Looking around our oval conference table, I observed the participants and professionals engaged in lively conversation with the occasional burst of laughter punctuating the air.
Yes, I thought, we have gone from being a disparate collection of individuals to a group with a common purpose. after nine weeks of getting together Wednesday nights at the Serendipity Racquet Club in Sarasota, an easy playful banter has replaced the uncomfortable silences and guarded behavior that marked some of our earlier sessions. yes, we have bonded.
And it couldn’t have come at a better time given that one of the topics up for discussion was gut health, or as someone so delicately put it: “People who can’t poop.” if my paternal grandmother were alive, she would be mortified. But the way Americans pop antacids and laxatives like candy, it probably is a subject worth airing.
Now, I think most people know this, but if you’ve been living under a rock it may come as a surprise to you that there are bacteria living in your gut. Yep, in fact, according to our dietitian Ariel Robarge, there are 10 times more bacterial cells in our bodies than human cells. not to worry, though, they come in peace and are what is known as “friendly” or “good” bacteria, and they can be beneficial to your health.
“Friendly bacteria are vital to proper development of the immune system, to protection against microorganisms that could cause disease, and to the digestion and absorption of food and nutrients,” according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine site.
Beyond the physical, good bacteria have also been shown to improve your mood. the majority of serotonin, known as the happiness hormone, is produced in the gut, not the brain.
So even though the thought of having bacteria take up permanent residence in our bodies, even if it’s the good variety, is really icky, how can we use this information to improve our overall health?
First, it’s important to know that everyone’s mix of bacteria is different. Think about it, your own personal, customized batch of bacteria. For maximum gut health, it’s essential for us to maintain the proper balance of bacteria, which can be thrown off by taking antibiotics — indiscriminate killers of bacteria, taking out the good with the bad — and by “unfriendly” microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeasts, fungi and parasites, according to NCAM.
That’s where probiotics come in. Probiotics, as defined by the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, are “live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” they can be found in supplements and food, especially fermented foods like kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, cheese, tempeh, miso, natto, fermented fish, yogurt and kombucha (see sidebar). People have been consuming fermented foods for thousands of years; every culture seems to have its favorite.
Our dietitian Ariel suggested a couple of products that I’ve especially grown to like. Plain, 2 percent Greek yogurt topped with berries and slivered almonds makes a delicious and nutritious breakfast. And I’ve concocted my own smoothie using 8 ounces of kefir, a splash of pineapple juice, some strawberries and a scoop of protein powder. I’m still trying to get used to the flavored protein powder and would prefer plain, but it’s a simple and healthy way to start the day.
Admittedly, there’s still a lot to be learned about how probiotics work and how effective they are in treating illness, but it’s a fascinating — although still icky — subject.
<a href="http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110321/ARTICLE/110329924/-1/news?Title=Beyond-the-Scale-Don-t-ignore-your-guttag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110321/ARTICLE/110329924/-1/news?Title=Beyond-the-Scale-Don-t-ignore-your-gutMon, 21 Mar 2011 18:05:04 GMT 00:00″>Beyond the Scale: Don’t ignore your gut
Finding your avatar amid all the explosions and enemies occasionally feels like a game of Where’s Waldo?
