Every human being is home both internally and externally to trillions of microbes. These microscopic creatures make up an individual’s microbiome and live in a mutually beneficial balance with us—this symbiosis, when in balance, is helpful keeping our body healthy. However, when the relationship is thrown out of balance, the body becomes more susceptible to disease and illness can arise. Thus, eating for your microbiome can be one way individuals can make an effort to stay healthy.
Here at Integrative Life Center, we understand the importance of a well-balanced diet and proper nutrition. One aspect of an individual’s physical and mental health deserving attention is our microbiome.
Eating for Your Microbiome
Perhaps the best kinds of foods you should include in your diet are those high in fiber. When you look to improve or keep your microbiome healthy and balanced, these foods help. Genetics, and individual’s home and regional environment, and the use of medication all play a role in determining what kinds of microbiota live inside us. However, diet plays perhaps the most significant role. Also, it is an area individuals can actively change for the better.
When eating for your microbiome, you need to understand the relationship between prebiotics and probiotics. You may have seen these terms, but may not quite understand what they entail. Quite simply, prebiotics are the kinds of foods probiotics, which are live bacteria, feed upon. One’s diet needs to balance the two to maintain good health. One way to do this is to create a diet made up of equal parts prebiotic foods and probiotic foods.
High amounts of prebiotics appear in garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, and greens. Foods high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, and beans give the body the prebiotic fiber it needs. A high-fiber diet is something individuals should gradually introduce to their body. At the same time, as individuals increase the fiber in their diet, they need to introduce more probiotic foods to encourage a healthy balance within their body. Beneficial living microbiota can be found in foods like yogurt, pickled vegetables, tempeh, kombucha tea, kimchi, miso, and sauerkraut. One doesn’t need to eat a lot of these foods, but they do need to be a regular part of their diet.
Taking Supplements For Your Microbiome
Even though there are supplements one can take to boost prebiotic and probiotic health, the easiest thing is eating for your microbiome. Yet, for some individuals, it’s easier to get access to supplements. However, it important that if you decide to use supplements, you need to educate yourself on what micro-organisms they are made up of or support. Also, supplements aren’t ever a substitute for eating the right foods. Rather, as their name suggests, supplements are designed to augment what you are already consuming.
Integrative Life Center
By offering personalized treatment blending evidence-based methods and non-traditional approaches to treating mental health and substance abuse issues, Integrative Life Center gives patients the best opportunities to succeed in recovery. By providing a vast array of therapeutic options, patients stand a better chance of getting the unique treatment they require. For instance, we offer the following:
- Nutrition Therapy
- Sweat Lodge Therapy
- Psychodrama Therapy
- Equine Therapy
- Experiential Therapy
While we embrace alternative therapies, we also offer traditional therapies and treatments. We prioritize patient success. So contact us today at [Direct] to explore more of our programs to see how we can help you.
