Over the past few weeks, we've been looking at gut health and why it matters. We've delved deeper into understanding the key signs your gut health might be out of balance, including why prebiotics and probiotics are crucial to having a healthy microbiome. 

One of the recommendations we've talked about is increasing your intake of fermented foods to help support your gut, specifically the promotion of diverse beneficial gut bacteria.

 "Increasing your intake of fermented foods to help support your gut, specifically the promotion of diverse beneficial gut bacteria."

Let's look at some examples of probiotic-rich foods, how to incorporate them into your diet and how to make them yourself. 

Why fermented foods?

In our gut we have trillions of bacteria. Humans actually have ten times more bacteria cells than we do human cells.

"I often say to clients that we are more bacteria than we are human!"

We come into trouble with our little microbes when the balance of good bacteria and bad bacteria becomes out of whack. Microbial imbalances have been linked to depression, skin disorders, autoimmune conditions, leaky gut, IBS and infertility.

Fermented foods help restore the correct balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut. The other benefit of consuming fermented foods is over time your sugar cravings decrease as you starve out the bad bacteria, which feed on sugar and refined grains and carbohydrates.

"Fermented foods help restore the correct balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut."

One theory in the field of microbiome research is that the bad bacteria thrive off sugar and release cravings within your body to make you give them what they want. Clever bacteria. This means overtime as you crowd out these bad bacteria with nutrition your sugar cravings could lessen. This could help with energy, blood sugar balance and weight management.

Fermented foods have been used for centuries as a nutritional powerhouse to support health and vitality. I’ve spent a long time researching ancestral societies. Interestingly, in autumn and winter months traditional communities increased their intake of probiotic-rich foods such as sauerkraut and fermented vegetables significantly. My research shows that traditional communities consumed 12 serves of probiotic foods per day.

The reason for this is a lack of refrigeration and modern agriculture. In the cooler months, less vegetables were available and they couldn’t keep autumn produce in a fridge so they preserved their summer and autumn crops with fermentation methods.

I find this so interesting. Because of following nature’s seasonal patterns, they automatically followed their own need for immunity, building tools to keep them healthy.

5 tips to support great gut health

1) Eat probiotic-rich foods

Eat probiotic-rich foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yoghurt, kombucha, miso and fermented vegetables. If sauerkraut is too strong of a taste for you or your kids you can try kombucha, kefir or yoghurt if well tolerated.

I have a handy tutorial on youtube where I go through how to make fail proof sauerkraut at home for a fraction of the cost of store-bought varieties.

Watch the video below to learn how to make your own sauerkraut. 

2) Slowly increase your intake of fermented food

Taking too much at once can cause bloating gas and stomach upsets. Start with half a teaspoon in kids and one teaspoon in adults. Work your way up to 1-2 tablespoons a day.

"With fermented foods it is best to start with a small dose and build up."

3) Stay away from processed sugar

As we learned earlier, bacteria try to get us to eat foods that they thrive on. So, if you eat a lot of sugar you feed the unhelpful bacteria that love it and they secrete the proteins to make you crave sugar more. It’s a vicious cycle.

4) Avoid artificial sweeteners

Recent studies found that sucralose - the main ingredient in Splenda - can drastically alter the balance in your microbiome. Artificial sweeteners can still also elevate your insulin levels, even in the absence of sugar. It’s best to steer clear.

5) Take a high quality probiotic

Lastly, taking a quality probiotic is a great idea if you suffer from gut complaints or have recently undergone a course of antibiotics.

The truth of the matter is that we need great gut health for our overall health and vitality. If you experience gut issues, it is likely that you could benefit from bringing your gut back to balance. Find out if your gut could be impacting other areas of your health with the BePure Gut Health Questionnaire.