Hey guys! How is everyone doing today? I can’t believe it’s already May. With life at home, the days have been flying by in our household. Basically each day looks like this… wake up, take my plant based nutrition classes, make yummy food, blog about it, film a YouTube video or podcast, workout with Jonathan, play with Huddy in the hallway, get some air outside, make more yummy food, take a bath at night to wind down, repeat!
The exciting thing is… days are looking a LOT more exciting and healthy than they have in the past several years for me. I mean, exercise alone is still new for me. Check out this recent post on fasting to hear about why I am feeling so much better lately and why I am so hopeful for the future of my healing process. I have another long fast coming up in May and truth be told, even though I am loving life at home and not eager to leave my boys again, I am counting the days until my next fast because I am so ready to feel as amazing as I can. And HEAL, heal, heal!
On the note of healing, let’s talk about gut health. You guys know that I have a notoriously sensitive stomach. I’ve been talking about it on this blog for seven years. In fact, I might even go as far to say that I started my blog because of my sensitive stomach, which lead me toward eating healthy food, which lead me toward exploring holistic healing and studying nutrition, and now here we are.
My sensitive stomach journey //
When I say “sensitive stomach,” what I am really saying is a lot here. I have had a long history of dealing with a sensitive stomach… as you guys well know! I especially detail it in my recent YouTube video! But in recent years I have found a lot of things that work for me — my diet, my lifestyle, supplementation, exercise, plant foods, and more.
And while I am not saying any one of these things was a miracle healer for me, they have all worked together to enhance my life and make me feel a lot better on a day to day basis. On this path with my stomach, I have grown to be somewhat of a connoisseur of probiotics. I have tried them all… seriously, you name it, I’ve tried it. Then I saw some other bloggers I love and admire posting about Seed’s Daily Synbiotic, and I got curious. Curiosity turned to intrigue turned to, “OMG, I must have it.”
“Wait, I haven’t tried this one!” I thought, the first time I saw my dear friend Kelly Leveque post about it on her Instagram. She is a nutritionist I love and trust who is all about the science, so I knew the science behind the brand had to be legit. Fast forward to me reaching out to them and then being given the opportunity to work with them. Before writing this post, I have diligently taken their Daily Synbiotic (we will get into what exactly this is!) daily for the last month, and I have also completed @Seed University (their education platform for partners and all curious humans, on Instagram!) which is chock full of info on microbiome, probiotics, gut health, the environment, the brand’s mission and founders, and more.
I AM SO HAPPY THAT SEED IS SO TRANSPARENT and is such a proponent of accountable influence (i.e. not just partnering with someone to spread info on the internet without them truly knowing the facts and the science and how it works) because they have really given me the opportunity to learn so much. I feel like I graduated from being an obsessive probiotic researcher and working off of trial and error in my own body to really learning about the ins and outs of the gut microbiome, what makes probiotics + prebiotics work/not work, how probiotics can positively affect our environment when it comes to global issues like the mass extinction we are experiencing, plastic overrunning our oceans, and honeybee disease/deaths to name a few.
Don’t worry, we will get into all of this. I have learned so much from them and I am ready to NERD OUT and share it all with you guys!!!
& before we go any further, I want you to know you can use the code BLONDE for 15% off your first month of Seed’s Daily Synbiotic on their website! I am so excited for you to try them out omg.
So let’s start by talking about the microbiome. You may be thinking, “Yeah, I’ve heard about it, but what even is it anyway?” Well let’s look at it this way: while the Universe is home to about 250 billion stars, we as a human super organism are a home to 38 TRILLION micro organisms!! WHAAAAT. You can say that 10 times fast! So basically we are 50% human, 50% microbes. And the microbiome by definition is the genetic material of all of the microbes that live in an ecosystem. So… we are our microbiome, and our microbiome is us!
On earth, microbes have been here wayyyyyy longer than we have. The human microbiome is primarily made up of bacteria, but it also includes fungi, protozoa, and viruses. The majority of the microbiome reside in our gut, but can be found all over the body
Each of our microbiomes is completely unique to us, and is constantly changing. It is impacted by external factors like diet, exercise, medicine, and sleep. Even going to the bathroom can mean shedding a few trillion microbes. So think about how you feel when you’re eating clean, sleeping well, and on a good exercise regime versus when you’re on vacation, maybe drinking too much and not getting enough sleep. OFF, right? That has a lot to do with our microbiome!
So, drum roll please!! As humans we all receive our foundational microbes from our mother whenr we are born, which is called SEEDING… hence how Seed got its name! Which now that I know the science behind it, I find completely adorable and perfect.
In essence, everything in our lives impacts how our microbiome develops overtime, including our pets. So Huddy is a part of mine, yes! Which makes me happy. !!
And as you may have probably heard, the majority of our microbiome resides in our colon… HENCE WHY often when we think of our microbiome, we think of the gut! And also why it’s so important to nurture that microbiome.
When you hear bacteria you may think that’s something you don’t want, and in some cases that’s true. But largely that is a myth, that all bacteria is BAD for us. The truth is, 99% of bacteria are GOOD !! They help us digest, and they regulate our metabolism!
The more diverse the bacteria is in our gut, the healthier we are overall. The best way to diversity our gut is to eat a diverse range of foods especially veggies, plants, and fibers. (My plant based crew, where you at!!!)
Different strains of microbes feed off of different things. A less diverse diet means a less diverse microbiome over time.
That’s where probiotics & prebiotics come in.
Probiotics are ALL THE RAGE right now, but the thing is…. You’re not really getting probiotics everywhere you think you are.
Yogurt? Kraut? Kimchi? Nahhhh. You’re not getting the probiotics you need there, as much as branding and product positioning may tell us otherwise. The reason being we don’t know if this bacteria is actually surviving to reach our colon. And just because a product tells you it has a very high CFU (colony forming units) does not mean it’s a better probiotic. The survivability is what matters!
Fun science-y fact: In 2001, the term probiotics was termed by a UN/WHO expert panel chaired by Dr. Gregor Reid (Seed’s Chief Scientist). By definition, probiotics are “live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.”
Probiotics are good for our heart, skin, metabolism, and immune health. They can suppress inflammation (yay!! Very important for people like me) and also neutralize pathogens and improve immunity. They work by interacting with our immune cells, gut cells, dietary nutrients, and existing bacteria in our colon. So that means they need to survive to reach our colon!
And then there’s PREBIOTICS — and I am just going to keep breaking it down for y’all, because I wish someone would have done this for me years ago when I was trying to figure this all out! Prebiotics interact with bacteria in the gut, and release byproducts into the colon called metabolites, and one of those is called butyrate. Butyrate strengthens the mucosal barrier lining your intestines. A stronger barrier means better containment of pathogens and absorption of nutrients.
So in non-science terms… probiotics and prebiotics both really have an impact on our gut health and the overall health of our body. And what Seed has done which really sets them apart from other probiotics on the market is that they’ve created a SYNBIOTIC, which is a combo of the two! And since we’ve now learned that most bacteria do not make it to the gut, they’ve designed their capsule to deliver their probiotics to where it matters… straight to the colon!
Seed’s tested capsules protect against stomach acid and ensure viability through digestion. The capsule has a chlorophyll exterior to shield from light, a liquid prebiotic suspension to shield from oxygen, moisture, and heat. So that no matter what, once it hits your colon… it survives!
Not to mention it is dairy free, gluten free, allergy free, & vegan — which of course it needs to be in order to be TBB approved! Some key benefits of Seed’s Daily Synbiotic are that it helps maintain regularity, eases bloating, and alleviates occasional constipation. I can definitely say after taking it for the last month I have noticed all of those things. My digestion has been ON POINT you guys, and I really can’t say that about myself very often… especially coming off of a recent water fast for Lyme!
The Synbiotic also helps maintain healthy gut function, improves tight junction function, and helps to support gut barrier integrity. It supports heart health and supports key markers related to cardiovascular health. So with all of those benefits, WHY WOULDN’T YOU TAKE IT?! I MEAAANNN !! 🤯!!
They even put their probiotics through a human GI simulator to assess exactly how much arrives in your gut, and where. Their production cycle for that reason is 135 days ! They are a team of scientists, researchers, mothers, pediatricians, gastroenterologists, and more. They are seriously like no other brand I have ever seen when it comes to covering all of their bases and pouring their hearts into the science, research, transparency, and aims to make the world as a whole a better place (not to mention our individual bodies).
So, how does it work?!
Well FIRST you get a welcome kit with a refillable glass jar, free glass travel vial, mycelium tray that can be composted, and FSC-certified shipper box that is recyclable. Then you get refills every month! So it’s both environmentally friendly and easy for you to keep track of.
Ultimately their mission is to realize the full potential of microbes to restore, sustain, and improve human and planetary health.
As I learned more about in the Seed University class, we are in the midst of a mass extinction process. 40% of all bird species on the planet are in decline, and half the corals in the Great Barrier Reef have died since 2016. 60% of the world’s primate species are threatened with extinction As a longtime vegan and animal lover, THIS CRUSHES ME!!
So beyond everything they do for gut health, they have also founded Seed Labs to develop novel applications for bacteria to solve some of the biggest problems facing our collective home. The main thing that sticks out to me there is that our oceans are drowning in the trillions of plastic bags discarded into it per year… and Seed Labs is working with a newly discovered plastic eating bacteria to hopefully help one day combat and reverse this huge global issue!!!! LIKE WHAAAT. They are amazing!
So I know I nerded out a lot here, because I wanted to bring you guys the facts. But overall my personal experience with Seed has been nothing but completely incredible. I love their transparency, what they are doing for our bodies and the earth, their branding (!!! I am such a sucker for cute packaging) and the way I FEEL since taking their Daily Synbiotic. You guys know I suffer from a host of health issues, and anything that will help me feel better day to day is a huge win for me.
Okay what do you guys think?! Will you try them out? Did you learn something? I know I did and I am only scratching the surface here. This stuff is so exciting to me and I can’t wait to keep diving deep and learning more!