition therapy to effectively support digestive health, mental health, and eating disorder recovery. She offers both in-person and group counseling as well as online education. Follow Norma Flood on YouTube as she shares small, easy steps that you can take each day to support better gut health and mental health using an integrative and functional approach.