In this lesson, we are going to talk about how critical it is to balance the bacteria in your gut if you to maintain clear and youthful skin,. There are literally trillions of bacteria that are living in our digestive system; some are helpful while others are harmful. The harmful gut bacteria triggers inflammation.  We feed the proliferation of these bad bacteria with poor dietary choices and with stress. In this lesson, we will focus on how to increase the colonization of the helpful bacteria in our microbiome!

Since there are trillions of bacteria living inside of us, the bacteria in the gut outnumber our DNA by far – so much that they influence the expression of our genes. We all have a natural ratio of good vs. bad bacteria that live inside our gut, so the goal is to increase the proliferation of the good bacteria so they can help fight the harmful effects of the bad bacteria. Good bacterial colonies produce nutrients our skin needs to thrive, and also play a role in how hormones are produced in the body. The good bacteria will help with nutrient absorption, immunity, digestion, and will protect us against inflammation. There’s no question that kind of bacteria that dominates our microbiome will affect the appearance of our skin!

No one’s fate of their physical health is only determined by inherited genes. Just understand that due to their sheer number and capability, the bacteria in our gut mightily influence how genes are expressed and whether we will have certain skin conditions, such as acne!

But when you’re focused on killing all the bad bacteria by taking oral or topical anti-biotics, you’re also killing the good bacteria with it, and this actually paves the way for even stronger bad bacteria to exist. So rather than take antibiotics, it is better to focus on enriching good bacteria in the gut so that they can counteract the bad bacteria. So please don’t over sanitize yourself. If you do, you end up with an imbalanced skin microbiome, making acne even harder to treat.  

Probiotics really are the new antibiotics because they have antibiotics effects but without the dangerous side effect of creating stronger harmful bacteria. Unlike antibiotics, you can take probiotics on a regular basis and are not limited by dosage.

If this doesn’t encourage you enough to consume more probiotics daily, know that probiotics also help the skin battle free radicals by having antioxidant properties. There have been many studies that show the relationship between free-radical formation and acne, therefore anything that inhibits free-radical formation would also help treat acne. Besides preventing acne, good bacteria have anti-aging effects because they help build collagen, increase hydration and can improve the appearance of fine lines. 

There are two ways to get more probiotics into your diet.

One is to eat more probiotic-rich foods.

Fermented veggies like sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi will naturally contain good probiotics.

Kombucha, which is a fermented black tea drink that is now getting really trendy and comes in all kinds of flavors. 

Non-dairy alternatives like coconut kefirs and plant-based cultured yogurts are also good choices as probiotic food sources.

The second option is to take probiotic supplements. The obvious benefit here is that you’ll know with greater accuracy how many probiotics you’re consuming, and it’s possible to get more probiotics than you would just by relying on food alone.

If you’re choosing to go with a supplement, it’s possible to at least consume 10-15 billion CFU daily. You can even work your way up to getting 100 billion CFU daily (which is the maximum I’ve ever taken without discomfort). CFU stands for colony-forming unit, which refers to the number of live micro-organisms that are found in each serving of the probiotic you are taking. These active organisms will begin to colonize the good bacteria in your digestive tract, which is why they are referred to as colony-forming units.

Because the gut contains trillions of bacteria, so it’s best to consume a diversity of strains. So the more kinds of bacterial strains you can get in a probiotic, the better.

And be sure to always read the label to make sure you are aware of the expiration date and if you need refrigerate your probiotic. Since these are living organisms, the longer you let them sit, the less effective they will be. Personally, I’ve had better experiences with probiotics that need to be refrigerated rather than probiotics that are freeze dried that don’t need refrigeration. So that’s why I like to buy my probiotics right from the grocery store.

As great as probiotic supplements can be, prebiotics are just as important – if not more. 

Prebiotics are a form of indigestible fiber that feed the growth of the existing ‘good’ bacteria. As an analogy, imagine our gut microbiome as a forest – probiotics ‘plant’ more trees in the forest so it grows in number, while prebiotics ‘nurture’ all the existing trees in order for them to flourish. Prebiotics basically serve as the fertilizer. Once prebiotic compounds pass through our intestinal tract, they are fermented by the beneficial gut microflora and used as a source of fuel to keep the good bacteria thriving. Because prebiotics feed the beneficial bacteria in our gut, they ultimately help our skin.

New studies have even proven that prebiotics help reduce glycation – the process that causes not only acne, but cause the building blocks of healthy skin, like collagen, to become stiff and weak. Prebiotics also have antiaging effects, much like probiotics.

To get more natural prebiotics, I recommend consuming acacia fiber (or gum arabic). Acacia fiber is naturally produced by the acacia tree, an evergreen that is native to Africa.

Acacia fiber can be purchased in powdered form and is tasteless, so it can be blended into smoothies and juices on the go! I find adding this supplement into my diet really easy, it just takes a few teaspoons of acacia fiber in homemade smoothies and plant milks, to be effective. In the bonus section, I have a few recommended brands. Start small by just adding in one teaspoon, and you can gradually increase as needed. The maximum daily intake should be at 30 grams.

And of course, if you would rather consume foods with the highest prebiotic content, they are plenty to choose from like:

Raw dandelion greens

Raw leeks

Raw jicama

Under-ripe bananas

Raw chicory root

Raw garlic

Raw or cooked onions

And raw asparagus.

So basically, foods that are high with soluble fiber serve as prebiotics sources. As you may notice, to maximize the intake of prebiotics, it’s best to eat them raw. If you find this to be too difficult, I would recommend consuming acacia fiber, which is tasteless in powdered form.

So I hope that now by the end of this lesson, you understand how probiotics and prebiotics are very influential, creating solutions to skin issues by fighting off the bad bacteria that can trigger acne and to ward off signs of premature aging. The good news is that studies have shown it only takes a matter of days to change the condition of our microbiome.