Your Gut Health Guide
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When we think about what makes good health, bacteria is probably the last thing we consider. Bacteria is widely known for being a pathogen that can make us sick, but did you know that there are “good” bacteria in addition to “bad” ones?
The body is a home to over a trillion different microorganisms. The “good” bacteria that reside in the body provide many health benefits. For example, they break down food in the small intestine to aid digestion, compete with “bad” bacteria for resources and improve immunity.
According to Dr. Diana Obanda, a Food Science and Nutrition associate professor at the University of Maryland, our gut is made up of millions of bacteria. Our gut bacteria are split into two categories: bacteroidetes and firmicutes.
Obanda explained that studies have shown that when firmicutes are more prevalent in the gut, it results in disease, and when bacteroidetes are more prevalent, it results in less disease. In other words, firmicutes are the “bad” bacteria and bacteroidetes are the “good” bacteria. The key to keeping a healthy gut flora is keeping both types of bacteria in the right ratio.
Additionally, every environment has different types of bacteria.
“Bacterial colonization begins very early in life and has been shown to affect the microbiota composition later in adulthood. Preterm infants (born after a short pregnancy) for example, lack some of the bacteria found in term babies,” Fayrouz Ashour, R.D., Ph.D., and dietetics teaching assistant at this university, said.
Ashour explained that lifestyle and dietary factors have been associated with different microbiota profiles. Lifestyle factors include exercise, smoking, geographic location, stress levels, sanitary conditions, personal hygiene and environmental pollutants.
Obanda said that some of the things that affect our gut bacteria are beyond our control, but one thing that we have control over is our diet.
“Eating a balanced diet goes a long way in maintaining good gut bacteria because the bad bacteria feed on foods high in simple sugars, processed foods and especially foods with sugar substitutes,” Obanda said.
Two words that often come up when talking about “good” bacteria are probiotics and prebiotics. Although these words sound similar and are often used interchangeably, they are two different things.
Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms and are designed to improve your health by increasing the amount the “good” bacteria in your gut. Prebiotics provide food to the “good” bacteria, which helps maintain a favorable balance of microorganisms in the body.
Probiotics can help prevent many gastrointestinal illnesses, like irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea. They can also prevent certain cancers, development of allergies in children, some infections and cavities. Some research suggests that probiotics can even help manage obesity.
Although probiotics and prebiotics are helpful, not all of them work the same way. In fact, they can cause harm if the wrong ones are taken.
It is common to take probiotic supplements, but there are foods, which are usually fermented, that contain probiotics. Some examples are yogurt, pickles, some cheeses and sourdough bread.
Prebiotics can be found in foods like bananas, whole grains, onions, and garlic. These foods can be easily incorporated into your diet. Have yogurt for breakfast as part of a parfait, a banana as a snack or use onions and garlic as ingredients for a dish.
The great thing is that many foods with prebiotics and probiotics are found in the dining halls on campus and can be easily purchased in grocery stores.
