In this 6 part series, we’ll be looking at the ways our external environment and our internal environment co-exist to trigger and influence our cravings and subsequent food choices. You might begin to look at what we call ‘will power’ in a different way by the time you get to the end of this complicated and interwoven food journey.
No generation before us has ever been exposed to more drugs, herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, antibiotics, food preservatives, or toxic chemicals - all at once and on such a continual basis.
No generation before us has ever consumed more artificial, chemically burdened, processed ‘food’... or to be more accurate, non-food.
No generation before us has abandoned fermented foods in favour of habits and regulations that destroy or disrupt the beneficial bacteria that live in our gut biomes.
No generation before us has been so utterly disconnected from what really matters nutritionally, as well as, disconnected on so many other levels.
"The human micro-biome is a vibrant ecosystem
that runs from our gums to our bums."
Food as Survival
Our biomes are normally wildly diverse with bacterial, viral, and fungal communities changing in composition and form every few inches along the digestive tract. The primary focus for all of these microbes is survival - theirs, and not ours. These microscopic individuals and communities have their own nutritional preferences and will see those desires are met, even if it is at the expense of our own health.
Microbes influence human eating behavior and dietary choices to align with certain nutrients they grow best on, rather than hanging around and waiting to see what passes by in the GI tract.
Despite knowing the impacts on our personal health, and quality of life, when we ingest items that no longer serve our goals, unhealthy eating patterns are very difficult to change. The last thing we need are inner microbial gardens throwing their ‘ 2 cents in’ to demand more sugar, fat and salt.
And yet, that’s what happens. Our decisions may be influenced by microbes releasing signaling molecules into our gut. Because the gut is linked to the immune system (70-80% of the system resides there), the endocrine system (which produces hormones) and the nervous system (which includes access to the brain via the vagus nerve), those signals can likely influence our behaviour. Over time, a community of microbes quickly figure out exactly which chemical signals they send to provide them with the type of food they need to survive and flourish.
Building a Better Biome
Microbes have been with us since our origins. We evolved together, into a (mostly) harmonious ecosystem. For this reason, our disconnected lifestyle and the consumption of hyper-hygenic and extensively processed food is reducing the number and diversity of these necessary microbes. Our lifestyles can either deprive our inner ecosystem from its basic needs or supply and nurture it to thrive.
Bacteria play a major role in bodily functions, including immunity, digestion, and protection against disease. The intestinal microbiome endows us with many features that we have not had to evolve ourselves, and we provide the organisms with “bed and board” in return in this interdependent relationship.
The late great Joe Bageant rightly said: ‘community is born of necessity.’
The human gut microbiota begins in utero but is primarily established in the first few days of life. Passage through the birth canal and incidental environmental exposures set the seeds. An abrupt microbiome change happens around 6 months, when complex foods such as cereals, fruits and vegetables are introduced.
Typically humans exhibit an abundance of bacteria from four phyla: Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. The nature of our diets is what shapes the composition of our intestinal microbiota.
Bacteroidetes are the most prominent gut microbes in much of the world. They are thought to help protect against obesity because they do not digest fat well. This phyla specializes in degrading organic matter - acting on protein and carbohydrates.
Proteobacteria has the most abundant members in its phyla, comprising several known human pathogens. The natural human gut flora normally contains only a minor proportion of this phylum. Proteobacteria tends to increase in number in the presence of metabolic disease.
Firmicutes help us to digest fat that our bodies need for energy and are among the most common microbes in our gut. Although an oversupply of Firmicutes has been linked to a higher risk of obesity.
Actinobacteria, are the most common microbes on our skin and are commensal to our noses, mouths and genitals too. These microbes are major components of the female urinary microbiome and are also affected by changes caused by pregnancy.
Resisting the Bacterial Overlords.
Throw your hand up and scream “I’ll be tribute!!” Kidding - not kidding. There is a time and place to cave into comfort food cravings. We’ll dive into this in later posts.
Heal the gut first. A pathobiome (a disturbed or dysbiotic microbiome) is often at the root of incessant food cravings. Dysbiosis is assumed to occur when typically healthy microbial communities become unbalanced. This can happen when potentially harmful microorganisms increase in number.
Something in the diet can trigger an inflammatory reaction, which can undermine microbial stability. Some prescription medications and environmental toxins can also affect microbial balance.
Lifestyle matters. Drink good water, eat clean food, remove the toxic shit in your environment (do you really know what’s in your bottle of shampoo?), get the right amount of sleep, get your body moving - preferably outside, find ways to reduce your stress.
Begin to get curious about why you might be having continual food cravings for comfort food. Consider other ways to connect/reconnect with possible underlying issues.
The more diverse, rich and balanced your microbial communities are, (aka - fall deeply in love with vegetables) the less likely you will be hijacked by rogue microbes desiring fat, sugar and salt.
Your vagus nerve is a 2 way street. Diminish the microbe road hogs by increasing vagal tone: sing, meditate, do yoga, try deep breathing, laugh, pray, get massages, fast, sleep on your right side, do acupressure, get sunlight, up your dietary fibre.
Increase food sources of prebiotics and probiotics. Eliminate or at least decrease all food sources of antibiotics.