The Microbiome Cookbook

NUTRITION FOR HEALING

Cilantro has natural chelating properties to detoxify your body from heavy metals and is antimicrobial. And I love the natural sweetness of the pineapple and the tartness of the citrus.

DETOXIFYING GREEN SMOOTHIE

PINEAPPLE CILANTRO JUICE

GINGER BEET JUICE

2013 article published in the journal Entropy argued that glyphosate inhibits enzymes and disrupts the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids by gut bacteria, which may lead to gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, and numerous other chronic diseases.

study published in the journal PLoS One in 2014 found that even a short course of antibiotics reduced bacterial diversity by 25 percent and reduced core phylogenetic microbiota by more than half. Because the drug does not distinguish between good bacteria and pathological bacteria, it has a devastating effect on the gut ecosystem.

Research published in the Journal of Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and Obesity found that refined flours, sugars, and processed foods “produce an inflammatory microbiota via the upper gastrointestinal tract, with fat able to effect a ‘double hit’ by increasing systemic absorption of lipopolysaccharide.” That not only contributes to gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance), but also to an increase in the net energy your body receives from the foods you eat, an essential factor in overweight and obesity.

Additionally, some foods have natural antimicrobial properties that may inhibit pathological bacterial overgrowth in the gut. These include basil, cilantro, caraway, chamomile, cinnamon, chile peppers, paprika, cranberry, garlic, grapefruit zest, green tea, hemp, nutmeg, olive oil, orange peel, papaya, peppermint, rosemary, savory, tarragon, thyme, and turmeric.

study published in the journal Anaerobe in 2014 found that almonds and almond skins increase production of healthy gut bacteria and repress production of pathological bacteria. Pistachios may be even better, according to another study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, that compared the two nuts. Pistachios also offer a limited amount of resistant starch.