From this past week’s material, I have learned that healthy bacterial communities have a large impact on the outcome of disease. Food comes in direct contact with our microbiome. I think my consumption habits of trying to stick to one diet have impacted my microbial communities greatly. A couple years back, my family and I moved to a plant-based diet with the inclusion of lots of seafood. Legumes, fish, and nuts make up most of my diet. I believe this would have a positive impact on my microbiome because they are not super processed foods. On the other hand, I have consciously cut out most red meat and refined sugars. I think these would be harder to digest and, therefore, cause more inflammation. Other intentional choices have been the addition of beets in my smoothies or drinking more matcha tea. They are great sources of fiber and might affect the colon microbiome. If our microbiomes induce inflammation, disease such as Crohn’s and irritable bowel syndrome could occur. As I was going through this exercise, I also realized I make non-intentional consumption choices. I avoid milk products and instead opt for almond or oat choices due to my intolerance. I never thought this intolerance might affect my microbiome or my microbiome might be the cause of it.
