Modern Lifestyles Harm Gut Health, + Superfoods and Probiotics to Rebuild
- Sarah
- Jul 25
- 4 min read
Gut Health Impacts Many Aspects of Overall Health
Gut health isn't just about digestion! A strong gut microbiome is foundational for overall health. Problems with gut flora can lead to many other health issues. For instance:
Gut health is intricately linked to skin health via the gut-skin axis. Improper gut flora has been linked to skin issues such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis.
Mental and cognitive health are directly impacted by gut health via the gut-brain axis. Improper gut flora has been linked to anxiety and depression, tics and Tourette's syndrome, autism, and cognitive issues, including poor memory and processing speed.
70-80% of the immune system is housed in the gut, so problems with gut flora can directly impact how well the immune system functions to protect against illness and autoimmune diseases.
Modern Factors That Harm Gut Health
Many factors in our modern lifestyles can disrupt and harm the gut microbiome.
Babies are born with a sterile gut that is intended to be populated by bacteria in the birth canal. C-section deliveries disrupt this important mechanism that is supposed to establish the basis for gut health in babies.
Formula feeding is another contributor to issues with gut flora, as it interrupts the natural mechanism by which breastfeeding is intended to continue the colonization of the infant gut microbiome.
Antibiotics directly disrupt the gut microbiome, killing off beneficial bacteria alongside harmful species. This has been shown to directly impact immune system function and decrease the diversity of beneficial species of bacteria in the gut.
Pharmaceutical drugs, such as painkillers, steroids, cholesterol drugs, and anti-depressants, can disrupt the gut microbiome by changing the overall diversity and abundance of bacteria.
Highly processed foods are known to alter the gut microbiome and lead to inflammation.
Environmental toxins such as glyphosate, which is especially likely to be present on genetically-modified foods, are known to deplete the gut microbiome such that there is increased inflammation.
Rebuilding and Restoring Gut Health
Gut health problems are widespread, but you can rebuild towards taking back control of your health. When my husband was recovering from his health crash back in 2018-19, restoring his gut health was one of the key strategies we used to help him get back on track.
Besides eating a healthy ancestral-based diet, raw milk kefir can be a great starting place for many (this is my own favorite way to maintain gut health). However, my husband had a lot of rebuilding to do and since he's hypersensitive, he used the following gentle progression:
Start with the Smidge Infant Probiotic. This special 7-strain formulation aims to rebuild the gut bacteria beginning with the bacteria that should have been present from infancy in a healthy gut. (Smidge probiotics seem expensive at first glance, but because they have no fillers, one bottle can easily last many months.)
Continue Smidge Infant Probiotic for at least a few weeks or several months, gradually increasing the amount over time.
Then transition to the Smidge Sensitive Probiotic formula. You can gradually increase the amount over time. This 8-strain formula purposely omits strains that can cause histamine intolerance and other reactions. This is a good general-purpose probiotic to continue long-term, as desired. My husband still uses it now, on occasion.
Once the Smidge Sensitive Probiotic is well-tolerated, transition to raw milk kefir. It's best to start with a small amount twice a day and increase the amount over time to ~a cup at a time.
Milk kefir is far superior to yogurt for re-colonizing the gut because it contains more-aggressive strains of beneficial bacteria. Yogurt contains mild probiotics that are more likely to be transient and not make any overall impact on the gut flora.
Kefir is associated with improved composition and activity of the gut microbiota. It contains many more strains of beneficial bacteria than yogurt does, and the aggressive strains of beneficial bacteria in kefir can even kill bad gut bacteria. For instance, kefir has been shown to demonstrate antimicrobial effects against Candida albicans and various pathogenic species of Salmonella, Listeria, Shigella and E. coli, among others.
Kefir has been linked to a wide array of health benefits, including
improved digestion and tolerance to lactose, reduced inflammation, tumor suppression and prevention, improved immune system, and less allergies, including asthma and food allergies.
Raw milk kefir is so easy to make! I have a full tutorial here.
Once raw milk kefir is well-tolerated, raw milk can be added in. Humans have been drinking raw milk for at least 10,000 years and it has been shown to increase the prevalence of beneficial Lactobacillus bacteria in the gut.
Large epidemiological studies in Europe have found raw milk consumption is linked to lower rates of asthma and allergies; less eczema; and lower rates of ear infections, fevers, and respiratory infections.
These three websites can help you find raw milk:
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or licensed healthcare professional. I am a homeopathic practitioner whose services are considered complementary and alternative by the state of New Mexico. Links to Smidge are affiliate links. If you use these links, your price remains the same but I may earn a small commission. Thanks for supporting this site!
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