Did you know that “your” body actually contains about 10 times as many microorganism cells as human cells?
These microorganisms include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeasts, and they make up our microbiota, or gut flora.
We can’t live without them.
Most of these microorganisms live in our digestive system, but they are also present in many other parts of our bodies as well.
In order to live a full, vibrant, healthy life, with a strong immune system, we need to treat these tiny creatures with great respect, because they are key to optimal health.
Unfortunately, our modern food production system churns out foods that are very hard on our gut flora. Processed foods, with their refined sugars and starches along with loads of chemicals from pesticides to preservatives, are at the root of many modern ailments.
Often it is precisely because these processed and highly refined foods upset our gut flora that they cause ailments and diseases in the human body. Without a healthy gut, the rest of our bodies can’t be healthy.
By overprescribing antibiotics even for minor infections, conventional medicine also harms our microbiota, and it is becoming commonplace for people to catch deadly infections in hospitals.
And we’ve all heard of “superbugs” — strains of bacteria that have become resistant to even the strongest antibiotics.
So what can we do to keep our gut flora healthy and happy? Well, dear reader, here’s how we can start!
1. Eliminate sugar and flour
First and foremost, eliminate ALL sugar and flour — and in fact, most processed foods — from your diet.
Believe me, I know this sounds like a drastic step! But once you do this and realize how much better you feel, you’ll realize it’s worth it.
Simple sugars fuel the growth of pathogens, which are bad bacteria that can take over and force out the good bacteria. These bad microbes then produce metabolic waste that is detrimental to your health.
2. Avoid tap water
Avoid tap water, because chlorine kills microbes, both good and bad.
Use pure spring water instead, or install a good-quality filter. This goes for shower water, too — you can get a filtering shower head for not much money.
3. Stop using antibacterial soaps
Stop using antibacterial soaps, hand sanitizers, and other antibacterial products. The bad bacteria just gets stronger and more resistant to them over time.
4. Consider natural childbirth and breastfeeding
If pregnant, consider natural childbirth and breastfeeding. Studies have shown that babies born by C-section and then bottle-fed rather than breastfed have a rougher start in life because they are not exposed to their mother’s bacteria when they are born.
Not only do they get more earaches and other problems, but they are also much more likely to suffer from serious ailments such as autism, ADHD, and Tourette’s syndrome.
5. Avoid antibiotics in meat
If you’re going to eat meat, make sure it is free of antibiotics. Most commercial meat operations, including beef, pork, poultry — and even farmed fish! — load up the animals with antibiotics, to make them fatter (and thus more profitable) as well as to keep them from getting sick in the overcrowded, unhealthy conditions in which they are raised.
Find out where your meat is from, and look for labels such as organic, grass-fed, free-range, or, in the case of fish, wild. Don’t be fooled by labels such as “natural” or “farm raised.”
6. Eat and drink probiotics
Eat/drink probiotic foods and beverages. Think about getting a crock and making your own sauerkraut or kimchi. Look for locally made sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, or other fermented products. Make sure they are raw and fermented, not pickled in vinegar. These foods are found in the refrigerated section, not the condiments aisle.
There are many probiotic foods and drinks available in specialty markets and health food stores, such as pickles (raw and packed in brine, not vinegar), sauerkraut (again, raw), kimchi, kefir, yogurt (make sure there’s no sugar added and that the live microbes are added after pasteurization), and kombucha drinks (watch for added sugar, though!).
7. Take probiotic supplements
Take quality probiotic capsules, especially if you don’t eat enough probiotic foods. Look for these in the refrigerated section of your local health food or supplement store. The best ones contain a good number of strains and a high number of organisms. Also look for ones that are optimized for your particular health concerns, whether for women, seniors, etc.
8. Eat prebiotics
And last but not least, eat lots of prebiotic foods, too.
Prebiotics are the food our microbes need to thrive. If you feed them a lot of plant material, they will love you for it, because they live for fiber. They especially like jicama, Jerusalem artichoke, raw chicory root, dandelion greens, garlic, onions, leeks, and asparagus, but they also like just about any kind of vegetables. Your health will benefit greatly from eating a lot of vegetables.
Prebiotics are also where Micronized Purple Rice (MPR) comes in. I firmly believe our gut flora are very fond of MPR, and Dr. Doug Gabbert agrees. Here’s his take on how MPR can benefit our gut microbes:
“Gut microbes need nutrition — they’re alive — they feed off of what we eat. Plant material is very important to them. From that fuel, they’re able to help maintain a healthy GI tract. They thrive on the polysaccharides (complex sugars) in MPR, but they also benefit from the polypeptides (amino acid chains) as well. Micronized Purple Rice is a superfood for our gut flora!”
“We’re seeing wonderful testimonials from people with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s, celiac disease, colitis, constipation, and diarrhea responding very well to MPR, and I believe part of that is because it improves our gut flora.”
Micronized Purple Rice is indeed a valuable support for our gut flora. Are you getting enough?
I have started adding jicama to my salads for the prebiotics, and I’ve also discovered local (Seattle area) makers of delicious sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, etc. They make one kind out of julienned carrots that’s really good, and another kind has several types of seaweed in it. Tasty! I add some to my evening meal every night.
Oh Teri–That sounds good. I love Jicama.
I have noticed a diminishment in the side effects of the purple rice when I started eating probiotic yogurt. Unfortunately, I don’t love yogurt so really don’t eat it every day. I am going to grab some probiotic supplements so I can get back up to two teaspoons a day.
That is interesting. I don’t understand why that would be. I really prefer probiotics that are found in the cooler at the health food store–they are a gazillion times more potent than those in yogurt.
Thank you, Kare, I am doing all of the above and adding one more thing.
Digestive Mastery involves utilizing the 100 thousand neural connections between the gut and the spine to communicate directly with the gut bacteria. I have found that like all living things, gut bacteria respond to love. So, I take time every day to send love and gratitude to my gut bacteria. This opens the flow of internal communication. Then I always send them inspiration about the direction of my physical and spiritual evolution. This way they have a guide to reproduce in a way which supports all of our highest potential.
For free information on Digestive Mastery https://www.distanceenergywork.com/digestive-mastery-protocol/
Your purple rice product is AWESOME!! Thank you so much for sharing it with the world!
With love and gratitude,
Dorothy–I love how you appreciate your body–every cell and every bacteria do respond to our thoughts–so well said. Thanks you for sharing your wisdom. <3
The information that you have shared is Tremendous! Most people don’t have this kind of Valuable information.
I ok bed reading all that you have shared how van I continue to Recieve Information like this moving forward?
Anita McNeal 😆
Thank you Anita! You are on my list–so every week you should receive another blog from me. Are there topics that you would like me to write on? I would love your feedback.
I take a probiotic supplement daily. I also eat a lot of fermented foods, kombucha & kifer being my favorites. I don’t use antibacterial soaps & sanitizers
I totally avoid sugars & most processed foods. I recently found a sweetener ( Monk fruit sweetener ) that has 0 calories, 0 glycemic index & 0 carbs. It has no after taste but I don’t know how safe it is so I am currently researching to see if it is a keeper
Audrey–sounds like you are doing well, dear one. I love kombucha with chia seeds and kefir too. I have never heard of monk fruit so let me know what you find out please–I am interested.
I make my own kombucha, as well as kefir from raw milk, and also sauerkraut ., adding other veg to the mix sometimes.
I get all raw pastured dairy from a farmer who delivers to drop points in P A, once a week. His Amish neighbor also grows organic veg , so I can also get those delivered at same time. I don’t eat meat but chickens and other meats , all pastured in Lancaster county are my go to choice.
Linda–you are doing everything right. I used to make my own kombucha too but I ran out of people to give the babies to–they kind of started taking over my house! Have you ever made water kefir? I am thinking that might be better than from milk but I have never tried it.
Do your recommend MPR for children? 4 year old grandaughter suffers with constipation and has since birth.
Absolutely–this is the best food for anyone. We have newborn babies on it and people on feeding tubes. Happy to talk with you about giving it to a 4 year old. Call me at 727-262-0880 anytime
Great article, most people don’t consider gut health, just take it for granted. What I do is drink Kombucha tea daily. It seems I hardly ever get sick. I brew it myself. I keep my Mama’s to give away to my friends. They are also getting more healthy.
Thanks for this great article, I hope your readers take it seriously, because it IS sesrious, especially in today’s food market.
Thanks Diane! I brewed my own kombucha for quite a while–they kind of took over my whole house and all my friends houses! I buy it now–I love the ones with chia seeds in them. It really makes such a difference in my digestion and health.
I been having problems with my stomach for more than a year and my gastrointestinal doctor can’t find what going on. He prescribe me some medication but my triglycerides was getting to high and he stop my medication. Recently he prescribed something else but because he don’t check what is wrong, I’m not taking it. I change my doctor but by the meantime I don’t have any relieve. My problem is mostly in the morning after my breakfast I have to keep running to the bathroom about 2 or 3 timed with very loose stool and sometimes pain and my stool is always loose. Very embarrassing when you are out of the house. I resllyneed some help.
Raquel–Have your tried my micronized purple rice yet? So many people are overcoming even serious digestive issues when they begin adding it to their diet because first the body uses this powerful bio-available nutrition where you need it most first and second it fuels the cell’s batteries (mitochondria) to produce more energy so that the cells can function at higher levels. So most people begin to feel better, look better and have the energy to do what they were meant to. Personally I had acid reflux, barrett’s esophagus and a large hiatal hernia and they all went away when I added the micronized rice to my diet. Happy to talk with you anytime…727-798-8764
It sounds like you are doing very well with your diet. The more variety of fresh organic fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds you can incorporate the better.