Did you know that you have billions of bacteria living in your gut? Your gut is an eco-system that has all sorts of bacteria, over 100 different species that work together to ferment fiber, extract nutrients, and fend off unwelcome pathogens. Your gut flora is determined by your age, diet, geography, disease history, antibiotic use, and DNA.
Learn more about the benefits of gut bacteria and how they can affect your health below!
Gut Bacteria — What’s the Big Deal?
The Benefits of Gut Bacteria
When everything is in working order, your gut flora helps to defend against pathogens, support your immune system’s natural defense, digest food, synthesize vitamins, and maintain your central nervous system’s health.
If your gut flora is out of whack, by change in diet, medication, sickness, or other, it can affect your entire health. This can lead to things like:
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Inflammation, including IBS
- Weight gain
- Liver disease
- Infections
- Anxiety
- Even certain types of cancer
How to Maintain & Improve Gut Health
To maintain a healthy gut, take antibiotics only when necessary, eat a diverse diet will lots of fruits and vegetables, and know about supplement and natural food options like probiotics, prebiotics, and colostrum.
Probiotics are microorganisms that can help restore a healthy ecosystem. Food that contains probiotics include yogurt, kefir, and kimchi. Prebiotics are essentially food for probiotics. They allow your bodies probiotics to survive and thrive. Food that contains prebiotics include garlic, bananas, and wheat bran. Finally, colostrum is the first milk of a mammal and is rich in antibodies and nutrients, helping to restore your gut to normal working order.
Maintaining a healthy gut will have you feeling balanced, energized, and ready for the day. Happy gut health from DiaResQ!