Get to know your gut bugs
It may be unappealing to think about, but there are about 10 billion bacteria living in your gut right now and your survival depends on keeping them healthy and happy.
So today, I want to introduce you to your gut bugs – the bacteria living in your gut that helps to digest food, produce vitamins, prevent bowel cancer and keep your immune system balanced.
For a start, did you know that your gut bug flora is very different to that of your great grandparents 100 years ago?
In my opinion, this may go a long way towards explaining such changes in our health these days, particularly when it comes to our kids’ health. Increases in conditions like eczema, asthma, learning and behavioural challenges and a massive increase in auto immune conditions can all be linked back to changes in our diet and gut flora.
Good Vs Bad Bugs
Probiotics are “friendly” bacteria or “good bugs” that live in our digestive tract. Unhelpful bacteria also live in our digestive tract, and it really is a dance to balance the two. When harmful bacteria outweigh the good bacteria, we suffer from what is called ‘dysbiosis’, resulting in bloating, gas, constipation and wind.
Over time dysbiosis (and also food allergies or intolerances) cause the breakdown of our digestive tissue. Once the tissue becomes damaged, food particles and bacteria get out into the blood stream where our immune system has to clean them up. If the immune system spends the majority of time fixing this process, it is unable to focus on more serious immune issues, leaving us exposed to more serious conditions like eczema, asthma, IBS, obesity and autoimmune conditions.
Daily Bugs
Probiotics act as a shield to protect the gut, enhance the immune system and help with everyday detoxification. Taking a probiotic capsule every day can be an easy way to boost the function and numbers of beneficial bacteria in your gut. Maintaining a healthy balance of bacteria can assist with positive health effects to improve:
- Digestive Disturbances
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- General immune function
- The frequency of cold and ‘flu symptoms in children
- The incidence of eczema, allergic rhinitis and food allergy
- Reduce the side effect of antibiotic use
Personalise Your Bugs
Just like people, different bugs behave differently in the body, so your naturopath at Mullen Natural Health will select a probiotic blend that matches your symptoms. Here are some examples of how specific good bugs can help:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and BifidobacteriumlactisBi-07 reduce the frequency and duration of upper respiratory tract infections in young children, significantly lowering symptoms of fever, cough, runny nose
- L. plantarum 299v reduces the frequency and severity of abdominal pain and bloating in people with IBS in just four weeks
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG (LGG®) is clinically proven to assist eczema and allergies
- Probiotics are completely safe for use in pregnancy, providing multiple effects for mother and child making them an excellent choice for pregnancy support.
Feed Your Bugs
To give your good bacteria the best possible chance of improving your gut health, you need to make sure they have enough fuel. What do gut bugs thrive on? Pre-biotic foods like:
- Brown rice
- Carrots
- Cacao (organic)
- Green tea
- Almonds (organic & activated)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, organic miso and coconut yogurt
Finally, remember…
No one is perfect, we all have our ‘cheat’ moments. Research shows that even one day of eating processed foods can significantly change the balance of bugs in the gut so it’s important to use a probiotic capsule everyday.
If you want to learn more the benefits of good bacteria and the crucial role they play in our health, take a look at the ABC Catalyst program ‘Gut Reaction’.
Yours in health,
Peter
Are you feeling frustrated and drained by your health?
Click here to discover how to boost your gut health naturally, which can in turn help you to lose weight, regain energy, support your immunity and even help to ward off cancer.
