Prompt: What choices do you make in terms of food/nutrition/product use and consumption that may have an impact on your microbial communities? Consider choices that are intentional, and choices that are perhaps non-intentional.
So, first I want to say that I believe that everything that we consume affects our microbial communities in our guts. Now, I do however, make some choices to consciously give myself a chance of benefiting those tiny organisms in my intestines. Some of the things I have started doing intentionally in the past couple of years to benefit my gut microbiome are:
- I take a probiotic supplement (capsule) daily with my first meal.
- I make it a point to drink 4-6 ounces of raw kombucha 5-6 days a week (DELICIOUS).
- I eat fermented foods: yogurt, kimchi, beer (lol), kiefer, and sauerkraut. This is easy because I like all of these things.
- Lots of garlic in my diet.
- Overall, I try to eat healthy every day, not just for my gut health but for my overall health.
- Greens (spinach, kale, broccoli, spirulina)
The intentional choices have been placed in my daily routine in order to benefit my gut health, overall health, etc. The non-intentional choices can most definitely have an adverse affect on microbial communities. Without doing any research, here is a list of things that I believe are probably bad for my gut.
- Sugar-Free energy drinks (Bang, Monster, Red Bull) – These are full of weird stuff that we can’t pronounce and sugar alcohols that are probably no good.
- Protein powders/bars – Once again, the sugar alcohols really scare me when I think about them.
- Fried Foods – Inflammation causing food.
- Potato Chips
- TACO BELL – Every college kid knows we eat a little too much of this after a good weekend
- Too much beer?
