11 Ways to Show Your Gut Bugs You Care
If you struggle with persistent gas, bloating, or constipation, you’ve probably heard terms like dysbiosis, imbalanced gut, microbiome, beneficial gut bacteria, bad gut bugs, and so on and so forth. But what do these terms actually mean? And how do you know if you have a “healthy microbiome” anyway?
Read on to find out, and learn 10 common signs of dysbiosis and 11 strategies for improving the health of your good gut bugs.
Before diving in, it’s important to define some terms:
Gut microbiome – The community of microorganisms that resides in your gut. This is largely composed of bacteria, but there are also archaea, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.
Beneficial gut bacteria – There are more than 1000 different bacterial species that live in your gut. The majority of these species play beneficial roles in your health, including digestion, support healthy hormone regulation, protect you from infection, detoxify chemicals, and help you maintain a healthy weight.
Harmful bacteria – Not all of the bacteria living in your gut play a beneficial role, and these bacteria are sometimes referred to as “opportunistic”. This means that, generally, they do not cause you any harm, but if these bacteria are not kept in check by the good guys, they can reproduce and become harmful.
Dysbiosis – Refers to an imbalance between the beneficial bacteria and the opportunistic bacteria in your gut. (Dysbiosis is also referred to as bacterial imbalance or an unhealthy microbiome.)
Dysbiosis happens when one or more of the following occurs:
You lose beneficial bacteria in your gut
You get opportunistic bacteria taking over your gut
You lose diversity in your gut (meaning you have less variety in bacterial species)
Your microbiome is not a static community, and it can change throughout the day depending on what you eat, your stress levels, your activity level, and what kinds of chemicals or toxins you are exposed to. For this reason, there are many factors that can contribute to ongoing dysbiosis:
Poor diet
High animal fat intake
Overconsumption of alcohol
Inadequate fiber
Chronic stress
Low stomach acid
Poor bile flow
Medication (antibiotics, birth control pill, anti-inflammatory medication, anti-depressants, laxatives)
Chronic constipation
Yeast overgrowth or parasites
As mentioned above, having a healthy microbiome is important for digesting food, regulating hormones, protecting you from infection, minimizing food sensitivities, detoxifying chemicals from your environment, and helping you maintain a healthy weight.
As such, if you have an imbalanced microbiome, here are 14 ways it could manifest in your life:
Indigestion, bloating after meals
Intestinal gas, especially after sugary foods
Diarrhea or constipation
Cravings for sugar
Brain fog
Trouble concentrating
Food sensitivities and allergies
Obesity or difficulty losing weight
Recurrent yeast infections or UTIs
Frequent colds
Frequent cold sores
Acne
Anxiety, depression
Autoimmune disorders
If you are reading this list, and you think you might have dysbiosis, then you’re probably wondering what you can do about it. The health of your microbiome largely relies on your diet, but there are also several lifestyle factors that can contribute to an imbalance.
Consider the following 11 ways you can support a healthy microbiome (and a healthy life!).
1. Avoid mass-produced, processed foods.
A lot of the food consumed in Western society isn’t “real” food at all if you consider the ingredients list. There are many food products with high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, food colouring, thickeners, and other food additives. These additives are known gut disrupters. They decrease the diversity of your good gut bugs, contribute to low-grade inflammation, degrade the lining of your digestive tract, and increase leakiness of your gut. If it comes in a package with ingredients that you don’t recognize as food, then it’s best to leave it on the shelf.
2. Cut down on animal fats.
Diets high in animal fat are shown to decrease microbiome diversity as well as the number of beneficial bacteria found in the gut. High saturated fat diets are also linked to an increased risk of obesity, inflammatory conditions like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, and cancer-related diseases.
3. Consume more organically grown foods.
Organic foods are grown without toxic chemicals and pesticides that can decrease abundance and diversity of your beneficial gut bacteria. Organic soil is also more nutrient-rich, and this translates to more benefits for you because you are getting more of the essential vitamins and minerals you need for optimal health.
4. Eat foods that are rich in polyphenols.
Polyphenols are naturally occurring plant compounds that have a ton of health benefits. When it comes to your microbiome, polyphenols act like a fertilizer for your beneficial gut bugs while preventing the overgrowth of potentially harmful organisms. Good sources of polyphenols are berries, kiwi, cherries, plums, apples, red cabbage, yellow onions, green tea, and dark chocolate, to name a few (this is certainly not an exhaustive list!).
5. Eat a variety of fiber-rich plant foods.
The bacteria living in your gut love to feast on fiber. And, just like your favourite food might be different from that of your best friend, the same is true for the microorganisms in your gut. If your diet revolves around the same vegetables and plant-based foods day in and day out, then you’re only going to be feeding a select few of the bacteria in your gut while starving out the rest. Switching things up by eating a variety of plant-based foods every day will help to ensure a rich and diverse microbiome.
6. Eat fermented foods daily.
Fermentation is the breakdown of carbohydrates by bacteria and yeast. Fermented foods contain high numbers of these naturally occurring microorganisms that help with digestion, support immune health, and contribute to overall health. Common probiotic foods include unpasteurized sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt or cheese with live active cultures, kefir, miso, tempeh, kombucha, and naturally fermented pickles.
7. Reduce stress and practice mindfulness.
Hormones that are released during periods of stress activate the immune system in your gut, reduce beneficial bacteria, and cause your gut to become leakier. Stress hormones also contribute to low-grade inflammation, increase your risk of gut infections, and alter the behaviour of opportunistic gut microbes causing them to become more aggressive. This can translate to uncomfortable bellyaches, constipation, diarrhea, food intolerances, gas, and bloating.
8. Get your zzzz’s.
You may think that skimping out on your daily 7-8 hours of sleep just leaves you starved of energy, but it also has significant consequences for your gut health. What many people don’t realize is that lack of sleep is a form of physical stress, and as mentioned above, chronic stress has negative impacts for the composition and diversity in your microbiome.
9. Optimize digestion with mindfulness.
Bringing mindfulness to mealtime helps support a healthy microbiome because it supports healthy digestion. When your body is able to digest food properly, everything flows with ease. However, if your body has difficulty digesting, then the undigested food components can act as food for opportunistic bugs living in your gut, giving them the means to thrive. To optimize digestion, make time to eat. Give yourself at least 30 minutes to sit down at a table and enjoy your food. Chew each bite thoroughly to an applesauce-like consistency to support digestion in your stomach. Avoid eating on-the-go or when you are feeling stressed, sad, or angry.
10. Practice time-restricted eating.
Time-restricted eating (or intermittent fasting) may have a profound effect on the composition and function of your gut microbiome. When your stomach is empty, it triggers a periodic wave-like contraction called the migrating motor complex (MMC). The MMC travels through your entire digestive tract moving food forward. It is sometimes called your gut’s housekeeper. In a condition called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), bacteria can take up residence in the small intestine and cause symptoms of gas, bloating, and several food intolerances and sensitivities. There is good evidence that the MMC helps to reduce these symptoms by periodically sweeping bacteria out of the small intestine and into the colon where they belong.
11. Stay hydrated.
Water is needed for basically every metabolic process that happens in your body. When it comes to your microbiome, water is important because it makes up the mucus bilayer that lines the inside part of your gut where the majority of your beneficial gut bacteria live. If you are regularly dehydrated, this can lead to a deterioration of the mucus lining and leave you susceptible to dysbiosis from opportunistic bacteria as well as inflammation, leaky gut, and ongoing infection.
All of these strategies are a good starting point for supporting a healthy microbiome, but for individuals who have struggled with chronic gut issues, a more comprehensive approach may be the key.
Working with a nutrition coach can help you get to the root cause of your dysbiosis and uncover why you have the imbalance in the first place. Many nutritionists have access to functional lab testing that can help reveal even more about the inner workings of your gut.
I like to use GI Effects® as an add-on to my one-on-one coaching packages to give you a complete picture of what’s going on inside your gut. This test uses a stool sample collected from the convenience of your home to tell you about any bad microorganisms in your gut (like bacteria, yeast, or parasites) and whether or not you have an imbalance in your gut bugs. It also identifies which strains of bacteria you need to be your best version of healthy.
This comprehensive test also gives you insights about how well you are digesting your food, if you need more fiber, if you have any inflammation, and how well you are able to fight off infection.
Results from this test reveal important information about the root causes of many common gut issues, like gas, bloating, indigestion, abdominal pain, and constipation. I use the results to identify the specific steps you need to take to support your digestive function. Then you can address imbalances through diet, supplements, and lifestyle interventions targeted to your needs.
If you’re interested in getting tested, please reach out through the contact page, or you can book a Gut Health Strategy Session, and I’ll answer your questions in a free 30-minute phone call. This is the easiest way to find out if getting tested is the right move for you.
Gut healing is a journey, and it’s not a linear one. If you are ready to start yours, and you would like some support in navigating the ups and down, you can learn more about my one-on-one coaching through the Work with Me page.
