Fermented Foods Improve Health
The microbiome is a collection of microbes that mainly reside in the gut. These microbes have evolved with us over time. They depend on us, and we rely on them in many ways. The microbiome mainly develops at birth and changes as we grow. Our diets significantly impact whether these microbes will help us or not.
In recent studies, fiber, and fermented foods have been found to add diversity to the microbiome. You may ask: who cares about the diversity of microbes? The immune system has been shown to have much better markers in diverse microbiomes (1).
The consumption of fermented foods has also been shown to help with depression and anxiety (2). Well, what are fermented foods? Fermented foods are where microbes are produced in food and beverages in a controlled manner. Foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, tempeh, natto, miso, and keifer are all examples of fermented foods.
These fermented foods can significantly improve gut irritation. For example, kefir has been shown to improve lactose maldigestion despite being a yogurt (3). This is fascinating and could also be tied to improving mental health. Many types of intestinal disturbances have been shown to severely impact mental health.
Sourdough bread, a favorite of mine, is another fermented food shown to improve GI function. It was found to have better gastric function results than common brewer’s yeast (4).
Adding fermented foods to your diet can be fun. Fermented foods can be challenging to acquire and develop a liking to; however, many can be made at home. Sauerkraut, fermented cabbage, can be fun to make. With the new findings regarding the microbiome its’s a safe bet to keep those gut microbes happy, so they can keep you happy.
