Month: February 2022
Human Health and the Microbiome
By Teri Clayton
If you are interested in the world of human wellbeing, nutrition or healing, then you will have undoubtedly come across some of the exciting discoveries about the human microbiome and its effects on human health.
Even the most basic of understandings reveals that the microbes living in our gut must digest our food to some extent and produce various metabolic by-products. It, therefore, follows that microbes must have some impact on our nutrition. The extent of this impact is now turning out to be nothing short of spectacular!
Though it is abundantly clear that the microbiome has powerful effects on our wellbeing, health and ability to heal, it will be a long time into the future before we start to more fully understand the ever-evolving complexity of the microbiome in relationship to human form and function.
The microbiome is unique in each and every individual, and even within individuals, it’s constantly cycling through different expressions.
When scientists first began to identify that certain microbes seem to confer certain health benefits, such as the reduction of asthma symptoms (1), alleviation of anxiety (2) and may even contribute to creating healthier, thicker hair growth in the case of Lactobacillus reuteri (3,4) it opened up a world of opportunities in the world of medicine and dietary supplementation. Science is now discovering a role for the microbiome in obesity, auto-immune disease, atherosclerosis and increased blood pressure. It has been observed that lower levels of certain bacterial families such as Veillonellaceae sp are associated with increased blood pressure for example (5).
When it comes to the microbiome, we could tell you about which organisms have been shown through science to do X,Y and Z, and what probiotic formula contains these microbes. We could go on to talk about the field of proteomics that reveal that the gut microbiome produces a core of around 1000 proteins that have bioactive functions in the body (5), or discuss the findings from the field of metabolomics, to discuss all the various metabolites, produced by the microbiome and their potential roles (6). This, however, would lead us down yet another reductionist dead end.
We need to understand that to see the microbiome as separate organisms producing various proteins and metabolites misses the broader (and more powerful) picture.
Instead, we prefer to adopt a regenerative, holistic approach that encompasses not just individual organisms but also considers their complex relationships, forms and ever-evolving functions.
So how do we do that?
In true regenerative agriculture meets with regenerative human ‘style’, we want to invite you to see the microbiome through the expansive, amazing and seemingly miraculous lens through which we view ecosystems – the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
When it comes to seeing the microbiome through a holistic regenerative lens, you have to see yourself as part of nature – a walking ecosystem interacting with everything you exchange information with.
We believe that the most powerful approach to feeding the microbiome is the same as how we feed the soil in regenerative farming systems –
We work WITH natural ecological principles facilitating the creation of maximal diversity.
What we eat obviously has a powerful influence on the microbiome and research suggests that a diet rich in polyphenolic compounds seems to offer it the best food!
Polyphenols are micronutrients that naturally occur in plants. There are more than 8,000 types of polyphenols, which include: Flavonoids like quercetin and catechins in fruits.
Yet fascinating early stage research suggests that these polyphenolic compounds could potentially be obtained from meat and dairy from livestock that graze pastures rich in diversity (7,8). The farmers who supply Primal meats work hard to maximise pasture diversity as guaranteed by our PRIMAL promise.
Want to learn more? Why not take our free course ‘Microbiome Basics’ on our online community Primal Web!
References
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFcphkad_nY&ab_channel=NationalNetworkManagementService
- https://atlasbiomed.com/blog/stress-anxiety-depression-microbiome/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3547054/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24675231/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2017.00004/full
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7281736/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2020.555426/full
- https://www.primalmeats.co.uk/grass-fed-meat-so-much-more-than-a-source-of-omega-3/
Fast ‘slow food’
Yes Really!
We know that those following an ancestral health diet are accustomed to slow cooking and extensive amounts of time preparing meals but many of us are busy right? We’ve specially designed our ‘Paleo’ range of sausages and burgers with ‘busy super bodies’ in mind.
We’ve followed the principles of the Paleo diet but these sausages and burgers are also suitable for the following ancestral health diets: Primal, Keto Bulletproof and anyone who needs to be gluten free.
The range of sausage and burgers are completely grain free, nitrate free, contain NO preservatives or chemical nastiness, fillers, binders or starches – we use only seasonings and ingredients you would probably have at home.
The Taste Test!
The taste test ‘team’ declared them tastier than any other sausages and burgers they had previously tasted. (The team = Me, Stephen, our three children, all the butchery team and everyone at the BBQ we invited to test them !)
It is worth noting if you’re used to a normal juicy sausage then our Paleo sausages may be more dry in texture but there’s certainly no compromise in flavour.
In addition to the natural herbs and spices we use, we have ditched the potentially harmful ‘table salt’ and exchanged it for the nutrient dense Himalayan rock salt.
If you are in danger from the well-meaning but incorrect ‘salt is bad’ myth then do yourself a favour and read this.
Our burgers and sausages contain no grain or starch so are VERY low carbohydrate. If you eat a high carbohydrate diet, lowering your carbohydrate intake can help your body better regulate your insulin response and blood sugar control. This plays an important part in maintaining your weight as well as the prevention of chronic disease, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and possibly even Alzheimer’s disease, among others. If your blood sugar is always elevated, you’re at an exponentially higher risk for dozens of diseases.
Our burgers and sausages contain NO GRAINS so are GLUTEN FREE. Grains contain anti-nutrients that – in many people – aggravate the gut causing symptoms such as bloating and gastrointestinal discomfort. In traditional diets, these anti-nutrients were neutralised through traditional culturing and preparation techniques. Gluten and other anti-nutrients have been associated with numerous health problems including;
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Dermatitis and other skin conditions
- Multiple sclerosis
- Peripheral neuropathy, myopathy, and other neurological disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Depression
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Ataxia
- Type 1 diabetes
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Ménière disease
- Endometriosis
- Insulin resistance and inflammation
We think these sausages and burgers will rock your socks off and can make a convenient and comforting addition to a health diet. Take a look below for a recipe suggestion.
