We all know how important it is to get our probiotics in. It seems to be the latest trend in the health and wellness community, aka TikTok. In order for your body to function properly we need to make sure our gut is functioning properly. It has been proven that gut health can impact your skin, energy levels, and digestion. In many cultures we can see different types of gut-health boosting foods, be it sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kombucha, or simply prebiotic foods like beans, prunes, etc.
Let’s be honest, we’re all tired. We all have stomach problems and our skin is just trying to figure itself out. It can be hard to get in our probiotics. It’s not very glamorous to think about the sheer amount of fiber we actually need to get in on a daily basis, and what that means for our bodily functions. But there’s hope! At WT, we’ve been given many gut health boosting opportunities. So, with that in mind, here are some ways WT may be the answer or to your gut health prayers:
1) The weird and expensive coffee by the cafeteria
Where to begin with this one…over-brewed? Underbrewed? Old? New? Overprocessed? Under-processed? Who knows. Whatever it is, this coffee isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s got notes of WD-40, astringent, and oil, with murmurs of tonka bean laying the foundation. However, if you can muster the courage and funds to experience it. The source of the water, in addition to the beans, will interact with your gut biome by instilling fear in the Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Fusobacteria (not copy and pasted from WebMD) present in your gut, causing them to pipe down. In a pinch, the Get-Go coffee will do the same if you’re in the Davis Center (I am not condoning you to go off campus, non-seniors).
2) The Walk to the Joan Clark Davis Center for Interdisciplinary Learning
What a trek it is getting to Urban Research and Design, Machine Learning, etc. I always meet all sorts of interesting people, smell interesting smells, and step over interesting holes in the pavement. All this put together feels like a recipe for a diverse exposure to different types of bacteria. So next time you are rushing to make it before your history teacher takes attendance, take the time to just stop and smell the flowers, aka, that random wooden slab. Heck even stop by Medusa’s lair, they just closed due to issues regarding the health department (I am not condoning you to go off campus, non-seniors), who knows what type of healthy gut bacteria is crawling around there.
It’s time more of you students start putting your health first. Many of us stay up late, come to school on an empty stomach, just to eat Hot Cheetos, at 9:40 and it’s time we put an end to this madness, and drink more water. So I hope that by this point in this informative guide, you feel empowered to take back what’s rightfully yours: a healthy gut biome.
