The critical first step in improving our Micro Biome is to change our daily diet and diet priorities. We all understand that eating too many calories can lead to an unwanted weight gain but it seems less clear that eating too little dietary fiber can also have a bad outcome. Eating more fiber isn’t incompatible with eating well and maintaining a healthy weight but in a world where most of our easy alternatives seem be based on simple sugars, refined starches and unhealthy fats it take some planning and effort to get the dietary fiber that we need.
The foods that provide the best sources of dietary fiber include the usual candidates for healthy eating – fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. There is enough diversity in the list of foods and available supplements that there is no reason why we can’t enjoy a diverse and appetizing diet that provides 25-35 grams of dietary fiber every day. As I build up information on specific foods and recipes I will share my experience and suggestions. At this point I am using a smart phone app to track what I eat and manage my calorie and fiber consumption. It is a learning process that has already show the value of bran muffins, fresh fruits, spinach salads and pistachio nuts!
Once you are providing your gut bacteria with a stable diet of fiber, the next step is to try to repair any damage that your Micro Biome may have suffered due to antibiotics or malnutrition. Some recovery of bacterial diversity will happen just because the bacteria that you encounter every day will find an oasis rather than a desert when they get to you gut. However, there are also pre-biotics and probiotics that contain bacteria that are known to be Micro Biome friendly. Pre-biotics include a whole range of fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt and kefir. There are also a variety of fruits and supplements containing inulin that qualify as pre-biotics. There are a variety of probiotics that are commercially available and while the science to support many of their more aggressive claims is generally weak, there is good evidence that probiotics do help to add diversity and vitality to our Micro Biome. Since all of these supplementary strategies make their own specific contribution I would suggest a diversified strategy over time rather than a single food or product product.