You are having trouble with your gut. Maybe you get gas, bloating, or irregular stools. Symptoms that keep coming back, without you knowing exactly why. What many people don't know is that the cause can lie in your microbiome.
What is the microbiome?
The microbiome, also known as your gut flora, is made up of all the bacteria that live mainly in your large intestine. There are many different kinds of bacteria, and they need to be in the right balance to do their job well.
These bacteria help to digest fibre. While they break that fibre down, they make short-chain fatty acids, and the most important one is butyrate. Butyrate is the main fuel for the cells of your gut wall. It is also what keeps that wall strong, calms inflammation, and supports a healthy balance of bacteria in your gut. That is also why these bacteria play such an important role in your immune system.
What happens when the balance is disrupted?
This balance is fragile. If you have, or have had, a very one-sided diet, or if you have used antibiotics, the make-up of your gut bacteria can shift. The good bacteria drop in number, and that leaves room for unwanted bacteria, parasites, or fungi.
And as soon as those take over, symptoms appear.
What you notice from this
These pathogens throw your digestion off balance, which can leave you with diarrhoea, gas, and other symptoms that often get filed under irritable bowel.
What many people don't know is that this disruption can be an important underlying cause of their symptoms.
Without restoring this balance, the things you try rarely bring lasting relief. You keep adjusting, you keep searching, but as long as the underlying balance stays disrupted, the symptoms never truly go away.
The good news: you can influence your gut flora, and one of the main ways is through your food. Fermented foods are one of the oldest ways to feed your gut bacteria.