My guest today is Ara Katz, the co-founder and co-founder and co-CEO of Seed Health, a microbiome science company pioneering innovations in probiotics and living medicines to impact human and planetary health, and my personal daily synbiotic of choice. She’s one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever spoken to about the microbiome, and we die in deep here. We get into: * what a microbiome actually is * what the metabolome is, and why it's so important in the future of gut health * how to know when you should be treating your gut microbiome to impact your skin, oral health, etc (versus your skin or mouth directly) * the conditions that probiotics won't help with * the age that your microbiome stops developing * why some people are more prone to allergies, autoimmune conditions, and more * how much you can change your microbiome in your adult life * how to tell if your microbiome is in good shape * exactly how modern society has changed our gut microbiome * the best diet for your microbiome * WHY we have to take probiotics, when historically, they weren't even available * what everyone gets wrong about how probiotics actually work in your body * what happens when you stop taking a probiotic * the best and worst foods for your gut microbiome * the best lifestyle practices for your gut microbiome This episode is sponsored by Seed. You can get 15% off your first month's supply of Seed's DS-01 Daily Synbiotic or their new DS-08 Pediatric Daily Synbiotic by going to https://seed.com and using the code LIZMOODY. Healthier Together cover art by Zack. Healthier Together music by Alex Ruimy.