What You Eat As a Kid Could Alter Your Microbiome For Life

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https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/06/07/06/13/food-2379472_960_720.jpg Polls from a few years ago indicate that millions of Americans [believed that they were eating healthy](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/03/487640479/75-percent-of-americans-say-they-eat-healthy-despite-evidence-to-the-contrary) regularly. But then and still today there are tens of millions of people who are suffering from chronic disease. Along the way we have seen the obesity rates have continued to trend upwards, despite decades of anti-fat and low-calorie rhetoric in food marketing. ## 56 Percent of American Children Are Eating Meals [Low in Nutritional Value](https://www.today.com/health/children-healthy-eating-nutrition-most-kids-have-poor-diet-study-t176669). Most children in the U.S. [still don't have a proper diet](https://now.tufts.edu/news-releases/national-study-finds-diets-remain-poor-most-american-children-disparities-persist), it's lacking the necessary nutritional quality that they need. And what we eat as kids has been shown to have significant impact on our lives and [overall health later in life](https://www.today.com/health/children-healthy-eating-nutrition-most-kids-have-poor-diet-study-t176669). It isn't surprising to find that [many of those who come from low income](https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2020/03/the-diets-of-most-u-s-children-remain-nutritionally-poor-despite-improvements/) households are suffering even more, compared to those who have a better ability to afford higher quality items. # More than half of what Americans consume is [ultra-processed](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/03/more-than-half-of-what-americans-eat-is-ultra-processed/472791/). https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/03/22/00/54/wedding-2163629_960_720.jpg Various studies have shown that the more you consume highly processed foods, the higher your risk of [illness like heart disease, or skin inflammation,](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200218161720.htm), it can also impair your [brain function](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/19/researchers-find-a-western-style-diet-can-impair-brain-function), and even lead to an increased risk of death. ## But still millions of Americans find themselves eating several servings of highly processed foods each week if not every day. More recent research is continuing to [shed light on the connection between](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532387/) what we eat and how that can impact our microbiome and our lives. Researchers are getting a clearer picture of how the Western diet negatively impacts the microbiome and how this could have lasting impacts for decades. One recent study from the University of California - Riverside, has discovered that what we eat as a part of our childhood [diet could have a lifelong impact](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210203090458.htm) because of the damage it could do early on. Consuming the wrong foods and too much of them could negatively alter our microbiome for life, this is even after you might change your habits and start eating healthier. https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/04/20/13/44/sports-731506_960_720.jpg Interestingly, their investigation showed that the gut bacteria were sensitive to the amount of exercise the mice engaged in. One particular strain of bacteria [had increased in those mice](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210203090458.htm) that they fed a standard 'healthy' diet, who also had access to exercise with a running wheel. They didn't see that same increase for the mice that they placed on the high-fat diet, whether they had exercise or not. What you eat when you're young might matter more in terms of long-lasting effects on the body, than how much exercise you might be getting, [say researchers](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210203090458.htm). # People changed their food habits because of COVID-19 A Food & Health Survey from last year shows that more than 80 percent of people changed their food habits because of COVID-19. They started cooking more at home, washing more fresh produce, but they're also snacking more and thinking about food more than they used to. Many people [started to understandingly become a bit more](https://www.forbes.com/sites/abigailabesamis/2020/06/10/new-survey-reveals-covid-19s-impact-on-american-food-habits/?sh=7c3c09486a77) more concerned about the food they were eating and their health last year. They went looking to start to consume foods that might help to boost their immune systems and possibly [help to protect them against illness](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/07/21/coronavirus-vitamin-c-demand-surged-during-pandemic/5403847002/). Sales for some supplements like vitamin C went through the roof last year. Organic [food sales also increased](https://www.fooddive.com/news/organic-produce-sales-growth-tops-14-in-2020/593702/). Along with cooking at home, delivery for takeout is also increasing, along with meal kits and mail-ordered prepared meals etc. Some restaurants have been smart enough to cater to this trend and come up with their own prep kits that people can take to do with them at home. This is a habit that for some after COVID-19 last year now has been [changed forever](https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2021/01/15/Survey-Americans-committed-to-maintaining-cooking-habits-in-post-pandemic-world) and fostered a new preference for cooking at home instead of always going out to eat. Not only can cooking at home help you to gain some control over what you're putting into your body but it can also help to save money and save time. *The information that is posted above is not intended or implied to ever be used as any substitute for professional medical advice, or diagnosis or treatment. The above is posted for informational purposes only.* Pics: pixabay
Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/food/@doitvoluntarily/what-you-eat-as-a-kid-could-alter-your-microbiome-for-life