Gut Healthy

The Human Microbiome

Imagine this… it takes two simple cells, sperm and an egg to form an embryo and the first organ that begins to develop is the heart. Two simple strands multiplying by a million to a second and by the 22nd week after fertilization, the heart is beating and pumping blood. Cell divisions and multiplications lead to forming the brain, lungs, digestive system and everything you consist of. It is a divine and intrinsic system that leads to becoming you and me. The best part doesn’t end there. The moment you are born you are gifted your Unique Microbiome that rapidly develops in a few years but is essential throughout your life for development, immunity, nutrition and studies showing a healthy mental state of being.

We are a host to about 100 trillion microbes that live in and on our bodies. Studies show microbes outnumber our human cells ten to one making us Superorganisms. Microbes mainly consist genes of good or bad bacteria, fungi, viruses and cells, some are hitchhikers and some stay for good. Different parts of the body have different microbes and you pass on a similar micro-organisms to the people around you and your children.

Majority of our microbiome is in our gut and everything from your mouth to your colon forms the Gut Microbiome. Our microbiome changes with age, diet and physical activity and is the key to longevity of our lives. So why is it important for us to maintain a healthy gut microbiome?

Gut Diversity

We have about 300 to 500 different species of bacteria living in our digestive tract, essential for breaking down of foods, absorbing nutrients, fighting off harmful bacteria and keeping you healthy. When we eat, we take in certain amino acids that assist in various functions of your body such as Tryptophan, found mostly in plant and animal protein like chia seeds, turkey, oats , nuts, seeds, that gets converted to produce serotonin a.k.a the happy hormone and melatonin, the hormone that helps you sleep. Then you have Tyrosine found in almonds, lentils and seeds that get’s converted to dopamine a chemical that assists in movements in your body and emotional responses. A neurotransmitter vital for physical and metal wellbeing. Tyrosine also converts to Epinephrine also known as adrenaline that engages your fight or flight response.  Something that is really important in our digestive process is ILA – Indole-3-Lactic Acid found in all our fermented foods, yoghurt, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, kefir. Now ILA converts to IPA, Indole Propionic Acid, by certain bacteria in the gut and is another extremely important and one of the strongest antioxidants in the body because it breaks down free radicals in our bodies preventing disease and illness.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Now can you imagine how important it is to have a diverse gut flora and by this I mean have a diverse diet. Eat a high plant-based diet and a clean, unadulterated non-vegetarian diet. Bring in colour, bring in spices and herbs, healthy fats and have a balance of raw food. Lower your carbohydrates, sugars and caffeine, load up on the non-starchy green vegetables and be sure to include fermented foods.

Things you can do to improve your gut microbiome

1.      Remember too much of one diet weakens your gut flora and the more you feed your gut with a variety foods the more you are activating and feeding the healthy bacteria

2.      Chew your food and eat mindfully

3.      Give your gut a break in between meals so that your food is broken down properly in the stomach

4.      Hydrate throughout the day

5.      Get an adequate amount of sleep

6.      Reduce your stress and an excellent way to do that is through meditation, mindfulness and movement

7.      Exercise! Moving your body is another way of making sure you have a balanced gut flora even if it is a 15 minute walk

8.      Detox to get rid of the toxins. Warm water, lemon and honey, salt flushes, juicing are great ways to detox gently and not put a load on your body. Plus you can do these regularly

9.      Fasting or Intermittent fasting is also a good way to give your digestive system a break and slowly feed your system with the proper nutrients. But remember not to stress the body out. So it’s good to take a break from your “diets” you might be doing on the regular

10.   Maintain oral hygiene. Here’s something people don’t talk about too often but it is important to keep your oral hygiene at it’s best because remember digestion starts in your mouth. Things like oil pulling and gargling are very good

11.   Prebiotics and Probiotics are in your food. Prebiotic food high in fibre help induce the growth and activity of healthy microorganisms and probiotics are live bacteria and fungi. You can get over the counter options but you cannot guarantee the strength, the quality or even the fact that there are live cultures in the pills. So, I say get it from your food as much as you can

12.   Connect with the Earth. Get your hands and feet dirty in the mud. Ground yourself. Soil has a unique set of microorganisms that boosts your immune system. Find a park or a garden take your shoes off and feel the earth under your feet

Things that destroy your gut bacteria

1.      Stress. Your body and mind are connected, so naturally when you’re stressed in your mind your stomach feels it too

2.      Antibiotics fight the bad bacteria but they do reduce the good bacteria in your gut as well. It does get hard for one to bring their flora back to normal after a course of antibiotics. Think about taking antibiotics when absolutely necessary

3.      Food high in fat and sugar meaning packaged and fast foods

4.      Sanitizers and chemical cleaning products

Signs of an Unhealthy Gut

1.      Upset stomach

2.      Constipation

3.      Changes in weight

4.      Fatigue

5.      Acne

6.      Skin irritations and allergies

7.      Food Intolerance

8.      Autoimmune conditions

9.      Food cravings

10.   Migraines

11.   IBS – Irritable Bowel Syndrome

There’s a reason they say “Trust Your Gut”. Intuition is valuable and only you can give yourself the gift of healing. What matters is you have today and you take the little steps you need in order to unlock your true potential when it comes to your health. There is still an immense amount of research on the gut microbiome and it’s connection to the brain and all else in the body. There is no one way to healing the human microbiome. But we always come back to the most powerful healing medium that is Mother Nature. So use that trust and intuition and feed your body with it.

Here’s an easy Sauerkraut recipe you could try!

Sauerkraut is an excellent way of getting probiotics in your system and it definitely a tasty option. I’m in love with the whole process of fermentation and it’s amazing to see how fermented foods gives you a kick of energy and makes your digestion system feel great!

Sauerkraut is fermented in a process called lacto-fermentation where the beneficial bacteria breaks down the sugars in the cabbage once is it submerged in brine, giving you lactic acid. Lactobacillus is also present in yoghurt and is a bacteria that prevents the growth of bad bacteria. All fruits and vegetables have beneficial bacteria, so you can diversify your fermentation experiments.

All you need is…

·        A mason jar

·        A cheesecloth

·        A smaller jar or a weight that fits into the mason jar

·        1 large cabbage of any colour

·        2 tablespoons of Himalayan Pink salt

·        1 teaspoon of caraway seeds (optional)

Directions:

1.      Make sure you have all your utensils and your mason jar sterilized with hot water

2.      Chop/slice the cabbage to your liking and discard the head

3.      Put the cabbage in a large bowl and add the salt

4.      Massage the cabbage with the salt for about 15 mins or till you see the cabbage sweating and turning soft

5.      Add the caraway seeds and mix some more

6.      Once you see a considerable amount of brine coming out from the mix, you are ready to bottle your cabbage

7.      Pack the cabbage down into the mason jar making sure to press down into the bottom of the bottle using your fist. You’ll start to notice the brine rising above the cabbage

8.      Fill the smaller jar with drinking water and use this as a weight to keep the cabbage down and the brine floating up. A trick I use is to keep a small mountain of cabbage in the middle and less on the sides, so when I press down on the weight, the cabbage is completely submerged in the brine

9.      Cover the mason jar with the cheese cloth and tie a rubber band on the mouth of the jar

10.   Over the next day/days check your sauerkraut and make sure you always have brine floating above the cabbage. If you notice the brine soaked up and the cabbage exposed then add a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water, mix well and add to the sauerkraut

11.   Once the fermentation sets in, you’ll be able to smell it immediately. This usually happens from the 3rd/4th day and can be fermented for about 10 days depending on the size of your batch. The smaller the batch the faster the fermentation

12.   Taste your batch after the 4th day and if you feel it is ready then remove the cloth, add a lid and refrigerate the sauerkraut

13.   Signs to look for when the fermentation is working:

·        Fermenting smell

·        Bubbles from the cabbage

·        Froth

14.   If you happen to see mold growing on exposed cabbage, remove the mold from the top completely and the rest of the sauerkraut should be fine

15.   Sauerkraut last for a few months when refrigerated

16.   Enjoy it with a burger, salad or even straight from the jar!

Fun Fact:

1 gram of Sauerkraut may give you 1000 -100 million live and active microorganisms. So the next time you look at your bottle or have a spoon of your sauerkraut, imagine the magic that happens in there!