Table of contents:
- 1. Reduce consumption of sugar and processed foods
- 2. Eat more vegetables, fruits, and fiber
- 3. Limiting antibiotics
- 4. Consume probiotics
- 5. No stress
- 6. Get enough sleep
- 7. Exercise
- 8. Limit consumption of red meat and various animal products
Did you know that there are at least 100 trillion bacteria in your body? These bacteria spread and are on the surface of the skin, in the mouth and nose. However, most of the bacteria live in the digestive system. These bacteria are present in the human intestine and function to aid digestion and metabolism.
It turns out that not only good for the health of the digestive system, good bacteria can also prevent heart disease, boost the immune system, help develop mental and cognitive health in children, and can help you lose weight. Even experts call the stomach the second brain of humans because it has bacteria in it. These bacteria have a direct connection to the brain and can regulate your mood and actions in much the same way as the brain.
Experts claim that good bacteria are formed in infancy shortly after birth. A normal birth can make a child have more and more variety of good bacteria, and this can help his development and growth. In the body, good bacteria grow in a pH range of 6.7 to 6.9. However, not all bacteria in the human gut are good, there are several types of bacteria that can actually harm health. The number of good or bad bacteria is determined by various factors, especially lifestyle. Then how to increase the number of good bacteria and decrease the number of bad bacteria?
1. Reduce consumption of sugar and processed foods
Sugar is a type of simple carbohydrate (monosaccharide) that is easily digested by the body and consists of glucose and fructose. When too much sugar enters the body, the sugar is absorbed immediately and does not need the help of good bacteria to digest it so that the good bacteria do not get "food" and then starve. Then the hungry bacteria will eat away at the mucous lining of the intestinal walls. In fact, the mucus layer in the intestine acts as a protector of the intestine and if it is damaged there will be inflammation of the intestine. In addition, sugar is the main food source of bad bacteria in the body, namely Candida Albican - bacteria that attack and damage the intestinal wall.
2. Eat more vegetables, fruits, and fiber
Eating vegetables and fruits can multiply the types of good bacteria in the intestines. Unlike sugar, fiber really needs good bacteria to digest it and so that it can be absorbed by the body. Fiber can be called a source of food needed for good bacteria because the digestion process is not easy. The recommended fiber consumption to eat in one day is 33 to 39 grams of fiber per day. In addition, fiber is also able to maintain the mucus layer in the intestines.
3. Limiting antibiotics
Antibiotics are the enemy of bacteria in the body. Antibiotics fight not only bad bacteria, but good bacteria are also affected. In a study it was stated that people who take antibiotics for a long time and at large doses will reduce the number and types of good bacteria in the intestines.
4. Consume probiotics
Probiotics are microorganisms that can help maintain the number of good bacteria and balance the number of bad bacteria in the body. Probiotics consist of two types, namely lactobacillus and bifidobacterium and there are various foods and drinks such as yogurt, tempeh, kimchi, dark chocolate, or fermented food.
5. No stress
When you are stressed, the body will release various types of hormones in response to the stress that occurs, such as increasing adrenaline and the immune system releasing cytokines, substances to treat inflammation. If stress continues, the immune system will continue to send inflammatory signals to all parts of the body, including good bacteria. Under normal circumstances, the good bacteria together with the immune system will guard and fight all foreign objects that enter the body. However, when the inflammatory signal continues to be received by the good bacteria, it can disrupt the function and even the numbers in the intestine.
6. Get enough sleep
The number of bacteria in the body is very easy to change, and one of them is caused by lack of sleep. When sleeping, the bacteria that exist naturally will reproduce or produce themselves. However, the relationship between the two is not clear. Experts have a hypothesis that bacteria are associated with blood circulation, regulate the heart, regulate sleep cycles, and affect hormones that control sleep time. When the body doesn't get enough sleep, hormones will be disrupted and circulatory rhythms are not normal. This is what affects the good bacteria in the body.
7. Exercise
In fact, the good bacteria that are in your body need to do physical activity and move regularly. A study conducted in Ireland involved as many as 40 players rugby and the results of his research stated that there are more good bacteria in sports players than the good bacteria in people who do not exercise regularly. Not only that, it is also known that there is an increase in the number of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and B.coccoides-E in people who often do routine exercise.
8. Limit consumption of red meat and various animal products
A study conducted by researchers from Harvard conducted an experiment where respondents were given a variety of animal protein foods for a few weeks. The results showed that the number of good bacteria present in these respondents decreased. Another experiment was carried out on mice that were given food intake from animal sources and it was found that in the intestines of mice the number of Bilophila bacteria increased. These bacteria are bad bacteria that cause inflammation of the digestive system.
