Germs
I’m a self-proclaimed germaphobe-ah-phobe. That isn't a typo. At some point, coinciding with the rise in popularity of kombucha, I became mildly obsessed with gut bacteria. In December 2019, I just finished Good Gut. The authors, Stanford researchers (so I think they know what they’re talking about), laud only washing your kids’ hands after being out & about in public places (not after a good play in the dirt) and never, ever using hand sanitizer to protect the biodiversity of bacteria in and on the body (otherwise known as the microbiota).
Enter 2020. You know. Now it is 2021…time... Now, my new obsession is how to keep my kids ‘bad-germ’ free without turning them into life-long germaphobes (unless that means they also turn into David Rose, then bring on the Dateline and black lights).
Over the last decade, those funky little microbiota have been the subject of a hotbed of research. Interesting correlations have been identified between increasing sterileness, dwindling variety of gut bacteria, increased allergies, auto-immune diseases, and obesity. Research has shown that a healthy microbiota yields a more beneficial immune system and is associated with improved mood, weight loss, and even reduced Autism symptoms.
All that to say, I was thrilled to read Can We Learn to Live With Germs Again?, which reminds us that our increased obsession with cleanliness and inhalation of all germs is detrimental to our health and that coming out of COVID, we’re going to need to rebuild our relationship with both germs (and jeans). In January 2021, a global consortium of health researchers raised the alarm about diminished interaction with germs because of the pandemic. The irony is that the loss of good microbes heightens one’s vulnerability to infection, including COVID-19. One study observed a correlation between specific microbiome characteristics and severe COVID.
From Good Gut, a hit-list of how to promote a thriving microbiome:
Feed the good bacteria with lots of fruits and vegetables, particularly fibrous ones.
Eat a varied diet - different bacteria thrive with different foods.
Reduce intake of processed foods and sugar, which offset the balance of good guys in the gut.
Eat fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, and pickled anything.
Consider a prebiotic and probiotic.
Double down on the use of probiotics after antibiotics.
Dig a hole to China. Seriously, playing in the dirt is a good thing.
Limit handwashing to after public interaction.
Avoid using hand sanitizer, opt instead for washing hands.
Avoid sterilizing surfaces in your home.
Get sleep – being sleep deprived reduces your body’s biodiversity.
Things still NOT recommended:
Licking the subway pole.
Potty mouth. Interpret this as you will.
Eating yogurt that you “found somewhere.”
Talking to your kids about germs is tricky given that you can’t see them. That can be scary or baffling to kids. It’s nuanced; you can lean on fighting, sports, or The Bachelor metaphors.
Or try a science experiment: drop a few yellow drops of food coloring into water (yellow represents the harmful bacteria). Add in a bunch of green food coloring (green representing good bacteria). With any luck, the green will dominate your glass of water. You can also talk about feeding the ‘good bacteria,’ with lots of vegetables. Try this book.
Also, this product (probiotic spray) is amazing, in our house, it has effectively cleared up any diaper rash as well as eczema.
