Know your Gut up close and personal-Part 1

It’s important for you to understand who is in your gut if you want to get healthy. 80% of your gut is inhabited by bacteria from the Firmicutes and Bacteroides phyla. We’ll take closer look at all 5 main phyla in your gut in a short series about your gut so you can get to know them better.

Firstly, let me tell you what a phylum/phlya (more than one) is. There is a tree of life and this tree is divided into classifications to tell us who fits where. You can see from the diagram below where phylum is and you will also see the word species talked about a lot when it comes to gut stuff which is another few rungs down the ladder and refers to a specific group of organisms that are similar individuals and capable of exchanging genes or breeding.

If you look at the labels on fermented foods or probiotics, they should list what species are in the product. Shortly you will know what phylum they come from and have an idea of what you gut is about if you get your number 2’s tested. Don't worry, I won't get too sciency I just think that if you know the inhabitants of your gut then you will be able to appreciate them more and nurture them better.

(Image sourced from Creative Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylum)