There may be no such thing as the Fountain of Youth, but a growing body of cool science shows that taking care of the 100 trillion bacteria that reside inside your gut can have a profound and positive impact on your family’s health.
Erica and Justin Sonnenburg, PhDs co-wrote The Good Gut. They live in California with their two daughters, ages 7 and 9, and their dog, Louis, who’s named after Louis Pasteur. They grow vegetables in their garden, and they eat a lot of fiber. Why the dog and the garden? Well, it turns out that good bacteria live in soil, so exposure to dirt from hands and paws can boost the beneficial bacteria that take up residence in your gut. And why the fiber? Well, that’s what the 1,200 or so bacterial species that live in your gut like to eat.
If you lined up all of your gut microbes side by side, they would reach the moon.
That’s a lot of bacteria, and it’s no coincidence that the diverse community of bugs that inhabit our gut also plays a significant role in our health. Our collection of microbes helps us digest food and stay regular, and controls our metabolism, immune system, mood and behavior, and even our body weight. They’re wired into our biology.
This is a fluorescence microscopy image of the microbiota in the colon of a mouse. The little “beans” on the top left are the bacteria; the green line bisecting the image is the mucus layer of the intestine; and the blue cells in the bottom right corner are intestinal cells. {Image credit: Kristen Earle, Gabe Billings, KC Huang, and Justin Sonnenburg}
If bacteria are deprived of their favorite food, which is fiber, they end up eating the mucous layer of the intestine. It sounds gross, and it’s a really bad thing. That mucous layer forms a barrier between us and them, and if it gets too thin, the immune system can kick into overdrive. The result: inflammation that can lead to all sorts of ills including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
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On average, most Americans consume just 15 grams of fiber a day. The recommended amount is 25 to 38 grams. FIBER IS YOUR FRIEND!
This Fiber-Filled Flatbread Pizza from the recipe section of The Good Gut has 9 grams of fiber, and it’s made with whole wheat naan bread and then topped with pesto, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, artichoke hearts, and Parmesan cheese. Set up a build-your-own pizza bar with whole wheat naan as the base and let the kids make their own high-fiber pies.
Other ways to boost your bugs include consuming fermented foods that contain beneficial bacteria including kefir, yogurt and kimchi and avoiding the temptation to be hyper hygienic. As Dr. Sonnenburg explains, while washing hands after a day at school or a trip to the public library is a good idea, it’s not always necessary after playing in the garden or with the dog.
This is my recipe for Strawberry Peanut Overnight Oats made with probiotic-rich kefir.
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Got picky eaters? Dr. Sonnenburg has this strategy that she uses with her daughters: Talk to your children about the bacteria that live in everyone’s gut or tummies, a word that may resonate better with younger kids. Explain how microbes keep everyone healthy and that they’re like a pet that has to be taken care of. And since your pet’s favorite foods are filled with fiber and relies on you to take care of it, it’s important that you eat your side of broccoli, carrots and peas 🙂
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Curious about the types of bacteria that live in your gut? Contact the American Gut Project to have your microbiota sequenced.
Gut health & a heathy microbiome is such a fascinating area of research! I just signed up for a “2 for 1” microbiome test kit {Mother’s Day special} at Ubiome-can’t wait to *see* what’s living in my gut 🙂 When I did research for my CEU course on Leaky Gut Sydrome {aka Increased Intestinal Permeability} I learned so much about the potential negative consequences of an unhealthy gut, but there’s always a lot more to learn-I’d love to read this book!
Talk about a hot topic – I’ve been super interested in learning more about it and this book since the beginning of the year. This was such a great post that put it all into layman’s terms – I’ll look forward to the podcast!
Such great info! The more I learn about this, the more of a believer I am in the power of a healthy gut.
This is such a big topic lately! Wonderfully written post. Great info!
The most interesting thing I learned was the Strawberry-Peanut Overnight Oats has16 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, and 20% of the bone-building calcium you need each day. Wow!
I follow you on Pinterest.
I thought I had read a lot about the gut, and healthy bacteria. I’ve tried to add more probiotic foods and supplements into our diets. But I had never seen the clear connection between fiber and supporting that gut flora. I always thought of them separately. Thank you!
I followed on Pinterest and Facebook and shared the giveaway on Facebook too. 🙂
I’m a healthcare provider and this looks like a great book to help my patients apply the theories we discuss about leaky gut, the micro biome and its potential influence on weight, energy levels, joint pain, insomnia – not just the belly pain/bloating. We have limited time in the office, and I’d love to be able to scrawl out a resource for them to check out at a more leisurely pace.
Fiber is a big part of my family’s diet, particularly for my youngest child, and I would love to learn about more ways to increase our gut health!
As a RD, I am always looking for clever ideas I can suggest to my patients with the ultimate goal of increasing dietary fiber intake for mireads of reasons that are beneficial to my patient population.
Thanks for sharing ideas with the general public to widespread this healthconcious message!
I try and shoot for 35 grams of fiber a day and steel cut oats are one of my favorite boosters! Great message and post!!
I can honestly say I enjoyed learning about bacteria and the mucus layer of the intestine.
My family struggles with on the go and eating healthy! Thank you for the strawberry peanut overnight bars. THAT will be happening in our kitchen this weekend! I want my kids invested in their own health. I would love to read your book!
I loved how you talked about letting kids get dirty and not wash their hands. I think we are way too nervous about germs. This was a very interesting podcast!
Pre and Probiotics are absolutely fascinating, I’d love to read more about them, and even better that it’s a cookbook too!
As an RD working to help veterans lose weight, this book would be extremely helpful in educating them on the importance of maintaining a healthy gut. Any evidence to promote eating more Kimchi is what I’m all about!!
My mother died of a C-dif infection four years ago. The research on repopulating the gut with someone else’s healthy stool was just in its very early stages and at her age she was too weak to be a good candidate. I have had my own issues with colitis and am committed to keeping my gut healthy! I would love this cookbook to keep my family and me healthy!
My kids are such picky eaters and my son suffers from stomach issues so I think this book would be a tremendous help for us.
Love your talked to day.
This podcast was SUPER interesting. I learned just how important the microbioda is for me and my kids. We’ve been eating coconut flour instead of regular flour to up our fiber intake, and I’ve been making kombucha for awhile. I would love to learn more. Thank you SO much!
I know we don’t eat good things in my family so I would love to have another resource to help educate us! Thanks for the info!
Think husband and I are victims of leaky gut, trying to do my homework to find out more. Very interested in your book!
My son has Crohn’s and I’ve heard lots about the microbiome project from his doctor. There’s so much new research and it’s very exciting. Would love to get the book!
I look forward to listening to the podcast and the interview with Dr Erica Sonnonburg! I aim for 40g of fiber each day as I learned it can reduce my blood sugar (I recently had a blood test that indicated I am in the pre-diabetic range). Would love to learn more about my gut & how I can improve my health!
I have been battling with digestive problems as far back as I can remember and the information you provided will no doubt help to heal my digestive system. I would really love to receive a copy of the book.
I just love the gut and encouraging gut health promotion foods….One of my graduate research papers was on food and flatulance and while kinda funny, things that I learned way back then are continuing to be talked about today…..and did you know there was a guy who could blow out a candle with his “toots” —yep I have the paper to prove it (I do remember a bit more than that…) but that was a memorable picture. I’d love to win the book for some leisure reading…:). Thanks for bringing this facinating information to the show!
We are laughing out loud. Thanks for sharing your toot story 🙂
I would like to win because i am interested in learning more about this
I was blessed to get an advanced reader copy of this book, and it is SO good! It contains a ton of information but it’s very approachable. And you will definitely not wonder, when you’re finished with it, whether lifestyle choices impact our gut flora.
I did not know that the bacteria in your intestines feed off fiber. Yet another reason to try to boost my fiber intake!
It was encouraging to hear that there are simple, affordable ways to improve your gut health. Since we welcomed a puppy to our family recently, we can check that one off right away!
Renee, now I let my puppy lick me and I feel like I’m helping diversify my gut bacteria!
I learned that fiber is what feeds the good bacteria in our gut. Great podcast and I’d love to have a copy of the book to so I can educate my whole family!
Such great info & so timely. Am in the midst dealing with a chronic GI condition. Two ER visits & two courses of antibiotics have me desperate to find a way to manage my health more holistically. Maybe more garden time this summer?! Sounds like an awesome book!
After various intestinal issues I am always looking for new and helpful information. I try and incorporate a lot of fiber into my diet but never realized the connection with gut flora. This book sounds like a great read!
I am an RD and would like to have this book as a reliable source of information. I am hearing more about the gut microbiome, but can’t trust the media. Thank you!
I have ulcerative colitis so I love reading about the bacteria in my gut. The more information I can learn the more I learn about my colitis in a way.
Shared on my G+
Thanks, Erica. If you do not win The Good Gut in our giveaway we highly recommend that you buy it. It is so informative.
I would love to win this book because gut health is a struggle for members of my family. I was happy to see this podcast because I think a lot of us are ignorant of how much of our immune system is based in the gut. I’m a big fan of yours and always recommend you to my fellow mommies!
I have been interested in learning about gut health, and how to improve it, but haven’t had the chance to do so. Looking forward to listening to your podcast and reading the book.