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🎧 “Gut microbiome, health & fermented foods”
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Over the years, I’ve tried a variety of things to improve my gut health and overall wellbeing. From lifestyle practices like meditation and fasting to following diets that ranged from extreme to well-studied, I found some things that worked and some that didn’t. Of the things that did help, eating fermented vegetables is at the top of my list.
Microbiome
In 2017, as I researched various things related to gut health, I dove deep into learning about the microbiome, which naturally led me to learning about gut bacteria and fermented foods. Simply stated in the article “Fermented foods can add depth to your diet” by Harvard Health Publishing, “Recent research suggests that the type of gut bacteria in the bodies of Americans is changing. One possible reason is that the microbiomes in our bodies are not regularly replenished the way they were in past generations…Changes to the population of gut microbes may create an imbalance between beneficial and harmful gut bacteria, leading to health problems. When the digestive tract has an unhealthy mix of organisms, it can actually lead to a weakening of the walls of the intestines, which start to leak their contents into the bloodstream — a condition referred to, not surprisingly, as leaky gut syndrome…Fermented foods can bolster the gut microbiome, creating a healthier mix of microbes and strengthening the walls of the intestines to keep them from leaking.” (1)
Fermented Food
As I sought to bolster my own gut microbiome, I started learning about the traditional method of preserving food through fermentation. The first fermented food I added to my diet was sauerkraut. I learned to make it from scratch and fermented it in my kitchen—and I absolutely loved the flavor. Fermented sauerkraut is not at all like the canned or jarred sauerkraut you can find in the center aisles of the grocery store, the fermented kind is full of flavor, bright and crunchy.
While there is still a long way to go with regard to research in understanding the impact of fermented foods on the gut microbiome, research is showing that “In a healthy state, the gut microbiota have myriad positive functions, including energy recovery from metabolism of nondigestible components of foods, protection of a host from pathogenic invasion, and modulation of the immune system. A dysbiotic state of the gut microbiota is becoming recognized as an environmental factor that interacts with a host’s metabolism and has a role in pathological conditions, both systemic—obesity, diabetes, and atopy—and gut-related IBS and IBD, although the specific contribution of the gut microbiota to these diseases is unclear.”(2)
Overall Health
As someone with Crohn’s disease, I have been acutely aware of my gut health and how various things (from food to stress) interact with it for many, many years. I gave up long ago searching for the one holy grail that would fix it all, but learned along the way that a variety of things could improve my day-to-day life. Some such things that I continue to this day are intermittent fasting, gratitude and mindfulness, and moving my body in a variety of ways. For me, consuming fermented foods is an easy way to get one more step on the path to better health. 💜
Until next time, be strong, be grateful, and keep going!
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