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    What's Wreaking Havoc On Your Gut | with Michele Grosvenor

    November 13, 2023 3 min read

    Gut Health + Immunity Nutrition + Recipes

    Did you know that there are a number of common factors that can wreak havoc on your gut microbiome?

    Your gut microbiome is simply a term used to describe the trillions of micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi that live inside your gut. They are super important to us because they protect us against pathogens, help train our immune system and enable us to digest our food further to produce energy. We have as many bacteria inside of us as we have human cells in the body. Each person’s gut microbiome is unique to them and formed in the first 1000 days of early life. As we grow our gut bacteria are exposed to different dietary, lifestyle and environmental factors that can disrupt their delicate balance and increase your risk of developing bothersome symptoms and even developing certain illnesses.

    Some of these factors that can disrupt your gut microbiome are;

  • The overuse of antibiotics. Every time you have a course of Antibiotics, they alter your gut bacterial diversity which never fully recovers.
  • Having too much sugar. Sugar is an inflammatory food and in most products we eat. Sugar feeds certain microbes at the expense of others and can lead to overgrowths of unfavorable species. Read your food labels and aim to consume less the 5gms in total per day.
  • Eating GMO foods. Our bodies were not designed to digest these types of foods and they can alter your gut bacterial composition leading to overgrowths of opportunistic bacteria & fungi.
  • Eating Gluten. The protein contained in wheat products called gliadin, loosens the tight gap junctions that hold your gut cells together causing your gut to become leaky. This leakiness allows undigested food and particles direct access to your immune system which can lead to a multitude of symptoms ranging from joint pain to food allergies.
  • Too much stress. When you are stressed, the body produces a hormone called cortisol that changes the pH of your gut environment. This makes it a less favorable to your beneficial bacteria which can cause bacterial population reductions.
  • Medication overuse. Many common over the counter medications deplete essential vitamins & nutrients as well as disrupt the delicate balance of your gut bacteria.
  • Drinking Alcohol. Alcohol is also an inflammatory food like sugar.
  • A sedentary lifestyle & lack of exercise. Studies shows that with just 6 weeks of moderate exercise your gut bacteria increase their production of short chain fatty acids which give us energy and reduce the risk of developing inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. It also showed that this effect was completely reversed once moderate exercised was stopped. All the more reason to get moving people!
  • Over-sanitization. The use of antibacterial soaps, cleaning agents and sprays has been shown to disrupt our gut bacteria as well as our skin microbiome balance.
  • Smoking. This alters your oral microbiome which is your first line of immune defense.
  • Poor sleep habits. Studies show that poor sleep quality negatively affects your circadian rhythm & blood sugar regulation which increases your risk of developing diabetes & obesity.

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    As you can see your microbiome can be affected by many everyday things and contributes greatly to the development of poor health and common diseases. If you need a gut reset or some help getting on top of one of these gut wreaking factors book in for a gut health check to see how I can help get you back on track.
    If you are looking for some one-on-one support for you or your child, book a consult with Michele here.
    Michele is a naturopathic clinician and certified GAPS practitioner with a special interest in digestive and children's health. 

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