Five Ways to Improve your Microbiome
DR. MELINA ROBERTS
1. Eat organic vegetables and fruits
Vegetables and fruits that are sprayed with chemicals that are designed to kill microbes, also kill the healthy microflora in our digestive tracts. Organic vegetables and fruits are not sprayed with these pesticides, herbicides and insecticides, therefore we are not consuming these harmful chemicals and killing off healthy microflora in our gut.
2. Drink filtered water
Tap water has chlorine in it. Chlorine is designed to kill harmful microbes in our drinking water, but when we drink that water we kill off healthy microbes in our digestive tract. Therefore it is important for us to filter the chlorine out of our water before we drink it.
3. Stop using hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soaps
Hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soaps can kill off infectious agents but as they make their way into our digestive tracts, they kill off the healthy microflora in our digestive tract. How does it get ingested, you may ask? We use the hand sanitizers/anti-bacterial soap then we touch our food, eat our food and there it is making its way into your digestive tract, that’s just one example.
4. Avoid food additives, preservatives and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Environmental toxins in our foods such as food additives and preservatives and GMOs disrupt the microbiome. These chemicals throw off our natural mirobiome as they really should not in our digestive tracts. Avoiding these chemicals helps to keep our microbiome in balance and our digestive tract in good health.
5. Replace processed sugar with natural sweeteners such as raw honey, real maple syrup, coconut palm sugar and stevia.
Processed sugars are food for the unhealthy bacteria and fungi, leading to overgrowths of unhealthy bacteria and fungi in the digestive tract. Natural sweeteners do not have this ill-effect on the microbiome and still allows you to have sweeteners in your cooking and baking, without disrupting the healthy microflora balance in the digestive tract.
These tactics will help to keep your microbiome in balance, which will help to keep you healthy as well, as there is a direct correlation between a healthy gut and a healthy body.
How is your gut health?
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Dr. Melina Roberts is a Naturopathic doctor, author of "Building a Healthy Child" and Clinic Director of Advanced Naturopathic Medical Centre in Calgary, Alberta. She is a leading authority in the field of naturopathic medicine specializing in European Biological Medicine. She is well-regarded and highly sought-after for her unique approach to treating disease processes and ability to effectively treat the tough cases such as autoimmune disease and cancer.