3 Ways to Get the Best Bugs in Your Poop

And why it matters!

Alexas_photos on Pixabay

Did you know that between 300 and 500 species of bacteria live in your gut? Sounds terrible, but actually the relationship between us and ‘them’ is largely symbiotic — we feed them, they keep us comfortably regular.

Ok, but what’s the gut you ask?

The gastrointestinal system, or gut, is a group of organs that includes the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, colon and rectum. So basically everything from one end to the other, with a few add-on organs involved in turning our food into energy available for use by our body cells.

But it’s not only about energy. Research has shown a relationship between the health of our digestive systems and our immune systems, mental health, hormone systems, cancer and even our moods.

An important component of gut health is the “microbiome” — the living organisms that populate the digestive tract. While some are harmful, others are actually necessary for overall health and digestion. Good bacteria are involved in:

• The digestive process
• Nutrient absorption
• Blood sugar and cholesterol management
• The immune system as part of the body’s first line defence against infection.

Microorganisms ferment leftover food in the colon

Bacteria and yeast microorganisms in the colon ferment leftover food that hasn’t been absorbed as it passes out of the body. Fermentation breaks food down into stool for excretion and gas is a by-product of this process.

The composition of your gut microbiome, i.e. the types and amounts of different microorganisms, impacts:

• How much gas is produced by different foods
• How quickly or slowly food passes through
• How much water is reabsorbed into the body

This means that food intolerance symptoms (belching, bloating, cramps, constipation or diarrhea) can be improved or worsened by the quality of your gut microbiome.

You can change the population of your gut

You can change the environment and population of your gut microbiome in these 3 ways:

1. Diet: Just as the food we eat provides nourishment for us, it provides nourishment for our gut microfriends…and enemies. These little guys are sensitive foodies too and the sugars, proteins and fats in the food we eat help or hurt them in different ways. Although scientists and nutritionists have worked hard to establish standardised cause and effect rules of thumb (such as the FODMAP framework), the interaction between your gut microbiome and the food you eat is actually very personal. Changing the microorganism profile takes trial and error and perseverance.
2. Physical cleansing: Enemas are used to remove residual food and stool that may be feeding unhealthy bacteria and/or continuing to ferment (and produce gas). They are usually followed by swallowing probiotic medication.
3. Probiotics: These are substances, such as liquid medicines, tablets or fermented foods, that contain the microorganisms known to be good for your digestion. They are often taken after an enema or during a course of antibiotics, which kills off both good and bad gut bacteria, in order to repopulate the gut. But they are also helpful for reducing the symptoms of food intolerances and to counteract the overgrowth of unhealthy organisms in the gut.

Luckily for those who don’t have the stomach for much dietary effort, probiotics are a non-invasive (nothing up your butt) solution that also allows you to avoid the complexity of figuring out what foods have which impact and when. I’m always in favour of personalisation, but I do love the one-size fits all approach of dosing up on these friendly and protective helpers.

Have the best of both: natural probiotics

What’s even better than pure probiotics, i.e. the medicines available at pharmacies, is the great range of natural options now available for you to choose from. These generally also provide other beneficial nutrients, which means they’re an efficient and easy addition to your daily diet.

If you’re anything like my friends and family, at this point you’re probably thinking “yuck” and cynically writing off my claim of ease. But did you know that trusty old sauerkraut and the newly fashionable kimchi have probiotic effects? And next time you walk down your local grocer’s dairy aisle, prepare to be amazed. Skyr, quark, cherry kefir, coconut kefir, madagascan vanilla kefir. Ok, clearly I’m a kefir fan but if I could find a tasty option, so can you.

In fact, I’m willing to bet you might find one you like so much you overdo it, like I did. Don’t! We all know too much of a good thing is bad. In this case, let’s just say that too much probiotic can lead to too much toilet time…

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