What is the microbiome?

What is the microbiome? I have just watched this brilliant TED talk by Erika Ebbel Angle, about our microbiome.

Erika feels that improving gut health is important to improve our performance and reduce sickness. In particular, it is important to maintain the diversity of the trillions of microorganisms that live there, also known as our microbiome.

Eating poorly prevents us from getting the nutrients we need, but it also damages the composition of the gut so we are unable to digest things properly.

Erika discusses three molecules that we get from our diet.

Tryptophan is an amino acid found in foods including turkey, eggs and chia seeds. Tryptophan is converted into both the neurotransmitter serotonin, which we need for happiness, and melatonin, the hormone that controls our sleep.

Tyrosine is an amino acid found in foods including almonds, lentils and seeds. Tyrosine is converted into the neurotransmitters dopamine and adrenaline, which are important for motivation and our fight or flight response.

Indole-3-lactic acid is found in fermented food like pickles and kefir. Bacteria in our gut convert it to IPA , which is one of the strongest antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants protect us from free radicals which damage can our DNA and may contribute to cancers.

Eating well gives us access to these and other nutrients, but we also need a healthy microbiome to digest the molecules and build new ones. Different types of bacteria digest different foods and are responsible for converting them into molecules our bodies need, so it is important to eat a range of foods to maintain the diversity of our gut bacteria. It is difficult to reverse the situation once we have lost certain types of bacteria from our gut, either through a poor diet, stress or by the overuse of antibiotics and antiseptics.

It’s a fascinating area and one I intend to research in more detail!

Project 365

I set up this website after deciding that I want to build a more creative life for myself, so I can give up my job and be in control of my own destiny.

I have set myself a goal of publishing an article on my website every day this year, to document my journey from employment to self-employment.

The name I chose was Project 365 because I see this as a year that I have dedicated to learning and self-development, as I countdown to freedom. It started on 1st January 2021, so I have 221 days to go!