How to Support a Healthy Gut Microbiome

Wherever I turn these days, I encounter articles discussing the gut microbiome. This makes sense to me as a functional medicine and integrative medicine clinician. From day one in functional medicine education, we learn: “All disease begins in the gut.” This statement is attributed to Hippocrates, the father of medicine, from around 2,000 years ago. Amazingly, this message still rings true today. When the gut microbiome is disrupted, processes regulated by the gut, such as immunity and brain function, are impaired. This ultimately may lead to the development of chronic conditions such as autoimmune disease, metabolic dysfunction, and mental health issues, among many other health problems.

In this functional medicine blog, we’ll discuss what a healthy gut microbiome is and how to cultivate one. The term microbiome is used to describe a community of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, yeast, and sometimes viruses, all living together. As humans, we begin to build our microbiomes the moment we are born. Variables, such as how and where we are born, play a big role in the types of microbes we acquire. Babies first pick up microbes through vaginal birth. If born via c-section, babies are inoculated with yet another set of microbes from the external environment. From that moment on, humans continue to pick up microbes throughout their lives from every person or item touched. The microbiome isn’t fixed or static; it develops over time and changes in response to the environment. Maybe you grew up on a farm or in a city or playing in dirt or traveling abroad. Maybe you were born during the rise of the ubiquitous use of hand sanitizer. All these factors influence the microbiota living in and on our bodies.

Gut bacteria affect the entire body, including the brain. The beneficial bacteria in the gut have many functions, including the ability to synthesize some vitamins, help with digestion, balance mood, reduce anxiety, and protect against infections. Serious health problems can arise if there are too many bad or too few good bacteria in the microbiome, serious health problems can arise. The population of good bacteria in your body can be inhibited or killed by stress, surgery, illness, trauma, or unhealthy eating habits. Antibiotics can kill bad bacteria that cause disease, but they also kill off many of the beneficial microbes. We can keep our microbiomes healthy by eating foods that feed the good bacteria and avoiding foods that encourage the growth of bad bacteria.

From the functional medicine perspective, we can exert influence over our bodies’ various microbiomes. The foods we eat have a big influence on our microbiomes. Many microbes in our guts help us extract nutrients from the food we wouldn’t otherwise be able to digest. Different microbes thrive on different types of food. You can promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut by eating foods the bacteria are known to thrive on. These foods include prebiotics which is a variety of fiber-rich, undigestible foods. Prebiotics, through their metabolization by microorganisms in the GUT, modulate the composition and activity of the gut microbiome. You are able to make an impact on your gut microbiome within 24 hours. Seeking information from a functional medicine provider or alternative medicine doctor can help refine your approach to gut health.

Key tips for growing your own “gut garden” of helpful, commensal (meaning the microbes that should live there), and keystone species:

Eat the rainbow. Phytonutrient diversity is a key factor in promoting healthy gut microbiomes.

Eat fermented foods: kefir, miso, sauerkraut, kimchi

Eat 30 different plants a week—that’s the sweet spot!

Incorporate veggies into your breakfast—sauté with eggs or eat leftovers.

Asian soups or savory porridge with healthy oils & a green vegetable.

Incorporate prebiotic foods into your day. These are high-fiber foods like jicama, onions, whole oats, apples, Jerusalem artichokes, chicory root, garlic, and dandelion greens.

Exercise

Eat organic as much as possible

Get good sleep—at least 7-8 hours a night

Manage stress

It’s also a good idea to search for a functional medicine doctor near me or to take a look at an integrative health organization like the Institute for Functional Medicine. The providers at Tendwell are also experts in gut health, food sensitivity testing, and alternative approaches to medicine and health.

For further reading: This article goes deep into how the gut microbiome can alter one’s ability to process blood sugar.