All Disease Begins in the Gut
Why does gut health matter?
Hippocrates famously stated that ‘All Disease Begins in the Gut.’ Thousands of years later, research continues to confirm that Hippocrates was definitely onto something. While all disease doesn’t literally start in the gut (although some may), many metabolic, autoimmune, and cognitive diseases do in fact start with gastrointestinal disturbances or imbalances.
You surely know the bodily systems – nervous, circulatory, skeletal, immune, endocrine, digestive, etc. But there’s another one that’s invisible to the human eye – the microbiome. It’s all the microorganisms that inhabit the lining of your gastrointestinal tract, more than 100 trillion bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa that are constantly interacting with our biology. Each person’s microbiome is unique, and is impacted my factors such as genetics, social, behavioral and environmental interactions.
Since the second half of the 1900s, a whole group of chronic diseases has emerged, coinciding with the arrival of antibiotics. And while the use of antibiotics can be life-saving interventions, studies suggest the widespread over-use of antibiotics has proven to be one of the largest threats to a healthy microbiome.
What should I eat that’s good for my gut?
Restoring the beneficial bacteria requires eating the right foods—plants. Research shows that dietary intake is one of the strongest predictors of a person’s gut bacteria composition. Diets rich in plant-based nutrients and are higher in fiber and antioxidants can fuel a healthy, balanced bacterial ecosystem. Incorporating fermented and cultured foods, such as kombucha, sauerkraut, and kimchi are also beneficial to the microbiome. These foods contain beneficial bacteria called probiotics.
The opposite is true for diets that are higher in processed foods and refined carbohydrates, which can fuel more pathogenic bacteria, bacterial overgrowth, dysbiosis, and fungal overgrowth (candida). Research suggests that these microbes have an ability to affect your biology and health in profound ways that were previously unsuspected.
Food is the most important determinant of how healthy your gut microbiome is, and how healthy you are. You choose what to eat every day, so you can directly impact your health.