How Eating Broad and Local will Optimize Your Good Health By Samantha Steele
Here are some tips for increasing the diversity of your gut microbiome in order to optimize your health: Eat Seasonally. By this I am suggesting that you choose from what is naturally available each season. You may have a garden each year, planting items for a spring, summer and fall crop, or you might hit the Farmers’ Markets or your local Health Food market for a wide selection of fresh produce, meat and dairy products to choose from. Eat locally. Budget friendly, local foods are more affordable. Out of season foods cost more due to transit costs. Local, organic or “naturally grown” foods typically avoid the use of pesticides, herbicides, and genetic modification—. At your local markets, you will find your freshest and most natural (not force-ripened) produce, which is always best! Seasonal and local foods are more nutritious
partly because they are given the appropriate time to mature and ripen, and are grown with the natural stimulants for growth and maximum nutrition. Plus, they may have better texture and flavor. Eat experimentally. Try your hand at growing new crops each year, or if you choose to purchase rather than grow, expand your horizons by selecting produce, meats, fish and poultry that you haven’t tried before. Explore options in the fermented drink and condiments category and mix it up each week. Challenge yourself and your household to consider these foods, as, even in small amounts, the diversity of the microbiome will be impacted. You can even cross over to the wild side and try foraging for seasonal weeds and berries—just be sure to use a reliable source for proper identification! I hope you are encouraged to consider ways to mix up both your palate and your plate for the sake of your gut, home to the countless bacteria and other beneficial microorganisms that directly impact your health and immune system. This endeavor will not only benefit your long term health, but also support local farmers and small businesses that already know the value of fresh, healthy foods. Eating a broad and wide selection while choosing to shop locally is a simple and easy way to pursue better health at a time when we need it the most. References: https://anesthesiology.duke.edu/?p=846744 https://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/201711-01-mapping-the-microbiome-of-everything.aspx https://www.mymicrobiome.info/news-reading/scientists-all-over-the-world-cooperate.html https://www.mymicrobiome.info/news-reading/theamerican-gut-project.html
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In 2018, the scientific community saw the first major results of a very large, crowdsourced science experiment, called “The American Gut Project,” which effectively mapped, sequenced, and studied the 100 trillion cells that make up the microbial community in and on our bodies. Some of the most profound results showed the following:
n The more different plant types a person eats, the higher the microbial diversity of the gut. Persons who ate 30 or more different plant types a week had microbiomes that were more diverse than those of people who ate only 10 plant types or less per week. n The administration of antibiotics and the consumption of animals and produce that have been exposed to antibiotics, herbicides, and insecticides lowered the microbial diversity of the gut, as expected. n The microbial diversity of the U.S. population was lower than anywhere else in the world. One assumption is that Americans overuse antibiotics, and may underappreciate old world methods of harvesting, preparing and storing foods, especially local foods. So, now you might understand why it’s so important to protect the integrity and expand the diversity of your microbiome!
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Did you know that eating from a wide range of natural foods builds a broad and diverse internal gut microbiome? Seems like an obvious correlation, right? Maybe not! So why is the diversity of our gut microbiome important? I am here to convince you that the greater the variety of microbes in your digestive tract, the healthier you will be. Read on. Each and every day, more and more studies are supporting the intimate link between what we consume and how it affects our microbiome and in turn our overall well-being. The gut microbiome is a mini-ecosystem that is home to the trillions, yes, TRILLIONS, of microorganisms that populate our digestive tract. The good news is that our microbiome, and consequently our overall health, can be improved by being a “good host”— nurturing our relationship with our microbiome through our diet and lifestyle choices. Over 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates, the Greek physician who is widely referred to as the Father of Modern Medicine, said, “All disease begins in the gut.” He was a pretty smart guy. Our microbiota control so much when it comes to our health—from digestion, to metabolism, to absorption and assimilation, and even to the manufacturing of some vitamins, essential amino acids and bioactive molecules that support our metabolic and immune health, brain function, hormones, skin health and even mood!
