When it comes to nutrition and product use, I make it a priority to be conscious about my practices for my health and the health of the planet. To start, I eat a plant-based diet and have done so for the past seven years. This choice not only makes me feel better about my environmental and ethical impact, but also is scientifically backed to have many health benefits and I believe positively impacts my microbial communities as well. Eating many fruits and veggies provides a healthy amount of fiber for my gut that feeds the bacteria and increases their numbers and types, which in turn helps lower inflammation as well as aiding in digestion. Additionally, I try to eat as many foods with probiotics, such as yogurt, kombucha, or other fermented foods, and take a probiotic supplement to continue to support my gut where I can. On the other hand, I know I engage in practices that are harmful to my gut microbiome. For example, I had hip surgery back in January and know I had to accept that I needed various antibiotics and medications that were not good for my gut, but protected and healed me in other ways. Therefore, I try to accept when I need things like antibiotics, eat an unhealthy meal, and then I turn to what I can do after to keep building a healthy microbiome. In my opinion, it is a balancing act of continuing to intentionally support your body when making dietary/product choices and not getting too worked up over non-intentional choices that cause harm or scenarios where you want to indulge.