1. Antibiotics overuse: Antibiotics can be useful and lifesavers however it is best to use them when absolutely necessary as they have been associated with a reducted diversity of gut bacteria. Antibiotics cannot differentiate good bacteria from bad and can kill a lot of your good gut bacteria causing significant disruption to the microbiome. If you have to take antibiotics ensure that you get advice from a practitioner in order to supplement with probiotics and do some gut work. This is particularly important if you have had to have antibiotics on repeat.
Antibiotics can be consumed via medicinal use but also via the food chain. To avoid over exposure aim to consume organic meat. A lot of antibiotics are regularly given to animal farms.
2. Medication and painkillers: Ibuprofen and laxative have been shown to be harmful to your gut. NSAIDs can damage the gut lining and do have an impact on the bacteria found within the gut microbiome putting regular users at risks to develop ulcers. Think wisely when using those and try and get to the root cause of your pains as oppose to taking painkillers on a regular basis. PPI such as Omeprazole will reduce the production of stomach which is responsible for sterilising your food. Over time this could lead to gut infection and affect the composition of your Gut Microbiome.
3. Processed and fast food diet high in sugar and refined vegetable oils : Diets high in refined sugar have been shown to negatively affect the Gut microbiome. Bad pathogenic bacteria have a tendency to fed off sugars and this allows them to increase not only in strength but also in numbers. For instance there is a condition called candida overgrowth where one of the symptoms can often be uncontrollable cravings for sweet and surgery foods. Bad damaged saturated fats have also been shown to be detrimental to the health of our gut.
4. Food additives: Commonly found in processed foods, food additives, preservatives and certain emulsifiers can have a negative impact on the bacteria living in your gut. As a rule try and avoid all processed foods as much as possible or read the list of ingredients and the less the better, particularly if hard to pronounce !
5. Stress and anxiety: Cortisol which is your stress hormone is known to have a detrimental effect on the bacteria that live in your gut. It can also affect your digestion as the sympathetic nervous system, your fight of fly , takes over and prevent you from digesting your food properly. Stress will reduce the production of stomach acid which is important to sterilise your food and avoid gut infections. It also helps to trigger the release of digestive enzymes responsible for breaking down your food in order to absorb nutrients as well as vitamins and minerals.
6. Spending too much time indoor : As modern humans, we spend the majority of our time in indoor environments. Consequently, environmental exposure to microorganisms has important implications for human health. Did you know that modern humans spend 90% of their time indoors ? Being sedentary will also affect the diversity and health of your gut bacteria.
6. Overusing products containing anti-bacterial agents such as in commercial mouthwashes hurt our oral flora the unbalanced oral flora will have an effect on your gut flora and vice versa. Instead try and rinse your mouth with salt water, which can prevent the build-up of infectious bacteria; drinking green tea is another great way to temporarily reduce bad breath, according to research.Other products such as anti-bacterial sprays when over cleaning and antibacterial body washes
7. Constantly snacking has been shown to affect the diversity of your gut bacteria. Every time you eat your gut will get slightly inflamed so ‘keep off the grass’ and let your microbiome replenish and heal by giving longer breaks between meals help your microbes,’ Different microbes come out at night and tidy up the gut lining, so eat early and leave at least 12-14 hours between your dinner and breakfast to support this.
8 Eating the same things every day : Porridge for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch, salmon and boiled potatoes for supper, sounds good but even the healthiest foods aren’t great for your gut if eat the same things day in and day out. We’re all creatures of habit but eating the same things every day is not optimising your gut health. It’s important to have variety in your diet because different families of bacteria thrive and grow on different foods. Studies suggests aiming for 30 different foods every week.