It’s World Microbiome Day! Our microbiota is a beautiful universe of abundant organisms in and around us available to accomplish and assist with truly incredible things in our bodies and environment! The microbiome is a culmination of all the genetic material these organisms have and share with us. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea, and protozoa are all sharing genetic information with us and our food in an intermingled web.
Having gut issues? Does your microbiome need a bit of extra loving?
Feeling frustrated that no matter how much you limit what you’re eating or how many supplements you take, things just don’t seem to be improving?
According to a 2017 study in Cell, the intestine is the most highly regenerative organ in the human body, regenerating its lining, called the epithelium, every five to seven days. This, however, is often not the case after deep damage has been on-going for years. How do we recommend you love on your #GoodGut to get your microbiome back in balance?
Practice foundational basics- get enough sleep, take deep breaths, hydrate thoroughly, eat slowly, chew food thoroughly, take time to de-stress, be in community!
Take things back to the basics- begin a temporary guided elimination diet removing top known gut irritants.
Identify your root cause! Try to understand the WHY behind what is happening rather than relying on a nutrient-limited diet to solve all issues.
Strategically add foods back in one-by-one, assessing for symptoms along the way.
Rule out deeper issues- strictures, scar tissue, cancer, intestinal damage.
Work with an experienced team to help guide you through your journey and offer specific, individualized tools, as necessary.
Improve your relationship with food- remove fear, guilt, and hatred you may have formed toward food.
Eat Your Plants- Of Course!;) And eat as many as you can- the goal is as much variety as possible for a diverse microbiome.
Move your body! Exercising daily keeps the bowels moving and happy.
Clean up your environment- try to reduce or eliminate your exposure to excess pesticides, mold, heavy metals, and other excessive synthetic chemicals.
Reduce stress, which can significantly impact the gut.
Practice patience! Just as the proverb says- beautiful things sprout when given proper time, though the study referenced above describes the ability of gut cells healing in just a few days, when there is deep damage- that timeframe can increase significantly.
If you are interested in working with an RDN, we would love to support you! You can schedule a personalized visit with us and we would love to collaborate with you on your journey! We see clients from all over the world. Follow us @MarriedtoHealth and join our newsletter so you never miss a #GoodGut thing!