Both parents pass on DNA to their child, but mommy passes on something more. From Mom, a child also gets it’s intestinal bacteria. Many people don’t don’t know what that is, and most don’t understand how very important they are, but I’m here to help you out!
The bacteria in our guts play a role in every aspect of our body’s functioning, including our immune system, heart function, and even how our genes are expressed. These little bugs even affect our mood and how we think.
Babies gets their first bacteria in the womb. Then they get additional, very necessary, bacteria from the vaginal canal, during the birthing process. After birth, little ones get an good supply of various bacteria through mother’s breast milk.
This alone is amazing, but we also need to come to understand how these bacteria are affected by what we eat, by our mental and physical experiences, by chemicals we’re exposed to, and how those affects then affect our overall bodies.
The accumulated bacteria form a community and an intricate network, within the small and large intestines, called the microbiome. They communicate to one another and they support one another. Undigested parts of foods we eat, feed some of them, and those then feed others, which then feed us.
Just like our gut bugs contribute to our mental and physical processes, mental and physical situations can impact our gut bugs. Stress is very disruptive to the homeostasis within the digestive tract. Mental or physical trauma and other stressors can actually cause necessary intestinal flora to die off because of chemical imbalances caused.
Various pharmaceutical drugs, including antibiotics and vaccines, as well as certain toxic chemicals that make their way into our food and water, can also kill off tons of the friendly creatures we need so much. Opportunistic, bad news bacteria and fungi can take hold in the small intestines and colon, when one of the most important aspects of the body’s defense is down. Once this happens, Candida, Ecoli, and a host of other nasty vermin are then left to wreak havoc on the entire body.
The skin is protected by a barrier of bacteria, which are partly sustained by the gut microbiome. The vagina is inhabited by various protective and cleansing bacteria, that are partly sustained by the gut bacteria also. The integrity of the lining of the digestive system fails when the necessary bacteria are lacking, allowing fungus/yeast, bacteria, and large food particles easier access to other parts of the body. Killing these precious creatures can cause serious problems, over time, including mental illness, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and frequent skin and vaginal infections.
To try to give yourself and your child the best chance at a healthy gut, you want to avoid things that kill good bacteria, and incorporate more things that help them to thrive. Probiotics are great, and fine during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but food you eat will have a huge impact. I suggest that everyone, especially new mommies and mommies-to-be, consume foods and supplements that are PREbiotic to help build up the necessary bacteria, which includes far more strains than what can be purchased in a bottle of probiotics.
A few food constituents with great prebiotic effects are:
POLYPHENOLS: Some foods containing good amounts of these are camu camu, baobab, sweet cherries, black currants, strawberries, rooibos tea (green and red both have great qualities), and ginger (use sparingly).
PECTIN: This is found in high amounts in apples and pears, but is highest in the peels. Please only eat these organic or pesticide-free, and non-GMO.
RESISTANT STARCH: Cooked and cooled starchy foods like potato, sweet potato, plantain, green banana, and more. This is where a product called green banana flour can really shines. It is far superior to using grain, nut, or seed flours, as it allows you to avoid many of the drawbacks of these foods. Be sure to cook anything you use it in, and know that the resistant starch (RS2) benefits of this flour are increased when the finished cooked product has been cooled. Reheating and even cooling again enhances the benefit even more.
FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES: These are found in high amounts in asparagus, onions, artichokes, and bananas.
FIBER: Eat lots of various fruits and veggies for the beneficial fiber they provide.
Fermented foods, like kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, and yogurt contain some of the necessary bacteria, as well as other beneficial microbes for the body. Include prebiotic foods and supplements daily, with frequent use of a variety of probiotic foods and supplements.