Improve Digestion by Creating a Thriving Microbiome

Creating a balanced and thriving microbiome involves eating prebiotic fiber, eating a variety of foods that are low in lectins, and avoiding microbiome disruptors. 

To avoid microbiome disruptors, consider the following:

• Avoid foods that contain a high concentration of lectins. Lectins are a family of proteins that are found in most plants and serve as part of their defense mechanism against predators. Some plants contain a very small amount of lectins while other plants contain a very large amount. Lectins are poorly digested by the human digestive system and can damage the intestinal lining and microbiome. Please refer to the WavyFields topic “Reduce Inflammation by Eliminating Inflammatory Food” for more information about lectins.

• Choose food that is grown organically because food that is not grown organically may contain biocides. Biocides include herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides. Farmers use biocides to keep pests from eating the food. However, the chemicals within biocides can damage the digestive system and harm the friendly bacteria that live in the intestines. 

• Choose meat that is pasture-raised or wild-caught. Animals that are pasture-raised are free to roam around the farm and forage for food that they would normally eat in the wild. Animals that are wild-caught live naturally in the wild and have spent their lives eating their native diet. Animals that are farmed or cage-free are often fed diets consisting of foods that contain a high concentration of lectins and antibiotics. The lectins and antibiotics are then contained within the meat. 

• Avoid drinking milk and eating cheese that are produced by the most common type of cow in North America called the Holstein because its milk contains a genetic mutation (Casein A1) which is difficult for the average human to digest. Milk and cheese that are produced by other milk-producing animals such as goats, sheep, and buffalo do not contain the genetic mutation and can be digested normally. Milk and cheese that are produced by the most common type of cow in Switzerland, France, and Italy contain the normal Casein A2 protein and can be digested normally.

• Avoid choosing food that is stored in a container made with Bisphenol A (BPA) because BPA can be absorbed into food and may disrupt normal cell signaling. BPA is banned in Europe.

• Avoid using antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. Antibiotics destroy problematic bacteria as well as the beneficial bacteria that help to transform food into useful molecules. For example, fiber is difficult for the human digestive system to digest, but bacteria routinely transform it into useful molecules such as fatty acids. 

• Avoid using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) because they can damage the mucus lining of the digestive tract and interfere with the ability of the digestive system to trap and remove toxins.

• Avoid using stomach acid blockers because they can reduce the amount of acid that is produced by the stomach and thereby interfere with the ability of the digestive system to dissolve toxins. Additionally, a decrease of stomach acid may lead to improper digestion of protein and consequently less amino acid absorption. Stomach acid blockers are often taken to reduce symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Well-regarded functional medicine doctors: Steven Gundry, MD, Mark Hyman, MD, and Terry Wahls, MD report that their patients resolve their symptoms of GERD by simply changing their diet.

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Foods that are a good source of prebiotic fiber and are commonly found in grocery stores include: