8 Tips to Keep Your Gut Microbiome Flourishing

Given the overall lack of diversity of microbial life in urban living due to the factors like unnatural spaces, disconnection from nature, over-sanitisation with chemical cleaners, treated water supplies, and radiation from digital devices etc.  as highlighted in this article, here are some suggestions to grow a healthy microbiome, in addition to having probiotic-rich foods.

1. Earthing

Walk barefoot on the Earth for at least 15-20 minutes each day. This will neutralise some of the charge from exposure to digital devices and also allow your soles to absorb some bacteria. Don’t be in a hurry to wash your feet.

2. Go Packaged/Processed foods- Free

Cut out packaged/ processed food from your diet. The chemicals added to most packaged food are toxic to the microflora of your body. They tend to provide an environment for the bad bacteria to thrive. The good bacteria on the other hand loves to eat plant fibre. The more raw fruits and salads we eat, the more the probiotics thrive.

3. Connect to the soil

Try out gardening or farming as a new hobby. The healthy microbes present in soil can enter through your skin and nasal passage everytime you weed or dig the earth and breathe in the smell of freshly dug soil. Besides working in the sun is beneficial and the physical labour is a good workout and you get to eat clean food.

4. Go Organic 

Most of us cannot grow our own food. If you are living in cities, look out for farmers markets selling fresh organic produce, free of dangerous and toxic pesticides and other chemicals that can harm your gut health. 

5.  Say No to Chemical Cleaners

Get rid of chemical cleaners in your home and for your personal care. There are many organic and natural cleansers available for your skin, hair and teeth. For cleaning, utensils, floors and surfaces you can learn to make a universal cleaner from orange peels and jaggery, called 'bio-enzyme'.

6. Spend Some Time Away from your Gadgets

Limit the exposure to digital technology for some time each day or each week. Find a couple of hours regularly, to completely be away from digital devices in a park or open area. 

7. Take Some Time Off City Life

Plan holidays to natural spaces. Go to a forest sanctuary or explore some wilderness in your next holiday. Breathing in the forest air of different wild spaces helps to build the bio-diversity of our microbiome.

8. Drink Water from Safe, Natural Spaces, When Possible

When you visit a natural space, try to drink raw untreated water from a clean spring, waterfall, river or pond. This has a rich bio-diversity of beneficial microbiota.

Providing the right environment for your gut flora to thrive is key to growing a healthy and bio-diverse microbiome. Your job is just keep your inner terrain toxin free and nourishing for the tiny beings and nature will do the rest. 

Featured Image Source: Kristina Paukshtite from Pexels

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