The Gutbliss Podcast Your Gut Garden: How Exposure to Nature Improves Your Microbiome
Dec 12, 2024
Doug Barker, a passionate gardener and former chief information officer for the Nature Conservancy, shares intriguing insights on how nature influences our health. He discusses the immune-boosting powers of exposure to soil and forest bathing, highlighting its positive effects on our gut microbiome. Doug emphasizes the importance of phytoncides and fresh air, illustrating how gardening can enhance both mental and physical well-being. Practical tips on integrating nature into daily life and home decor further illuminate the conversation.
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Gardening Boosts Well-being
- Doug Barker shares that time in his garden makes him feel better physically and mentally.
- Gardening improves his awareness, presence, eating, sleeping, and overall life satisfaction.
Soil Interaction Enhances Microbiome
- Contact with soil enriches and diversifies the human microbiome significantly.
- Experiments show city dwellers exposed to soil microbes exhibit microbiome changes within two weeks.
Humans Are Microbe Superorganisms
- Most human body cells are microbial, outnumbering human cells two to three to one.
- Our microbiome genes vastly outnumber human genes, highlighting our dependence on microbes.
