5 Reasons to Add More Fermented foods to Your Diet
At one point, not much was known about what lived inside our guts. But as research has advanced, we now know that trillions of bacteria live within your digestive tract. That may sound like a bad thing, but it is actually a positive. We all need bacteria in our gut—that is, “the good”kind”—that keep our immune system healthy and strong. And one of the keys to keeping your gut filled with good bacteria is to feed them. Just like little pets, you have to constantly give your gut certain foods to feed the good bacteria so that they can help fight off bad bacteria, viruses, and bugs. Experts like Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, say that processed foods, which are standard in the Western diet, are terrible for the gut microbiome. This is why it is essential to balance your diet with foods that will improve your gut microbiome, and one of the best things you can eat for this purpose is fermented foods. Read on to learn five reasons to add more fermented foods to your diet.
You cannot digest food unassisted
If you had no good bacteria in your gut, you actually would not be able to digest any of your food. The good bacteria are what help break down the complex carbohydrates that we all eat. The food you consume goes through a process of fermentation and metabolization, which also produces other substances that assist your health as well.
To assist in a diverse gut microbiome, you need to make sure you have both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber, which consists of foods like oranges, oats, and beans, is really important for gut diversity. Insoluble fibers are found in foods like whole grains, but they are less beneficial to gut bacteria because they are not easily digestible.
Good bacteria can fight off and win against bad bacteria
Believe it or not, you consume bad bacteria every single day, like pathogens, which can cause disease and sickness. It is unavoidable and one of the main reasons why you have to keep the good bacteria well-fed and strong. Good bacteria are the tiny fighting soldiers that will protect you from pathogens, and this is where fermented products come in handy again. Fermented foods lower the pH balance of your intestines, helping your good bacteria fight even better, as a low intestinal pH makes it harder for bad bacteria to survive. Additionally, fermented foods have a protein that helps kill the bad guys.
You need the help of good bacteria in making certain vitamins
Good bacteria are helpful in so many ways, including helping your body make the vitamins you need to live. Without good bacteria, your body could not synthesize vitamins like B1, B2, B3, B5, B12, and K. So this is even more reason to feed the good guys with fermented products.
Bodies that stay balanced are the healthiest
The bacteria in your gut have an effect on your body, from head to toe. The less gut diversity you have, the more susceptible you are to disease and illness. A higher diversity of bacteria in the gut is said to keep you from some of the most chronic and life-threatening conditions you can think of. Some of them include things like obesity and weight gain, asthma and respiratory problems, and chronic inflammation, which can lead to conditions like inflammatory bowel disease.
Fermented foods can help rebalance your gut health after antibiotics
You may not know it, but if you have ever taken antibiotics, you have inevitably done some kind of damage to your gut health. Antibiotics are necessary in certain medical situations and are life-saving medicines, but they kill off everything in their path within your body, including bacteria and bugs, as well as the good bacteria too. This is why many people experience diarrhea and other digestive issues after a round of antibiotics. After killing off good bacteria with antibiotics, it is essential to restore your gut health as soon as possible, which you can jumpstart with fermented foods. This will help to repopulate your gut with the good guys and keep you from getting sick again due to fewer defenses within your gut biome. Eating high-fiber and plant-based foods as part of your diet are other great ways to feed a healthy gut.