Some people are very aware of the health (or lack thereof) of the good bacteria that live on our skin, in our guts, and elsewhere. Chronic illness, digestive issues, and more can all be heavily influenced by how our guts are doing—but even if you don’t have a big issue to deal with, smaller issues like weight, mood, and our future health might be being influenced too. Changing an unseen aspect of our health may feel daunting, but research is finding mounting evidence that it’s central to any and all health goals. Start adding small habits to support good bacteria, which can be as simple as taking a probiotic supplement to replenish your good bacteria colonies.
Changing our microbiome takes time. In fact, some research suggests a full year of change is required to get good bacteria to stick. That’s because whatever bacteria you have creates a cycle—good bacteria help you crave veggies and fruits, exercise, and feel good; bad bacteria crave sugar, lethargy, etc. Everything you’ve been told about what’s good/bad for your health plays out as a bacterial war in your microbiome.
So help the good bacteria win with small changes. An extra serving of veggies, an extra glass of water, a few more minutes of exercise in the weekly schedule. Slowly build up the good habits while supplementing with good bacteria at the same time, and eventually you’ll get to that sustained change—you just have to get the ball rolling.
A good first step is to introduce more good bacteria to your body with probiotics. Probiotic foods are things that are fermented like yogurt, kefir, and some pickled foods. You can also get a large, specifically healthy dose of good bacteria from a probiotic supplement like Flora MGR.
Once you’re adding in good bacteria, choose a healthy activity that appeals to you, and spend 5 minutes a day on it. Then add another one. Cultivating a healthy microbiome helps the body with weight, chronic illness, mood, and more—so make sure you’re supporting all your health goals with probiotics.
