Supporting A Healthy Microbiome

FEEDING YOUR MICROBIOME

Long-term dietary changes can significantly help to shift your microbiome and determine which types of bacteria live in your gut. These bacterial boosters are often to referred to as prebiotics— digestion-resistant starches that pass unchanged through the entire digestive system to the colon, where the bacteria feed on them. These resistant starches help to lower inflammation in the colon, which therefore should help to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, elevate insulin sensitivity, and balance blood sugar levels.

Consider adding prebiotic-rich foods into your daily diet, including green bananas, cooked potatoes, oats, dandelion root + greens, plantains, onions, garlic, leeks, jicama, cassava, raw collards and raw asparagus.

Dr. Cope, suggests eating a rainbow of 10-30 different fruits and vegetables weekly to support gut health diversity. It’s not impossible, try adding parsley and cilantro to your meals. Yes, herbs count too!

What does not support healthy gut microbes? Processed sugar, carbohydrates, and fats + factory-raised meat and dairy. It’s mind blowing the amount of antibiotics that have been added to the food of these factory-raised animals, that then pass into the meat and dairy that humans consume— causing weight gain and harmful distress to the immune system.

HEALTHY MICROBIOME = HEALTHY SKIN

Nadine Artemis, creator of Boketto favorite Living Libations and author of Renegade Beauty, explains that gut bacterial imbalances may result in chronic inflammation that can lead to damage to collagen and the skin bacteria, which therefore contributes to rapid aging.

“Dietary fat is vital for whole-body health and beautiful skin, and some fats are better than others. The fabulous fats in rich avocados, pasture-raised dairy, and real, organic olive and coconut oils support our cellular integrity and keep the skin soft and supple from the inside out. Processed omega-6 polyunsaturated fats and trans fats, found in every processed food on the supermarket shelf, impair intercellular communication and suppress immune functions, which are associated with skin aging and hyperpigmentation.”

Colorful meals featuring abundant fresh, organic and wholesome foods including healthy fats, proteins, fruits and vegetables support reduced inflammation and the reversing of oxidative damage to the skin. Vitamins and minerals can also be supportive allies, including zinc, omega-3 EFAs, Vitamins C, B, B12, and E; turmeric (curcumin), polyphenols found in grapes, cranberries and blueberries, magnesium, selenium and indole-3-carbinol found in cruciferous vegetables (which helps to clear excess estrogen that may contribute to melasma). Avoid foods containing soy when possible, as it contains plant estrogens that can stimulate and mimic human estrogen!