Hello again,
It is preferable to get your pre and probiotics from foods rather than supplements as the supplements generally only include a few strains and what you what is diversity. The following info will help with how to do that.
I am currently watching a series on the gut-brain axis which is turning out to be pretty good. A lot of it I already know about, but there are a couple of new things.
The very first thing that is going to help is ensuring you are getting enough fibre daily. For fibre, you need to be eating various grains (oats, millet, buckwheat, etc), legumes (beans, lentils, peas) nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.), seeds (chia, flaxseed, hemp seed, etc.), fruits (apples, kiwi, berries, etc.), vegetables (especially cruciferous family like broccoli, cabbage, etc. and root veges like beetroot, carrot, etc., leafy greens like spinach and kale are a must for a healthy diet). Apparently cooked cold potatoes are also good as their starch becomes resistant starch when they are cold, and the microbes love that.
Make sure you add fibre to your diet gradually, too much too soon can cause bloating and lots of discomfort. Try to add an extra 5 grams per week. There should be an app that will help you figure out how much fibre you are currently getting and then you can work out what you can add to increase the fibre slowly. Optimum fibre to aim for is at least 50gms or more as the long term goal. Our bodies cannot digest fibre but it is the favourite food of the microbiome and allows the bacteria to produce what our bodies need that we are unable to produce.
The second is diversity in what you eat. It is recommended to change up what you eat daily so you are having a variety of different foods over the course of the week. This helps to populate the microbiome with a larger variety of good bacteria strains, which is what we want to aim for. It is recommended to aim for around 30 or more different foods during the course of one week.
The third thing is to add fermented foods on a daily basis. Things like yoghurts, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso, tempeh etc. all of which will be in the refrigerated section in health food shops. If you buy any of these at a supermarket, be sure to check the labels for unnecessary additions like, sugar, salt, colour, unnatural preservatives, etc. These foods can also be made fairly easily at home so you know what has gone into them.
If I find out some new information during the series, I will post again. But these are your best moves to get things turned around.
Let me know how it is working for you, it can take up to a month to notice the changes so don't give up too soon, your body will need to adjust to the new routine.
Take care,
indigo
