It turns out that the human body really has two digestive systems. The stomach and small intestine are designed to deal with proteins, simple carbohydrates, fats and some of the dietary fiber that we eat. However, the things that we eat that cannot be broken down by this first digestive process are passed along to the large intestine – the home of billions of bacteria. These bacteria break down the dietary fiber and most other un-digested food components into edible components and in exchange produce a variety of byproducts that are important to our health and well being. The composition of this bacterial community is as unique to each individual as our fingerprints and this unique community is what makes our own unique microbiome. While the microbiome is an important part of our digestive system it also plays a complex but increasingly well understood role in maintaining our physical and mental health.
The composition of each person’s unique microbiome is based on two key inputs: what bacteria we have been exposed to and what we eat. The more diverse and robust our microbiome, the better it seems to function. Antibiotics that indiscriminately kill both good and bad bacteria and our hyper-clean world of hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial cleaners are both hostile to a robust and diverse microbiome. Interestingly, the microbiome seems to thrive on both diversity and adversity in that it can accommodate hundreds of different bacteria and it seems to get stronger when it is called on to confront incompatible or harmful bacteria. However, each type of bacteria is unique in what it can eat and a diverse microbiome requires a diverse diet that feeds both the primary digestive system and our gut bacteria as well. In order to cultivate a diverse, active and well-noursihed microbiome we need to eat foods that include helpful bacteria and a variety of dietary fiber that can nourish the entire spectrum of the microbiome we want to cultivate.
A healthy and well nourished microbiome acts as our body’s first line of awareness and defense with respect to the enormous variety of bacteria that we encounter every day. It attacks those bacteria that are harmful and, grudgingly, makes room for those that are helpful. More than that, the microbiome interacts with our immune and nervous systems to pass on what it learns about hostile bacteria. It is increasingly clear that a healthy microbiome programs our immune system and boosts its effectiveness. Beyond that, there is strong evidence that the microbiome’s impact on our well being extends beyond our physical health and influences the body’s ability to combat many mental health disorders that have physical origins.