This weeks prompt asked us what choices we make in terms of nutritional/food consumption that may have an impact on our microbial communities. The first thing that came to mind was plant based food and fiber which I know in past weeks we have talked about being healthy for the gut microbiome. I always eat some type of fiber, or plant based food because it is known for being “healthy”, but I usually don’t directly think of my microbial communities. The same would go for eating less processed foods which may increase “bad” bacteria. Overall, I would list these as unintentional choices because I don’t eat this knowing that I am improving my microbial communities. This week we also focused on prebiotics and probiotics, which I would say are intentional choices of helping create a positive impact on the microbial communities. These are known to help increase the “good” bacteria and microbial communities and are usually taken for that purpose of some sort.
