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Episode 2548:
Dr. Neal explores the fascinating interconnection between our gut and overall health, emphasizing how a diverse microbiome can influence brain health, immune response, weight management, and diabetes risk. Discover the essential steps to maintain and restore gut health through diet, probiotics, and lifestyle choices, underscoring the profound impact of our gut bacteria on our wellbeing.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://oldpodcast.com/gut-health-diet-plan-keep-healthy-gut/
Quotes to ponder:
"Each person's microbiome is unique to them, with possibly 400 different species of good bacteria varying in quantities."
"The best way to replenish good gut bacteria is to consume fiber-rich foods like beans, lentils, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables."
"Regular physical activity, like walking or jogging, can promote gut health by keeping the intestinal contents moving."
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[00:01:00] It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, episode 2548.
[00:01:05] And I'm Dr. Neal, your host of the show.
[00:01:08] Welcome back to another special Friday edition of Optimal Health Daily where I answer your
[00:01:12] questions.
[00:01:13] On all the other days, I read health and fitness blogs to you like an audiobook.
[00:01:18] Now once a month, usually during the first Q&A episode of the month, I mention a
[00:01:22] bit about my background and credentials so you can better understand where my perspectives
[00:01:26] come from.
[00:01:27] Given this is the first Q&A of the month, it's time.
[00:01:31] I've always been obsessed with Batman for as long as I can remember but I wasn't always
[00:01:34] interested in nutrition, exercise, health and wellness.
[00:01:39] Basically all the things I talk about on the show, I could have cared less about
[00:01:42] when I was a kid.
[00:01:44] But being diagnosed with a chronic disease at the age of 19 definitely changed my life's
[00:01:48] purpose.
[00:01:49] And then I decided to focus my attention on helping others so that no one else had to experience
[00:01:54] a chronic disease diagnosis like I did, especially at that young of an age.
[00:01:59] In order to do that, I wanted to have some credibility.
[00:02:02] This is not meant to be a humble brag but instead gain your trust.
[00:02:05] I received both my master's and doctoral degrees in public health.
[00:02:09] And to really cover all of my bases, I also became a registered dietitian nutritionist,
[00:02:14] a certified health education specialist and a certified exercise physiologist through
[00:02:19] the American College of Sports Medicine.
[00:02:21] I've been teaching in higher education for almost two decades now and I'm currently
[00:02:25] faculty within the California State University System.
[00:02:29] I've published peer reviewed studies, presented at national and international conferences and
[00:02:34] have been interviewed by over 70 different media outlets for my expertise on basically
[00:02:39] all the things I discuss on this podcast.
[00:02:41] So all of this to say that when I provide my commentary after each episode and answer
[00:02:47] the questions you send in like today, I hope you feel as though it's coming from a place
[00:02:51] of truth.
[00:02:52] My only intention is to help you feel your best.
[00:02:56] All right and with that let's hear today's question and start optimizing your life.
[00:03:01] Hi this is Danielle, new listener.
[00:03:09] My question is about gut health.
[00:03:12] I'm interested in learning more about that.
[00:03:15] Just wanted to know how do I keep my gut healthy?
[00:03:19] Thanks.
[00:03:21] Thank you for your question Danielle.
[00:03:22] I'm so glad you found our show and thanks for listening.
[00:03:25] Gut health has certainly been receiving a lot of attention lately.
[00:03:29] This is because scientists are just starting to uncover how the gut interconnects with
[00:03:34] every other system in the body, possibly all the way up to the brain.
[00:03:38] It's possible that the types of bacteria found in our gut may influence the health
[00:03:43] of like I said the brain, our immune system, our ability to lose weight and even our
[00:03:48] risk for developing diabetes.
[00:03:50] Specifically researchers have been spending a lot of time exploring this thing called the
[00:03:54] microbiome.
[00:03:55] One of the biggest challenges when studying the microbiome is actually trying to define
[00:04:00] it.
[00:04:01] Even those that specialize in studying it aren't really sure how to define it or
[00:04:04] even what to call it.
[00:04:06] Some use the term microbiota as a synonym for the microbiome.
[00:04:10] What we can agree on is that first we're talking about the good bacteria found in
[00:04:14] the gut and we're talking about lots of them.
[00:04:17] It's estimated that each person has anywhere from 10 to 100 trillion of these good bacteria
[00:04:22] in our intestines.
[00:04:24] And remember, these are good bacteria.
[00:04:26] They help keep us healthy.
[00:04:28] And what's amazing is that each person's microbiome is different.
[00:04:32] There are lots of different strains or species of these good bacteria within each person
[00:04:37] but in different quantities.
[00:04:38] It's actually believed that there are at least 400 different species of these good
[00:04:42] bacteria within each person.
[00:04:44] It's these different quantities that make everyone's microbiome unique.
[00:04:49] And what researchers can also agree on is it's always a good idea to try and preserve
[00:04:53] the health of your gut.
[00:04:55] So then how do we do this?
[00:04:57] Certain things can actually injure the microbiome.
[00:04:59] Now to be clear, it would be quite a feat to destroy all of the good bacteria found
[00:05:04] there.
[00:05:05] Remember, we have trillions of good bacteria at any given time in our intestines.
[00:05:10] But it is possible to temporarily decrease the amount of these good bacteria in the gut.
[00:05:15] One of the most common ways this happens is by taking antibiotics.
[00:05:19] Now we take antibiotics to help us get over bacterial infections.
[00:05:23] The trouble is these medications don't know the difference between good versus bad bacteria.
[00:05:29] Antibiotics just kill bacteria.
[00:05:30] Good and bad, it doesn't matter.
[00:05:32] Now please don't get me wrong.
[00:05:34] If your doctor prescribes antibiotics because you have an infection like bacterial pneumonia,
[00:05:39] strep throat, or a sinus infection for example, please take them.
[00:05:44] If you skip your antibiotics, the infection can spread and cause much more serious problems.
[00:05:49] So let's say you've finished your course of antibiotics and want to get the numbers
[00:05:53] of good bacteria back to a healthy level.
[00:05:56] Basically resetting your microbiome.
[00:05:59] How would you go about doing that?
[00:06:00] Well one of the best ways is to consume fiber rich foods.
[00:06:04] It's foods like beans, lentils, nuts, whole grains, oats, fruits and vegetables.
[00:06:11] These will all support the regrowth of these beneficial gut bacteria.
[00:06:16] Consuming a combination of these foods will provide your body with something called short
[00:06:20] chain fatty acids.
[00:06:22] These short chain fats help the body create more healthy gut bacteria.
[00:06:27] Now at this time it's not worth going out and buying short chain fatty acid supplements.
[00:06:31] Instead, eating a fiber rich diet including the foods I just mentioned would be the way
[00:06:36] to go.
[00:06:37] So if you can consume anywhere between 25 to 35 grams of fiber each day from the foods
[00:06:44] I just mentioned, you will replenish those good gut bacteria in no time.
[00:06:49] Now what about probiotics like those found in yogurt?
[00:06:52] Probiotics are live bacteria that support the health of our microbiome and yes,
[00:06:57] foods like yogurt, kefir and yucult contain lots of probiotics.
[00:07:01] The trouble is we don't really know how helpful these foods are when it comes to actually increasing
[00:07:06] the number of good bacteria in your gut.
[00:07:08] This is because these foods have to first pass through the stomach before they get to
[00:07:12] the intestine and the stomach is a pretty harsh environment for most things so it's
[00:07:17] possible that many of these good bacteria are destroyed before they get to the intestines
[00:07:22] where they can thrive.
[00:07:23] We must also be careful before supplementing with probiotics as well.
[00:07:27] As I've mentioned many times before, the supplement industry is kind of like the wild
[00:07:31] west right now.
[00:07:32] Supplement manufacturers are creating products that aren't being tested by independent third
[00:07:37] parties so they're putting fillers in their products and sometimes marketing them as supplements.
[00:07:43] So it's very possible you could go out and purchase what you think is a probiotic
[00:07:46] supplement but if we were to actually analyze the product to see what it's truly made
[00:07:50] of, you might find it contains no good bacteria at all or if the product does
[00:07:55] contain good bacteria there aren't enough of them to make a difference.
[00:07:59] So it really comes back to eating whole foods that are good sources of dietary fiber.
[00:08:04] Again, those are foods like beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, oats, fruits and vegetables.
[00:08:10] You know all the stuff I end up recommending we consume regularly anyway.
[00:08:14] Another way to promote gut health is through exercise.
[00:08:17] We're discovering that walking, jogging and running may promote gut health because
[00:08:21] these activities help keep things inside the intestines moving along.
[00:08:25] In fact, a common treatment for constipation is to take regular walks or go for a light
[00:08:29] jog.
[00:08:30] Lastly, stay hydrated.
[00:08:33] Now no need to go overboard here but drink enough water so that your urine is a pale
[00:08:37] lemonade color.
[00:08:39] If your urine is clear most of the time you're drinking too much water.
[00:08:42] You don't need to over hydrate because you can actually excrete vitamins and minerals
[00:08:46] that way.
[00:08:47] If your urine is darker than lemonade you need to hydrate more.
[00:08:51] So keeping your gut healthy really comes down to three things.
[00:08:55] Eat foods that are good sources of fiber, beans, lentils, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
[00:09:02] Exercise, possibly walk, jog or run and drink enough water so that your urine is
[00:09:07] a pale yellow color.
[00:09:09] If you're able to do one or more of these things regularly chances are your gut
[00:09:14] will thank you.
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[00:10:59] Thank you again so much for taking the time to send in your question, Danielle.
[00:11:02] Now if you want to submit a question to be answered right here on the show plus
[00:11:06] get a copy of our workbook for free, you can email a question to health at oldpodcast.com.
[00:11:14] You can also call in your question.
[00:11:16] The number is country code 1-61-ILOV-OHD.
[00:11:22] That's 1-614-568-3643 or you can submit your audio question at oldpodcast.com slash
[00:11:32] ask.
[00:11:34] Right there on that page it's really easy to send in your audio question and you can
[00:11:38] even do retakes before sending it in.
[00:11:41] Again, that's oldpodcast.com slash ask.
[00:11:46] Alright that's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily.
[00:11:49] Thank you so much for listening every day and all the way through and I'll see you
[00:11:52] back here over the weekend where your Optimal Life awaits.