Have You Fed Your Bacteria Today?

The good ones that is!

We regularly talk about how important the correct balance of intestinal flora is for overall health, but have you ever thought about how to care for these vitally important organisms? Just like the family dog, cat or bird, the bacteria that live in our intestinal tract need to be looked after and fed regularly. Sure, we can re-colonise intestinal bacteria quite easily, but as the old adage says out of sight, out of mind, often we only think about these little guys when something goes wrong and the effects of something going wrong can make you really, really sick.

So, how do we keep our intestinal flora fed and happy?

First of all, there are a few things that our intestinal flora really don’t like. These are things to be avoided for anyone that wants to keep the internal balance.

• Antibiotics – it’s like carpet bombing. Not only does it kill the bad bacteria but devastates the good bacteria. On a typical Aussie diet there’s no prizes for guessing which type of bacteria grows back quicker;
• Alcohol and coffee – regardless of the talk of the supposed health benefits of alcohol and coffee, they are just bad news to the good bacteria;
• Chlorine – your intestinal flora will thank you for leaving the toxic, Brisbane water behind;
• Stress – it doesn’t make you happy, nor does it make your good bacteria happy;
• Ageing – unfortunately there’s not a lot you can do about this one, if you have a solution to it let me know!

But, what do good bacteria like? Prebiotics, they’re like an all you can eat buffet for the good bacteria!

Prebiotic is a general term for the whole range of soluble fibre that humans can’t digest but that our good bacteria thrive on. Prebiotics may pass under a number of different names: inulin, oligofructose, fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides and other oligosaccharides; but in short, the higher the intake of prebiotics the higher the number of good bacteria in the gastro intestinal tract. The greater the number of good bacteria the greater your overall health and the more powerfully equipped your immune system to fight off the bacteria you don’t want.

Fortunately, soluble fibre is easy to include in the diet being present in incredibly high concentrations in a whole range of nutritious, low calorie vegetables. If we use Inulin (not to be confused with Insulin), one of the most well known of the soluble fibre family, as an example we find it present in concentrations as high 18,000 mg per 100g in Jerusalem Artichoke. While I appreciate Jerusalem Artichoke may not make it on everyone’s table all that frequently the humble onion and garlic, base of so many good stir fries, provides 4,000 and 12,500 mg of inulin per 100g respectively. Onion and garlic are also potent natural antibiotics that reduce levels of bad bacteria while preserving good bacteria, so it’s really an extra bonus!

The next question most people ask is how much do we need to eat? Studies showed that doses as low as 2.5g twice a day prevented a decrease in the population size of beneficial bacteria.(Bouhnik). In real terms, this means the old saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away might be better changed to two pears a day keeps the doctor away. Pears have one of the highest soluble fibre contents of any fruit, while much of the fibre in an apple is of the insoluble sort, this is the sort that passes straight through the digestive system working as a bulking agent only.

Remember, 2.5g twice daily was the minimum amount needed to prevent a decline, this doesn’t allow for other factors that may be working to reduce population numbers: alcohol and coffee, chlorinated water, stress and antibiotics. So if you’re ready to give those good bacteria a feast, start making sure each meal consists of one palm sized portion of protein and three handfuls of fibre in the form of vegetables, excluding potatoes, and reap the rewards.

If you would like to know more information or make an appointment with our Nutritionist to talk about total dietary revision to meet your specific wellness goals, feel free to call us on 0437 060 385 or email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. today.

Sources For This Story Include

• Bouhnik, Y. et al. “Prolonged Administration of Bifidobacteria in humans”. Nutrition Research 27.4 (2007):187-193
• Brudinak, M.A. “Probiotics as an adujvant to detoxification protocols.” Medical Hypotheses 58.5 (2002): 382-385
• DietaryFiberFood.com. “Total Dietary, Soluble and Insoluble Fibre Content of Foods: Vegetables, Fruits and Legumes”, 11th October 2009. http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/fiber-content.php (18 Aug 2010)
• Cichoke, Anthony. J. The Complete Book of Enzyme Therapy New York: Avery Publishing Group, 1999.
• Fillipo, C.D et al. “Impact of diet in shaping gut microbiota revealed by a comparative study in children from Europe and rural Africa”, National Academy of Sciences 30 June 2010. http://www.pnas.org/content/107/33/14691 (18 Aug 2010)
• Head, K. A, et al. “Nutrients and Botanicals for Treatment of Stress: Adrenal Fatigue, Neurotransmitter Imbalance, Anxiety and Restless Sleep”. Alternative Medicine Review 14.2 (2009)

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Created on Friday, 20 August 2010 10:20