Good Bugs in your Gut

When my daughter was 5 she was dutifully taking her nutritional supplements and inquired what they were. I explained their purpose and one of them happened to be a “probiotic”.

Inquisitively she asked, “What is a probiotic.”  I told her she was putting good “bugs” in her tummy that helped to fight the “bad” bugs and to keep her tummy from hurting. 

Of course, that answer prompted a long discussion of good and bad tummy bugs and why we need them.  Several weeks later her tummy wasn’t feeling so well and she was grumpy she says to me, “Mom, I think I need some more of those good bugs in my tummy.”  Very cute and encouraging that she made the gut-brain connection in her developing mind. 

So now we know probiotics are good bugs for your gut (tummy). You may be thinking, “Why on earth do I need to put good bugs in my gut?  Aren’t they already in there?” Well, yes and no. Last month I mentioned in my article, “Healing the Gut and Autism”, that every chemical which controls the brain is also located in the gut.  You should also know 80% of your immune system is located in your gut. Now given those two facts alone, should be a good enough reason to listen up to the benefits of probiotics.

Our body has 1-10 trillion cells, but 10 times as many bacteria!  You can see how essential our beneficial bacteria balance is to our bodies. 

Beneficial bacteria are house cleaners for your body, fighting the unwanted pathogens (viruses, fungi, opportunistic bacteria, and microbes) that invade the immune system.  Your immune system and beneficial bacteria balance begin in the womb. I discovered in my research over the years that a vaginal birth offers more friendly bacteria for the baby than a C-section because we ingest our first “out of the womb” beneficial bacteria as we travel down the birth canal.  Astonishingly, our bodies when giving birth, know to change the bacterial flora of the birth canal to benefit our baby.  What an amazing creation we are!

According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, most autistic children are born with normal brains and sensory organs. The trouble arises when they fail to develop normal gut flora. She discovered that 100% of autistic children have abnormal gut flora and 100 % of their mothers do too. Children born with compromised and insufficient gut flora are more susceptible to disease and vaccine damage. The gut flora affects numerous, if not all of our body processes, metabolism, energy, genetic expression, nutrient absorption, hormone imbalance, and much more. As the child grows, early food choices also play an important role in maintaining a healthy intestinal bacterial balance. We previously discussed how a poor diet, high in sugar and processed foods can damage the intestinal tract causing a pathogenic imbalance.  Once the intestinal tract has been damaged and laden with undigested food, the groundwork has been laid for a feasting frenzy of the “bad” bacteria to grow and take over our gut and in some cases, our bodies (i.e.…systemic candidiasis), creating a toxic wasteland in your body. 

So, how do we combat this bacterial imbalance?  Here are 2 basic things you can do to start to re-establish a healthy gut:

1.  Dietary changes are a must. No processed sugars, grains, or highly processed seed oils
2.  Supplement with high-quality probiotics and/or fermented/cultured foods. Your probiotic supplement should have at least 10 different strains of beneficial bacteria to be of any benefit to the gut. Most probiotic supplements have 10 billion colonies in a serving, but if you supplement with properly fermented and cultured foods, you will be receiving 10 TRILLION colony-forming bacteria per serving!!  Wow! Drinking and eating homemade fermented and cultured foods gives you’re body a wider variety of beneficial bacteria and is much more cost-effective for those of us on a budget. You can also purchase yogurt (plain), kefir (plain), kombucha (low sugar only), and other fermented items.

Once you have your child and yourself on high-quality probiotics and foods, they will begin to help the body detoxify phthalates, BPA’s, and other neurological irritants.  You may notice better bowel movements, increased focus, a positive shift in general health, decreased acne, a decrease in sugar cravings, better eye contact and so much more!  When your gut is happy and balanced with good “bugs”, your brain and the rest of your body can breathe and focus on the function and repair it was created for.