A healthy adult has 3lb (1.3 kg) worth of microbes.
Our bodies need microbes.
Microbes are bacteria and similar tiny things.
When a baby is born to a healthy mother, it is covered in lovely microbes.
There's the vaginal bacteria from the birth canal.
There are urinary and faecal (poo) microbes.
There are microbes from the mother's legs.
(Follow Your Gut: The Enormous Impact of Tiny Microbes, by Rob Knight with Brendan Buhler, Simon & Schuster.)
When a baby is born by caesarean section, it may be best to swab the baby with microbes from the mother.
The Gut-Destroying Toxin...
We need the right balance of microbes to help our digestion, immune system, weight and mental health.
The balance can be upset by antibiotics, wrong diet, ingredients in packaged foods such as emulsifiers, and houses that are too clean.
Most of our bacteria live in the gut.
But we also have lovely bacteria in other places such as mouth, genitals and skin.
Children of the Islands.
People living in rural Papua New Guinea have a better collection of lovely microbes than people living in the USA.
American homes are sometime too clean, and Americans tend to eat junk food and tend to use too many antibiotics.
And stress is bad for the guts.
Of course, babies born in certain rural areas of the Third World may die as the result of excessively dirty midwives and excessively dirty doctors.
It's a question of balance.
Giulia Enders has written: Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ, Greystone Books
Enders writes: "Disinfectants have no place in a normal household.
"The aim of cleaning . . . should be to reduce bacteria numbers, but not to eliminate them.
"Even harmful bacteria can be good for us when the immune system uses them for training - a couple of thousand salmonella bacteria in the kitchen sink provide our immune system with the opportunity to do a little sightseeing.
"Salmonella become dangerous only when they turn up in greater numbers."
How can we have healthy guts?
1. Eat a varied diet with lots of fruit, vegetables and nuts.
2. Eat artichokes, chicory, leeks, celeriac, bananas, honey, garlic and sweet potatoes unless you are allergic to them.
3. For foods that soothe, try: cinnamon, cumin, fennel, ginger, mint, nutmeg, oatmeal, caraway and cardamom. And drink lots of water.
People living in rural Papua New Guinea have a better collection of lovely microbes than people living in the USA.
American homes are sometime too clean, and Americans tend to eat junk food and tend to use too many antibiotics.
And stress is bad for the guts.
Of course, babies born in certain rural areas of the Third World may die as the result of excessively dirty midwives and excessively dirty doctors.
It's a question of balance.
Giulia Enders has written: Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ, Greystone Books
Enders writes: "Disinfectants have no place in a normal household.
"The aim of cleaning . . . should be to reduce bacteria numbers, but not to eliminate them.
"Even harmful bacteria can be good for us when the immune system uses them for training - a couple of thousand salmonella bacteria in the kitchen sink provide our immune system with the opportunity to do a little sightseeing.
"Salmonella become dangerous only when they turn up in greater numbers."
How can we have healthy guts?
1. Eat a varied diet with lots of fruit, vegetables and nuts.
2. Eat artichokes, chicory, leeks, celeriac, bananas, honey, garlic and sweet potatoes unless you are allergic to them.
3. For foods that soothe, try: cinnamon, cumin, fennel, ginger, mint, nutmeg, oatmeal, caraway and cardamom. And drink lots of water.
Nigel Slater's midweek dinner.
4. Have yoghurt-based foods or drinks.
But, "it is a lottery whether particular yoghurt concoctions will work for you."
You may have to try lots of different multi-species probiotics.
According to Dr. Mercola on his website, one serving of fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, kim chi etc) has 100 times more beneficial bacteria than an entire bottle of a high potency probiotic product!
4. Have yoghurt-based foods or drinks.
But, "it is a lottery whether particular yoghurt concoctions will work for you."
You may have to try lots of different multi-species probiotics.
According to Dr. Mercola on his website, one serving of fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, kim chi etc) has 100 times more beneficial bacteria than an entire bottle of a high potency probiotic product!
But, some people are allergic to fermented vegetables.
~~~
Follow Your Gut: The Enormous Impact of Tiny Microbes, by Rob Knight with Brendan Buhler, Simon & Schuster.
The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat, by Tim Spector,Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ, by Giulia Enders, Greystone Books
~~~
Follow Your Gut: The Enormous Impact of Tiny Microbes, by Rob Knight with Brendan Buhler, Simon & Schuster.
The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat, by Tim Spector,Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ, by Giulia Enders, Greystone Books
Aang, are you a fan of naturalnews.com? I am.
ReplyDeleteAs for stomachs, mine's a disaster. For me, sauerkraut is the go. In spite of some initial trepidation (thinking it must be difficult) I discovered that it was the easiest thing in the world and now make it regularly. I always have some on the go. It takes a little bit longer to make than a slice of toast with jam on it, but not much.
For those who don't know, here's the recipe - chop up cabbage and put it in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, crush it with your hands, put it in a bottle, wait for three days, done. Five minutes to make, costs pennies, no washing up, tastes good, and sorts out your stomach.
Just go to youtube and type in 'how to make sauerkraut'.
Your daily mouthwash can increase blood pressure. Mouthwashes 'can raise risk of heart attack and strokes': Antiseptic gargles kill good bacteria that help keep blood pressure down.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2546092/Mouthwashes-raise-risk-heart-attack-strokes-Antiseptic-gargles-kill-good-bacteria-help-blood-pressure-down.htm
Try oil pulling instead.
The 7 Health Benefits Of Oil Pulling
http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/the-7-health-benefits-of-oil-
Raw fruits, veggies and nuts are full of beneficial enzymes. Eat them on a empty stomach or at least half an hour before a cooked meal. Never eat them afterwards, or alongside hot drinks, all the good enzymes are destroyed. Never buy ready chopped up or prepared fruits and veg or any juices for the same reason.
ReplyDeleteIf you work from home, alternate with a cup of tea for one break, and fruit, raw veg or a chunk of iceberg lettuce for the next break. It is really thirst quenching . Don't combine hot drinks with raw food.
Unless you are severely ill, no need to mess with juicing etc, this is all health baloney: the process of chewing it is benefical to digestion., and you will naturally be drawn to eat what you only that which you need if you have to select it and chew it.
You can ensure a satisfying bowel movement every morning by eating probiotic natural yoghurt with honeydew melon on rising. Follow up with a brisk walk followed by a strong coffee on return if desired.
Ingestion of Lactobacillus strain regulates emotional behavior and central GABA receptor expression in a mouse via the vagus nerve.
ReplyDeleteLots more about GABA, the main central nervous system inhibitory neurotransmitter, and intestinal flora on the web. Search google for Lactobacillus and GABA.
Kimchi is just as easy to make as the method for saukraut above - a tad longer for all the chopping up of various veg. But seriously addictive - even the weird smell is. Go to www.forkingfoodie.com for recipe. Kefir milk is also so easy, delicious and also full of lacto-bacillious goodness.
ReplyDeleteWhile working in your organic garden, set your young children in the dirt and let them eat all they want.
ReplyDeleteIn Steinbeck's "Cannery Row" there's a mad grandmother who cooks beans and rice and then throws it around all over the quite dirty kitchen floor for the kids to crawl after and eat.
Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz is an excellent resource for the art of fermenting. I did 6 big cabbages in saurkraut last fall, its so fast, easy and tastes so good I will do 12 this year. It stores well in big glass jars in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteDom's site is the ultimate for information about kefir. http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html ...I've making kef for years, also kombucha. My gut is happy.