The gut microbiome is the beneficial bacteria that live in our gut. Without these organisms, we could not survive. They help us digest food and transform it into nutrients vital to our survival. Modern genetic research has revolutionized our understanding of the gut microbiome and its impact on our health and well-being. Only recently has science been able to accurately profile the types of bacteria living in our intestinal tract.
Environmental science tells us that healthy environments contain a great diversity of organisms while unhealthy environments contain a small variety of bacterial species. It turns out that our gut microbiome is the same way. When eating whole foods, our gut microbiome has a great diversity of healthy bacteria. When we eat processed foods full of chemical additives, our gut has a small variety of very unhealthy bacteria.
The type of food we feed the gut microbiome has a huge effect on our health. When we eat large amounts of highly processed foods, we encourage unhealthy bacteria to take over our gut. When we eat whole foods, we promote the types and variety of good bacteria to thrive. For this reason, it is best to limit processed foods in favor of whole foods whenever possible.
Whole foods = great diversity of healthy bacteria.
Processed foods (full of Franken chemicals) = low diversity of unhealthy bacteria.
For the best gut health, you should eat whole foods and reduce the number and amount of processed foods whenever possible. Eat more from the refrigerator and less from the cans and packages in the cupboard!!!
Food for Thought – Take the fresh vegetable challenge. This week when shopping for groceries, pick up one fresh vegetable that you usually don’t eat or one you have not eaten in a long time. The internet can provide you with killer recipes for preparing the item, and you may discover a new, healthy whole food to add to your diet!
Trouble Shooting – Does eating fatty foods, lots of calories, and carbs cause weight gain? No, the hormone insulin makes you fat. Fatty foods cause the lowest increase in insulin levels and therefore are the least fattening. For more information, see Insulin and Weight Gain,
Parts 1 and 2 at: https://lovethisdiet.com/blog/
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