If you love cheese, you can thank a cheesemaker . . . AND you can thank bacteria. WHAT?! Do you really want to say “thank you” to a class of grimy microbes that can cause diseases?

Well, yes!

At the end of this sentence, you will see a period. In a spot the size of that period, 250,000 bacteria could fit. WOW! Just imagine how many bacteria and other microbes you could find in your garden. Imagine how many you could find in the ocean. Just one and a half gallons of seawater holds more bacteria than there are people on Earth!

Take a look at your hand. If you zoomed in to the microbe level, you would make a startling discovery. Your hand is a zoo of bacteria!

But don’t run for the shower yet. Bacteria are just microbes. For the most part, they aren’t yucky at all. They’re God’s tiny (and yet huge) army that helps fight bad bacteria. Less than one percent of bacteria make us sick. We call those pathogens. But why give those guys all the attention? Most bacteria are on our side. They fight pathogens and help us stay well.

Good bacteria also preserves food. That’s what happens with fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, and cheese. The safe bacteria adds flavor while slowing down bacteria that causes sickness.