You probably don’t know that bacteria have the potential to keep you, and your skin, healthy. Well, it depends on the type of bacteria. The human body has both good and bad bacteria. Whereas, the latter are the well-known culprits that cause disease, in this case we’re talking about the good bacteria that live in your digestive tract (gut microbiome).
These good bacteria that live in your gut play a huge role in ensuring your overall health and help ward off diseases, particularly skin disorders like rosacea, acne and eczema that are symptomatic of other health issues in the body—mainly the gut.
Ideally, your body should have a microbiome balance of approximately 80-percent good bacteria and 20-percent bad bacteria. However, this is seldom the case due to poor diets and unideal lifestyles that literally kill the good bacteria.
To restore, or maintain, balance in your gut microbiota, it is important to take probiotic foods and supplements.
Dietary foods that can ensure gut health
One way to create a balanced, and healthier, gut microbiota is to incorporate it into your diet. There are numerous probiotic-rich foods that you can take to boost your gut bacteria. These include yogurt, cultured vegetables (Sauerkraut and Kimchi), Kefir (fermented dairy product resembling yogurt), coconut Kefir (made by fermenting coconut juice with kefir grains), Natto (consists of fermented soybeans), raw cheese and brine-cured olives.
Nutritional supplements that can support your microbiome
It can be a big task to depend solely on your diet for the balance your microbiome needs to thrive today. So, it is recommended that you frequently turn to targeted supplements, including powders and skincare items—like soaps and lotions.
There are also numerous probiotics (good bacteria supplements similar to the microorganisms in the human gut) and prebiotic powders (special kind of indigestible, soluble fiber used predominantly by probiotics, or the good bacteria, as their food/fuel) that you can take together to help bump up your gut health.
Fish oil, Vitamin D and magnesium are the other supplements that can hugely benefit your microbiome health.
Conclusion
To make the most of your microbiome support method, be sure to get your doctor’s recommendation before trying out anything, as some may be more suitable to you than others.
Written by: Winnie Kotieno
