Written by Emily Miller, Nurse Practitioner
Antibiotics were once considered a life-saving solution, but now are overused and exist in our food, water, and milk supply. Taking antibiotics disrupts our digestive tract by causing inflammation and forcing our immune systems to work harder to keep us healthy. Every year at least 2 million people become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and at least 23,000 people die as a direct result of these infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet healthcare providers continue to overprescribe antibiotics for illnesses that have no benefit from them, and our food supply continues be inundated with antibiotics to avoid infection and enhance growth.
What can we do to help keep our gut healthy?
Antibiotics were once considered a life-saving solution, but now are overused and exist in our food, water, and milk supply. Taking antibiotics disrupts our digestive tract by causing inflammation and forcing our immune systems to work harder to keep us healthy. Every year at least 2 million people become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and at least 23,000 people die as a direct result of these infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet healthcare providers continue to overprescribe antibiotics for illnesses that have no benefit from them, and our food supply continues be inundated with antibiotics to avoid infection and enhance growth.
What can we do to help keep our gut healthy?
- Eat a diet with fibrous whole foods
- Restrict exposure to antibiotics unless absolutely necessary
- Purchase meat from livestock raised without antibiotics
- Limit sugar, sweets, and artificial sweeteners
- Avoid highly process and refined foods
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