What is human microbiome?
The microbiome is the collection of all microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that naturally live on our bodies and inside us. Although microbes are so small that they require a microscope to see them, they contribute in big ways to human health and wellness. They protect us against pathogens, help our immune system develop, and enable us to digest food to produce energy.
Because the microbiome is a key interface between the body and the environment, these microbes can affect health in many ways and can even affect how we respond to certain environmental substances.
Learn more on National Institute of Environmental Health SiencesHow to live in peace with them?
Instead of killing, you have to protect those microbes.
But where to start?
You can start in small steps and focusing first only the gut microbes. It’s a vital organ in your body and you need to look after it. If you do that, it will look after you.
Your gut microbiome weighs about 2kg and is bigger than the average human brain. It’s a bustling community of trillions of bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses. Lots of things that people don’t think about, like depression or anxiety, are very clearly modified by your gut microbes. Appetite and ability to digest food are modified by gut microbes. The gut microbiome is controlling the immune system, sending signals, helping you fight infections.
Studies suggest having a diverse population of gut microbes is associated with better health.
Easy to say but what are the steps?
Here are some simple ways to reach the right balance:
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🌳 Make contact with Nature
Go outside, let yourself be dirty, play with animals -
🌈 Eat the rainbow
Choose colourful fruits and vegetables and try to eat 50 different plants, nuts and seeds every week -
🥛 Opt for fermented foods
Drink kombucha, kefir and kimchi, choose unpasteurised cheeses, make homemade sourkraut -
🚫 Stop eating artificial foods
Cut back on added sugar, preservetives, colorings in your meals