Protect good bacteria and they will also protect you

High percentage of people  focus on their health at the start of the year, But few consider the well being of the microbes that live inside the human gut—the microbiome—which are vital to an individual's good health and a long life.

These bacteria colonizes your mouth , guts, as well as your skin and lungs. Your mission is to accept ,  nurture and protect the 10,000 species that occupy your ecosystem, so that they can do their jobs, which include everything from balancing your blood sugar, inflammation and the development and treatment of cancer.

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They also determine how much energy we get from our foods and perhaps even what foods we crave and our moods. When our microbiome becomes unbalanced, often indicated when certain species or groups of bacteria become overly abundant, these functions can be disrupted, contributing to the development of a wide range of diseases such as obesity, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and many others.

 over use antibiotics reduce ecosystem of microbiota

There is a lot of debate regarding what exactly constitutes a healthy community of gut microbes, but one thing has become clear. Humans need a diverse microbiome with a variety of bacterial species that can quickly adapt to the wide range of foods that we might want to consume while still performing all those important functions like preventing inflammation but the over use of antibiotic has shown the increase in reduction of gut microbes and increased resistance. So what are some things that you can do to support a healthy, diverse microbiome?

Eat foods that nourish beneficial gut microbes: High-fiber veggies and fruits and 100% whole grains and legumes will do the trick. Probiotics which are foods that contain microorganisms that have a health benefit like low-fat yogurt and sauerkraut also helps to feed the good bugs.

Exercise for both you and your microbes: Regular physical activity is not only good for your heart, it is good for your gut, too. Studies recently showed that some of the lactate produced during exercise can impact certain gut microbes. Start slow if you haven't had regular physical activity as part of your daily life to help your heart, mind and gut microbes.

Eat your fruits and vegetables

While all the different foods that make up your diet can influence the gut microbiome, it is the fiber-the carbohydrates in our diet that we cannot break down ourselves but the bacteria in our gut can use readily—that drives the formation of a healthy microbiome. Eating a diverse and abundant selection of fruits and veggies is a great way to feed some of the most health-promoting bacteria in our gut.