Do you have Gut(s) Flora?
Today we are going to discuss about microorganisms that live in our bodies and are responsible for our existence, which is called “Gut Flora”.
What is Gut Flora?
We know that life on earth began with microorganisms. The micro-organisms evolved approximately 3.7 billion years ago through direct sunlight from the sun and water, as the ozone layer hadn’t formed till then. Because of microorganisms, not only did the existence of living beings appear on the earth, but they also created the nutrient-rich environment necessary for the living creatures. Even today, they exist and will continue to exist in every living being. Because actually, living beings exist because of these microscopic organisms.
These microorganisms exist throughout the digestive system of our body. These micro-organisms living in our bodies are called flora. We have learned that there are good bacteria and bad bacteria in our bodies. Gut flora means good bacteria. These micro-organisms are the basic components of human life.
What is the function of gut flora?
As the brain is the most important part of the central nervous system in the body, similarly, gut flora is important for the digestive system. The gut flora is also called the second brain. Gut flora plays an important role in establishing wireless communication with the brain through the endocrine glands.
Gut flora also acts as a neurotransmitter. Gut flora sends messages to the brain about which emotions to evoke in which situations. The brain acts on these messages and creates different types of hormones to awaken those feelings in our minds.
Another major function of gut flora is to strengthen the body’s immune system. They contain immune intelligence by which these microbes kill bacteria that are harmful to the body and identify them for possible future attacks by those bacteria. Also, gut flora protect and recognize the bacteria that the body needs.
Major diseases, such as neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol, etc., are related to gut flora. So, having a healthy gut flora is essential for our survival. If you take good care of these micro-organisms in your body, feed them well, and they will keep you away from these major diseases.
How do you feed your gut flora?
Pre-biotic food, i.e., milk, nourishes this gut flora, creating a favourable environment for them in the body. Milk is food for the gut flora in the body. Pro-biotic foods such as yoghurt or buttermilk contain these microorganisms. Curd or buttermilk is formed from milk due to the existence of these microorganisms. These microorganisms enter the body directly through probiotic foods. So our daily diet should include pre-biotic and pro-biotic food components. The more quality gut flora in the body, the healthier we are.
What are the best pre-biotic and pro-biotic foods?
Desi cow’s milk and mother’s milk are excellent pre-biotic foods for gut flora. But there should not be any kind of adulteration in this milk. Dairy products such as yoghurt or buttermilk are excellent probiotic foods. But one thing to note is that if the gut flora is to be kept healthy, the milk should be from a genuine desi cow like the Gir cow.
Nowadays, we get to see soya or almond milk or other types of similar kinds of milk. This manufactured milk is not as natural as Desi Gir cow milk because there is a process for making such milk. In this process, the necessary ingredients are mixed into this milk from the outside. Readers should therefore wisely consider whether such milk can be a quality prebiotic food or not.
From genuine pre-biotic food, i.e., from desi cow’s milk, genuine pro-biotic food, i.e., dairy products are produced. And this food is the key to keeping us healthy. We will discuss pro-biotic food ingredients in the next article.
The information in this article is given to the best of my knowledge and study. For this study, I have used information and references available on the internet. I request the readers to check all the things themselves without trusting my words completely and take decisions that are beneficial for themselves by trusting their conscience.
