Our microbiome has an unimaginable effect on our mental and physical health.
In this article, we’ll talk about how you can use ‘biohacking’ to help your intestinal flora in order to reduce stress and increase energy as well as your overall well-being.
You will learn how your intestinal flora creates metabolic products that help the body to function at the highest level.
In a subsequent 4-step plan, I will point out how to quickly and sustainably improve your intestinal flora.
Microbiome – Linchpin Of Your Health
Our gut is the interface to the outside world for our bodies.
The intestinal wall is so thin that substances can easily be absorbed and released here.
However, the constant stimulation by toxins and chronic inflammation can make the intestinal wall so permeable that even toxins get into our bloodstream.
Apparently, it is not only crucial what we eat, but what happens to it in our intestines.
This is what the microbiome, that is the intestinal flora, is responsible for.
Several intestinal bacteria ensure that substances are transformed.
These can either help the body, such as short-chain fatty acids and tryptophan.
Or they can damage the body.
For it is not only crucial that our intestine is colonized by bacteria, but also by which bacterial strains.
An excellent example of this is the consumption of meat and eggs.
What is originally an excellent source for a variety of nutrients may be harmful to the arteries through specific gut bacteria.
At least that’s what the Cleveland Clinic found out.
Namely, their researchers discovered a strain of bacteria that metabolize components of meat and eggs to a final product which favors arteriosclerosis.
But how can such harmful bacteria even gain the upper hand in our gut?
This is due mainly to a poor diet, chronic stress and lack of exercise.
On average the western diet is characterized by sugar, refined flours, bad fats, alcohol, and additives.
In addition, there is a lack of fiber and micronutrients.
And as if that’s not enough, the chronic stress and regular use of antibiotics do the rest.
The Intestine As The Seat Of Personality?
What if the intestinal flora is not only crucial to your health but would also have a major impact on your personality?
What if the “wrong” bacteria in your gut could lead to more anxiety and stress?
Would it not be in your interest to immediately restore your intestinal flora to your well-being?
According to current findings, the intestinal flora seems to be able to do just that.
Of course, further research is needed, but the trend is already clear.
The opposite seems to work out the other way round: Not only the intestine seems to shape our mental state, but our mental state also the gut.
Anyone who is constantly stressed or anxious changes the shape of the intestinal flora.
In the worst case, this can become a self-reinforcing vicious circle.
The Fearful Intestine Of The Mouse
An interesting study was carried out on mice in 2011.
The behavior of normal mice was compared to that of mice with a bacteria-free intestine.
The observation: The mouse without her little helpers had a higher cortisol level (chronic stress) and showed less growth hormone BDNF (Important for brain functioning).
This observation was also reflected in her behavior: she took without hesitation above-average risks.
Intestinal transplantation in mice
Further research results have confirmed behavioral changes through so-called “stool transplants”, the addition of foreign bacteria.
For this purpose, anxious mice have transplanted the intestinal bacteria of normal mice, which they adapted to their behavior and were less anxious.
With such results, the question arises: Is it possible to do personality training via the intestine?
Are the causes of mental illness partially to be found in the intestine?
The Gut As an Effective Neuroenhancer
It’s amazing how much the gut and intestinal flora communicate with our brain and provide important building blocks for our neurotransmitters.
If the intestinal flora is disturbed, this can also lead to an imbalance of messenger substances.
How To Protect The Right Gut Bacteria From Depression
Particularly interesting is the connection between the intestinal flora and serotonin production.
Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that the body and mind need to feel good.
The body needs enough tryptophan to be able to produce serotonin at all.
If this amino acid is missing, this process will no longer work properly.
This situation occurs, for example, when special enzymes decompose tryptophan in the body.
The bacterium Bifidobacterium infantis can deftly bypass this process, giving the body more tryptophan.
Healthy Intestinal Environment Ensures Relaxation
Another important neurotransmitter produced by bacteria is GABA.
This messenger substance has a dampening function on the impulse transmission of the nerves.
A deficiency seems to be closely related to ADHD.
However, the body requires the production of the amino acid glutamine and co-factors such as zinc and vitamin B6.
GABA production is only possible if the substances are converted by special intestinal bacteria.
This means that even if the building blocks for the production of GABA are given, the production can be sabotaged by a tilted intestinal milieu.
The Journal of Applied Microbiology has already linked specific species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium to an immense production of GABA.
These bacteria, according to several studies, appear to be a promising alternative treatment for anxiety disorders as a probiotic.
Microbiome as self-submitter and Cause Of Obesity
How a dysfunctional intestinal flora can harm the body, we have now been able to see many examples.
It can lead to chronic inflammation, favors mental disorders and generally reduces performance.
As if these were not enough, it also may be the reason for being overweight.
Crucial is the ratio of our two largest bacterial strains, the so-called Firmicutes, and the Bacteroidetes.
A high proportion of Firmicutes leads to an increased risk of obesity and inflammation.
It is therefore in the interest of increasing the proportion of Bacteroidetes, so as to reduce the tendency to inflammation and the risk of obesity.
How exactly you do that, you will learn now.
Intestinal Rehabilitation – 4 Steps To A Healthy Intestinal Flora
On the Internet, expensive gut renovations are offered abundantly, which usually cost several hundred euros.
I will not recommend such sets for you.
Instead, I’d like to show you steps that will improve your gut flora in the long run and not just give you a quick breath of relief.
The direction is clear: more fresh food, fermented dishes, no binge eating, and the right supplements.
But also the interaction between stress, the gut and the right amount of exercise has to be considered.
Step 1: Healthy Diet
Lots of vegetables
At the top of the list of healthy intestinal flora is a fresh diet rich in vegetables.
Vegetables contain prebiotics, fibers or fiber.
Prebiotics are characterized by the fact that they can not be processed directly by the body but serve as food for intestinal bacteria.
These metabolize the prebiotics into various substances, such as the health-promoting short fatty acids.
Little sugar
The western population has tripled its sugar consumption in the last 50 years.
In this course, fatal consequences arose: Diabetes and obesity have increased dramatically in recent years.
The intestinal flora was not spared.
A carbohydrate-rich diet seems to adversely affect intestinal bacteria.
Therefore, it is recommended abstaining from sugar as far as possible.
By that, I mean pizza, pasta, and bread.
Carbohydrates are not bad per se, but today they are available unfortunately almost only in the form of highly processed and refined foods.
Instead, you should look for sweet potatoes, carrots, beetroot, berries, and fruits.
In their composition of carbohydrates, they contain important micronutrients.
If you are looking for ketosis, you should be careful not to consume more than 50g of carbs per day.
Semi luxury FoodChocolate with a high cocoa content and high-quality pesticide-free coffee have a positive effect on the intestinal flora and provide the intestinal bacteria with the help of polyphenols valuable food. Important here is the measure.
You should consider them as a stimulant and not overdo the consumption.
High-quality fats
High-quality fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, fish oil, wheat butter or MCT oil are not only good for your brain and your cell membranes but also promote intestinal health.
Especially omega-3 has an anti-inflammatory effect on the intestinal mucosa.
Step 2: Fermented foods
Fermented foods are a probiotic gift from Mother Nature.
They contain a variety of bacterial cultures that strengthen the intestinal flora.
Raw sauerkraut, for example, is an ideal food to build up the gut.
But Kimchi, the Korean equivalent of sauerkraut, is also an excellent food for intestinal health.
Kombucha – The probiotic lemonade
A perfect substitute for soft drinks and an absolute performance drink is Kombucha.
It is a fermented tea that contains a lot of bacterial strains and vitamins when raw.
Step 3: Dietary supplement
Dietary supplements should not be the basis for remediation or maintaining a healthy gut but should be seen as a supplement.
If you have an unhealthy diet, sooner or later you will end up back where you started.
For this reason, I also think poorly of so-called detox cures, according to which one does not really change his behavior.
Prebiotics as a dietary supplement
If you want to support your intestinal flora, you can do so with a prebiotic such as inulin, resistant starch or gum arabic.
If you feel uncomfortable with any of the fabrics, you should stop them.
Particularly resistant starch leads to unpleasant gas formation in some people.
Probiotics as a dietary supplement
A supplement that I can recommend to anyone in a diet change is probiotics. This promotes the settlement of the “right” bacterial strains and speeds up the process immensely.
That outside supplied probiotics have an effect, could prove a Californian team of UCLA.
In this study, they compared a fermented milk product with probiotics to a dairy product without probiotics.
The research team was able to observe a significant change in brain function after 4 weeks.
Bind toxins from the diet
To bind toxins, I recommend the use of bentonite or activated carbon.
These are tiny grains that bind to other substances and make them useless.
Beware: Not only toxins can bind with it, but also helpful nutrients.
The timing and amount are very crucial here.
Step 4: Lifestyle
Your lifestyle not only determines your own gene expression but also your microbiome.
The tips are as well as in all areas.
Reduce stress, move regularly and regularly apply stronger stimuli.
Translated: meditate, run, use a high table and train high intensity.
Lifestyle at a glance
- Meditation
- More movement
- Train with high intensity
- Endurance training
- Strength training
Final Thought: Why Microbiome Is Important
As you can see in this article, the microbiome can either assist you or harm you from the inside out.
Inspect the intestinal bacteria in your body as little helpers that can bring about incredible benefits, given you enable yourself to have a good environment and optimal nutrition.
If you fail to do so, these little helpers start to strike slowly and at some point find it very hard to motivate them to resume their work.
Ultimately, only you are responsible for bringing the right helpers to your intestines.
Thus, I have given you the steps to do so in this article.
Now, only one question remains.
How will you translate this new knowledge into your life?
I wish you every success.
Cheers,
Janik
