Science shows us that many of the diseases doctors treat medicinally begin in the gut. If you want to be healthier, you need to have a healthier gut. Food is medicine, and unhealthy foods over time can make us ill resulting in autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular problems, and more. It is more expensive and less effective in treating diseases caused by unhealthy life practices medically, than feeding people better. Unfortunately, many of the ideas people relied on such as the food pyramid have often done more harm than good. The gut has many microbes that exist to help break down food so we can absorb the nutrients. Killing those microbes with antibiotics while treating something else, or eating the wrong types of foods that promote the wrong bacteria can be devastating to our long term health. Eating too many sugars or processed foods leaden with calories with little nutritional value has resulted in many diabetics suffering from metabolic syndrome. This causes inflammation which affects the gut. The NY Times reports on a large international study that shows how the microorganisms, also known as the microbiome is affected by the foods we eat and offers advice on how to eat better for our health. How the Right Foods May Lead to a Healthier Gut, and Better Health A diet full of highly processed foods with added sugars and salt promoted gut microbes linked to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. By Anahad O’Connor Jan. 11, 2021 Scientists know that the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in our guts play an important role in health, influencing our risk of developing obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and a wide range of other conditions. But now a large new international study has found that the composition of these microorganisms, collectively known as our microbiomes, is largely shaped by what we eat. By analyzing the diets, health and microbiomes of more than a thousand people, researchers found that a diet rich in nutrient-dense, whole foods supported the growth of beneficial microbes that promoted good health. But eating a diet full of highly processed foods with added sugars, salt and other additives had the opposite effect, promoting gut microbes that were linked to worse cardiovascular and metabolic health. The researchers found that what people ate had a more powerful impact on the makeup of their microbiomes than their genes. They also discovered that a variety of plant and animal foods were linked to a more favorable microbiome. Read more