Still using antibacterial soap and handwipes? I hope not!
For years now we have all been running and hiding from bacteria and trying at every instance to kill it. But now science has determined that we can’t live without it. One bacteria, for example, has the ability to produce 260 different enzymes that help us digest carbohydrates and extract their nutrients! Importantly, our bodies do not have the genes to produce the enzymes. So if you don’t have the bacteria you will not extract the nutrients from the food.
Scientific American reported that in one study people consume 30% more calories when the bacteria is not present. This led researchers to conclude that deficient or missing probiotics in our system can lead to significant weight gain.
Dr. Martin Blaser, a professor of internal medicine and microbiology at New York University has reported that there is now an entire generation of children who are growing up WITHOUT critical H. Pylori bacteria. H. Pylori is a bacteria which regulates the hormone ghrelin, that is responsible for signaling the brain that we are hungry. According to Dr. Blaser there is a direct correlation between obesity and people with early exposure to antibiotics. Giving antibiotics so early in life eliminates certain microbial species which interferes with normal signaling in the body and causes overproduction of fat cells.
Antibacterial Soaps and Hand Sanitizers
According to Dr. Blaser, who has been studying bacteria for 25 years, it is not just the use of internal antibiotics that are causing the obesity epidemic. Dr. Blaser said we are raising an entire generation of children who are at risk due to our “sterile” world due to the use of antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers.
So what can you do? The most important thing would be to avoid antibiotics, antibacterial soaps, and hand sanitizers. I also personally recommend a high quality probiotic as extra protection. It is important to know that there are some important strains of bacteria that cannot be delivered via a probiotic supplement because they don’t have the capacity to survive any contact with oxygen. So the best way to get these into your system is to eat fresh cabbage rejuvelac.
If you do take a supplement or eat coconut yogurt you made yourself, make sure you take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes away from eating any food, otherwise your probiotics become very expensive digestive enzymes.
Overall eat lots of organic fresh raw produce and keep your internal gut microbiome balanced by eliminating highly acidic foods like coffee, avoid antibiotic products, and eat plenty of prebiotic foods like:
- Dandelion greens.
- Garlic and onions (and any vegetables in that family, e.g. leeks)
- Asparagus.
- Bananas.
- Chicory
so that your body gets the help it needs to form more healthy strains of bacteria.
