Families that garden together have a more diverse microbiome.
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New parents have a lot to worry about—sleeping, feeding, the color of their newborn's poop—but their baby's health microbiome probably not at the top of the list. According to experts, this is how it should be.
“The first 1,000 days of life are incredibly important for seeding your microbiome. Once it's established, it will be difficult to change,” says Federica Amati at Imperial College Medical School. Early microbial colonization not only shapes physical health, it affects brain development, mental health during adolescence, and even cognitive illness later in life.
“This is too much for young parents,” I thought, hearing how this was emphasized in Goodwood Healthcare Summit in Chichester, UK, this month. But after talking with nutritionists, microbiologists and doctors, I'm convinced that early microbial seeding really does make a difference, and that there are some simple, inexpensive ways to help point your baby's microbiome in the right direction.
Why Your Early Microbiome Matters
We're used to hearing about how the trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that make up your microbiome affect your body – for example, they protect the gut lining and regulate inflammation. But they also affect the brain.
Microbial byproducts form and prun connections in the brain early in life, a process critical to healthy brain development. Bacteria communicate directly with the brain through the vagus nerve, affecting stress and mood. Chronic inflammation due to leaky gut syndrome, which can occur when the gut microbiome is disrupted, has also been linked to depression and neurodegenerative diseases.
Then there's research linking microbiome imbalance in Parkinson's disease and autism. Children with autism have different microbiome profiles, and there is some early evidence that fecal transplants from non-autistic donors may improve their intestinal and behavioral symptoms.
How to Grow the Perfect Microbiome
Proper seeding is vital because once your microbial ecosystem is established, it will be difficult to rebuild. “It's like trying to turn an English garden into a rainforest,” says Amati, who is also chief nutritionist Zoe's health app.
So what can we do to create the garden we want? Even before birth, your gut microbiome begins to bloom. Bacteria and fungi found in the uterus are transferred to the fetus, and your baby gets more germs if they pass through the vaginal canal at birth.
Babies born by cesarean section tend to have different gut bacteria, which is associated with a slightly higher risk of developing asthma and eczema, although these differences mostly disappear by the time children are 6 to 9 months old..
Breastfeeding has a greater impact because breast milk contains sugar-like compounds that promote growth. Bifidobacterium which are not in the formula. If we still think of our microbiome as a garden, these bacteria close the entry gate, preventing more harmful bacteria from entering.
Antibiotics main offender of early sowingdestroying both good and bad bacteria. Of course, they also save lives, so doctors should prescribe them judiciously to protect the developing gut, he says. James Kinrosscolorectal surgeon at Imperial College London.
After the first year, diet has the greatest impact. Variety is key, says Amati, and that comes from whole foods rather than the ultra-processed snacks that are often marketed to toddlers.
The problem, as any parent knows, is that babies are very picky. “Eating before meals is just fun,” says the pediatrician. Nancy Bostockat Croft Baby and Family Nutrition in Cambridge, UK, reminding us that babies don't actually need to eat huge amounts of food. After this, persistence will pay off. “Suggest it twenty times,” says Bostock. I tried it – serving salmon every Monday for six months, despite repeated resistance. My kids now genuinely enjoy it.
According to Amati, eating whole foods doesn't have to be expensive: “Canned lentils, frozen raspberries are all great options.”
The benefits of dirt
Another cheap and underappreciated way to increase early microbial diversity? Get dirty. Research has shown that the microbiomes of soil, plants and humans more interconnected than previously thought.
Kinross says healthy soils—those that haven't been spoiled by over-farming or chemicals—are teeming with microbial life that produces more nutritious food that feeds our microbiome. “We are completely dependent on the health of the soil. The microbiome of the soil shapes the food we eat, and this affects our health every day.”
But it's not just an indirect connection: working with soil can transfer microbes directly into our gut, and it's thought this may have a beneficial effect on our immune system. In one study of Amish communities that engage in manual farming demonstrated a stronger immune system than similar Hutterite groups who use industrial agriculture. In mice, inhaling dust from Amish houses, but not from Hutterite houses, had a protective effect against asthma due to the microbes' influence on immune signaling.
Likewise, families who garden together also bear soil bacteria in the intestines This varies depending on the time of year, suggesting that the microbes are transmitted from soil or home-grown foods. The long-term impact on children's microbiomes is not yet clear, but families who garden in this and other studies consistently show greater diversity of microbes in their bodies and healthier diets than families who do not garden.
You don't even need a garden to benefit. According to Amati, going outside or planting on your windowsill and eating what you grow is good for your microbiome.
Pollution should not be confused with “dirty.”Hygiene hypothesisWhat we really need to be exposed to is not the childhood infections that clean homes and hand washing help prevent, but beneficial microbes.
“old friends hypothesisinstead suggests that we co-evolved with beneficial microbes from soil, animals and other humans, and that contact with these “friends” has decreased as a result of behavioral changes – such as spend less time outdoors – led to an increase in chronic diseases.
Good nutrition for children's mental health
Even after those crucial first 1000 days, the microbiome remains adaptable. That’s why we need to instill in children a love of healthy food,” says Amati.
Bostock, who specializes in treating children with mental health conditions, including eating disorders, cautions against limiting certain foods. “Time and time again I see parents say their child can’t have pudding until he has eaten this or that.” An overemphasis on “good” and “bad” foods increases the likelihood of eating disorders and obesity, she said.
Instead, she recommends continuing to offer a variety of foods, eating together at the table, and noting what each food does—whether it gives you a quick boost of energy or strengthens your bones.
And don’t forget to tell your children about these bugs,” says Amati. “Tell them what their microbiome does – they love it! They love feeding their good bugs.”
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