What You Eat Affects Your Gut Bacteria

Aug 14, 2024

You are what you eat.

Well, it’s better stated as your gut health is dependent on what you eat. And your gut health has a direct impact on your physical and mental health.

A healthy human body has microorganisms inhabiting every nook and cranny on the body. It is in our gut, the gastrointestinal tract, that we can find the largest collection of microorganisms.

These microorganisms are a community and as such make up our gut microbiota. Combine the microbiota, the products it makes, and the entire environment it lives within and we have a microbiome. The human microbiome (all of our microbes’ genes) can be considered a counterpart to the human genome (all of our genes).

Every human being has a gut microbiota (community of bacteria) that is unique.  People who are sick may have too little or too much of a certain type of gut bacteria, or they may lack a variety of bacteria. This means you can affect the balance of your gut bacteria and it can be done through diet.

The Good and the Bad:
Knowing that diet is important is one thing, consciously eating foods that support good gut health is even more important. And, it’s not as difficult as you might think. Chances are good that you know that refined sugar is bad for your health, in a number of ways. Well, it’s also bad for your gut health.

Probiotics and Prebiotics:
There are good and bad types of gut bacteria that need your attention: Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, and they feed on prebiotics, which are plant-based fibers from whole foods like apples, onions, garlic, bananas, and oats. The bad gut bacteria love to eat sugar. When you eat refined sugar, these bad gut bacteria thrive and grow out of control, outworking the good bacteria. And the results are diseases and disorders like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

Gluten:
Then there is gluten. Gluten is a family of proteins found in grains like wheat, rye, spelt and barley, with wheat being the most common grain consumed. Gluten can contribute to gut inflammation if you have Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac. Researchers say the presence of certain gut bacteria may contribute to the development of celiac disease. Celiac disease is an immune disease in which a person is intolerant to gluten.

Fermented Foods:
Fermented foods can help provide balance to your gut bacteria. Foods like pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso soup, apple cider vinegar, and dark chocolate feed the good gut bacteria. Add these to your diet, while removing refined sugars and reducing gluten and you will be on your way to a healthy, happy balance of gut bacteria.

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carla alpert functional medicine practitioner

Hello and Welcome! My name is Carla Alpert, and I’m a Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach and Diagnostic Practitioner, focusing on the gut and how it affects your overall health. Think of me as a health detective and wellness coach working in partnership with you to restore your health. We work together to uncover the contributing factors to your chronic symptoms, to eat well, sleep well, move more and stress less.

I love the GI MAP test because it helps my clients and I discover gut dysfunction that may be contributing to daily digestive issues as well as other chronic symptoms like anxiety, fatigue and brain fog. I created this GI MAP Coaching Package to help you stop struggling with your health and get back to living your best life.

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Carla really helped me to figure out my gut pain and issues after so many years. I finally feel like I have energy and clarity around my health! She was so easy to talk to and helped me discover problem areas that were causing me so much distress, when no other doctors could help.
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Well Humans changed my life. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis accompanied by chronic hives. It sprang up out of nowhere and caused bizarre “food allergies” that I’d never had before. Because of Carla’s coaching and dietary recommendations as well as GI Map testing, I can happily say that I am now symptom-free, and I have been in remission for over a year now. All of the doctors I saw told me I would have to deal with my symptoms because there was no cure, but here I am, back to living a mostly normal life. I highly recommend Carla and Well Humans for anyone looking for real answers and treatments that work.
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When working with Carla, you are in capable, compassionate, knowledgeable and caring hands. Carla truly cares about your well being and wants to help you be the healthiest that you can be. My health was truly suffering and with her guidance and suggested testing, we uncovered some issues that nobody else had uncovered, despite my going to some of the top rated medical institutions. My health and pain improved greatly due to Carla’s sleuthing…she knew where to look. Through many health challenges, I was quite emotional and Carla showed me what compassion looks like. If you want to truly improve your health, start with Well Humans.
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Over years, I’ve tried various “alternative” medicine as well as conventional “western” medicine approaches. Skin ailments are hard to treat – so many aspects of a life can produce skin symptoms. I enthusiastically recommend Well Humans and Carla for a simple reason – I’ve experienced sustained, substantial improvement! I have hardly ever posted a review of anything, but writing this was an easy choice to make. I wish you all the best in your journey towards better health!
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I searched the U.S. to find someone who does what Carla does. Carla has used her knowledge, support and expertise to optimize my health and well-being with a blend of scientific medical tests, supplements and diet changes. I wasted a lot of time on my hunches, the internet and experiments with supplements and food and NOW i have an actual plan. Superb supportive knowledge and guidance. I highly recommend Carla. Grateful.
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I never knew that I had a gluten allergy and intolerance until Carla discovered it in my blood work! I’m so grateful that she made this discovery and I have been gluten free ever since. I sleep better, don’t feel bloated and have much more energy. It was a life-changing insight.
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