Bacteria and Food Cravings
With all this happening in your gut, there’s another major connection going on: bacteria and food cravings. Since bacteria can trigger certain emotions, they can also trigger certain food cravings. The new science surrounding the microbiome provides many opportunities for developing products that can mediate GI function and thereby influence overall health.
If you’ve ever tried to eat healthy but kept falling off the wagon, there’s hope for you yet. You’re not the one craving sugar and greasy food; it’s the bad bacteria that survive and thrive off junk food. Good bacteria, on the other hand, love those raw fruits and vegetables and whatnot. That shines a bright light on how healthy people keep on eating healthy without faltering. They’ve got bacteria on their side.
Bacteria are far more genetically diverse than humans, meaning they can be programmed and reprogrammed with ease, reacting immediately to stimuli while humans try to pass on the right DNA through their offspring. Bacteria have genes that can be flipped on and off through various stimuli, like interaction with each other, metabolites, toxins, exercise and diet. Bacteria are busy little guys constantly taking in information from our bodies and brains. Cue all the emotional turmoil and that tells bacteria how to behave and what to crave.
Studies show that diet and supplementation are the primary influencers of microbial balance and gut health. Throwing it out of whack has been shown to lead to a wide range of disorders: obesity, neurodegenerative issues, and functional and inflammatory diseases, including everything from cardiovascular disease to irritable bowel disorders and more.
What this means for you is, if you can get your gut microbiome squeaky clean, you can not only be super healthy, you can put an end to those food cravings. You can stick with the dietary lifestyle you know you should. You just need to reprogram your gut first.
Flora Blitz 100: The Fast Way to Reprogramming Your Cravings
The findings are pretty darn cool and promising but they come with a caveat: researchers are still figuring out which bacteria promote good moods. Thousands of gut microbes have been identified but one trend is certain: depressed people have reduced numbers of friendly bacteria.
What we do know is there's a connection between the mind and gut, that gut feeling and all. We also know that gut bacteria communicate with the brain in three ways:
- Send signals up the vagus nerve
- Influence immune cells in the gut
- Produce chemicals that affect the brain and travel in the blood
Nutritional studies provide a compass pointing towards which bacteria love healthy food, and which love junk food. OHS is tapping into this connection with Optimal Flora Blitz 100, a therapeutic dose of probiotics that will clear out your gut of bad bacteria and come ready to be programmed to crave healthier foods.
Your gut microbes cause a large portion of your cravings due to the gut-brain axis. 90% of your serotonin, the neurotransmitter thought to be responsible for your mood, is made in your gut and is impacted by the state of your gut microbiome.
Bacteroidetes thrive off of fats while Prevotellas thrive off of carbohydrate sources. When we eat sugar, we literally feed the Candida yeast and other harmful microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract. This can lead to fatigue, low energy, and hormonal imbalance.
When our gut falls out of balance, the cells of the intestine become inflamed. We end up absorbing very little from the food that we eat. The cells of the intestine lose their ability to do work. This means that food might sit stagnant in the small intestine, where it ferments and putrefies. The large intestine may lose motility, or the ability to move. Most importantly, the wall of the intestines becomes irritated and leaky. A leaky gut allows large particles of food, toxins from bacteria, and Candida to pass into the bloodstream.
This product is intended to be a swift intervention of sorts when you feel cravings for sugary or greasy food coming on. This is your red flag that your gut microbiome is out of whack. Flora Blitz 100 delivers a surge of healthy bacteria to kill off the bad bacteria triggering the unhealthy cravings, along with creates a blank microbiome slate. This allows you to jump back on the healthy food wagon and give yourself a chance to develop permanent, healthy dietary habits.
To maximize the culture in your gut, you want to include a wide range of raw, plant-based foods in your diet. Pick whole grains over white bread, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fruit over candy and juices on a daily basis.
