Beneficial Bacteria

Pickles, kimchi, ginger... oh yes!

When we hear the word “bacteria” we often think about reaching for the hand sanitizer or the Clorox wipes to disinfect ourselves and the space around us, but we never hear about the beneficial bacteria that lives in our gut.

There are in fact more bacteria in your gut than there are cells in your body. We’re talking about over 500 different species of bacteria that make up over 100 trillion cells that help to protect us against the real dangerous bacteria.

These healthy bacteria make up about 60% of our immune function but they also help to aid in our digestion and synthesizing of nutrients.

Certain medications and antibiotics, food allergies, stress or illness can all disrupt the balance of good bacteria in our digestive system. This is call dysbiosis or imbalanced gut flora.

When we kill good bacteria, we leave ourselves more susceptible to bad bacteria like e. Coli and salmonella. Imbalanced gut health can also manifest in symptoms like vaginal or urinary infections, chronic fatigue, digestive complains like constipation or diarrhea, and dysbiosis can also trigger depression and anxiety in some people.

It’s important to support a healthy gut by trying to remove what could be throwing off the flora balance. Something like an elimination diet could be beneficial or meditation and stress reduction.

From a nutrition standpoint, continuously introducing proper nutrients in your diet will not only replace any missing factors in your gut, but can also repair damage done by medications or sickness.

Fresh ginger or fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi are great in small amounts as well as foods like aloe vera and okra which help repair the intestinal lining. I’d also recommend investing in a good probiotic to help good bacteria back into your system and promote a symbiotic relationship with our beneficial bacteria.