Our body is an intricate system that’s geared up towards protecting and healing us. We have an army of microbes that are fighting our battle, let’s give them the inventory they need to perform their duties.
The gut isn’t just a tube that moves food from one end to the other. It’s actually our bodies first line of defence; and how well our immune system develops is determined from infancy.
Now, I know we can’t do anything about how we were born. However, what’s interesting is the fact that babies are born without a microbiome. It is first seeded through the birth canal and then further developed during breastfeeding.
As a baby goes through the birth canal, it is coated in the vaginal microbiome, which gives the baby it’s microbial diversity, and this can be passed down through generations; particularly from the baby’s mom and grandmother. The way we were born is important because, if you were born via c-section, it affects the microbiome as well as the development of the innate and adaptive immunity.
After birth, we develop our immune system from the probiotics and prebiotics that are found in breastmilk; especially since 70-80% of the immune system is housed in the gut. The prebiotics, known as human milk oligosaccharides, are the fibres and carbohydrates that the bacteria feed on in order to thrive.
I personally was a traumatic birth and was formula-fed. When I was young, I had a lot of issues with allergies, eczema, asthma and constantly got eye infections. Reflecting back, I realise that, alongside having some genetic predispositions to allergies, I clearly didn’t have a very balanced microbiome. If you start life with exposure to bad bacteria, then unfortunately your immune system is constantly in the fight-or-flight response; like mine seemed to be.
Please note that this isn’t a judgement towards mum’s that have c-sections or don’t breastfeed. There are a whole host of medical and personal reasons that are factored into the decision-making process. Plus, genetic predispositions also play a role.
It’s just worth noting how miraculously we have been designed. Everything is taken into account. The nutritional status of the mom plays a role in foetal development, the birthing process supports the child’s immune system, and the ongoing role of nutrition is a way we can continue to optimise our health and wellbeing throughout all stages of life.
As I got older, I still battled with eczema and developed food intolerances. As a teenager, I had digestive issues, like IBS-symptoms, as well as chronic fatigue, frequent colds, recurrent tonsillitis and all sorts of things. I also suffered a lot with anxiety throughout my life, and, considering that 90% of our serotonin is made in the gut, I am not surprised!
My gut health was also a nightmare but, considering that from 15 years old to my mid-20’s I was battling with anorexia and bulimia, my body was literally starving for some love and support. Sorry microbiome, I have NOT been kind to you!!!
Our microbiome refers to the layers of microbes that inhabit the gut wall, which include viruses, bacteria and fungi. The diversity of this microbiome is affected by the quality of our foods we’ve consumed throughout our lives and whether we’ve had numerous rounds of antibiotics (which wipe out the good bacteria). Amongst other things, the microbiome is involved in fermenting our food in order to extract the individual nutrients and plug them into the receptor sites on the wall of our gut.
Just to clarify, when people think of ‘microbiome’, we automatically think about the gut, which is what I’m focusing on in this post. However, these organisms are throughout our body. We have a microbiome on our skin, in our mouth, and within our urinary reproductive tract (kidneys, bladder, prostate or vagina). Our ears, nose and throat have their own microbiomes and all of those link to the central microbiome in the gut.
We actually have 10x more microbial cells than human cells! The average human has over 100 trillion microbes in and on their body, which equates to around 2kg.
That’s crazy right!
The microbiome is essential for health and we are either nourishing it or destroying it.
What is it that you are putting on or in your body that might be fueling disease versus feeding health?
Contact me if you have any concerns about your microbiome health.
I’m Cath, a Registered Dietitian with numerous years’ experience, both in South Africa and in the UK. Let me point you in the right direction towards spiritual wellbeing so that you tap into the true essence of who you are.