Wondering If Fermented Foods Can Cure Your Digestive Ills? The Answer Is Yes.
These fermented foods can improve your microbiome and health
What is the deal with fermented foods, our microbiome, and our gut health?
Different sources state it differently, but according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are about 40 trillion bacterial cells in our bodies and 30 trillion … human cells. The majority of the bacterial and other microbial cells in our body are located in our gut, or digestive system.
That’s right: as organisms, we are made up of more bacteria than our own human cells.
Today, most scientists recognize the human microbiome as another organ. It is the least-studied of the major organs, but researchers have already the microbiome’s influence on metabolic functioning, digestion, the immune system, and mental and emotional health.
Our Food System Has Killed All the Microbes In Our Microbial Garden
I try to think of my microbiome as a garden. And, I think that this garden inside our bodies seems related to and dependent on the food system that feeds us. The Standard American Diet (SAD) and food system come from very non-diverse sources. Most of our agriculture (over 90%) is monoculture. That means only one crop is grown at a time. Our U.S. food system maintains the high amount of processed foods that are sold to us in supermarkets, fast food, and most restaurants by the use of genetically-modified seeds and massive amounts of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics.
Many countries around the world, including ones we are familiar with, like France, and ones people here in the U.S. tend to think are “Third World” countries like Brazil, have purposely been moving away from 20th-century U.S. style mass agriculture and highly-processed food production. These countries have been converting their food systems to grow and process food in more traditional and healthy ways.
Our food system has given the U.S. the world’s least-diverse microbiome. Why is this important? Because our microbiomes digest our food for us, regulate our immune system, and keep us healthy in many different ways.
The U.S. food system is as bad for the planet and environment as it is for our microbiome. Think about how much chemical fertilizer it takes to quickly grow a monoculture field of corn, wheat, or soy. To keep pests away, the field is doused with strong pesticides. When the pests become resistant, more and stronger pesticides must be applied. And, if we’re talking about chicken, pork, or beef, the animals are kept in such close, unhealthy quarters that diseases quickly spread. To prevent this, the animals are regularly dosed with antibiotics. And again, as the disease-causing microbes become stronger and more resistant, the antibiotics used must be made stronger.
Of course there’s a different, better way.
As individuals, we can’t control this huge food production system that has grown up over the course of three to four generations.
But we can control the foods we buy and put into our mouths.
Fermented Foods Will Feed Your Microbiome
If you’re serious about improving your health, one easy way to improve your microbiome and get more beneficial gut bacteria is to eat more fermented foods.
In 2020 and 2021, researchers at Stanford University’s Prevention Research Center conducted a study of 36 healthy adults and the impact of two different diets on the diversity of their microbiomes and inflammatory proteins found in blood. They compared the effect of high-fiber diets and high fermented food diets. The group that ate higher amounts of fermented foods got the biggest positive effect on microbiome diversity and lower levels of inflammatory proteins.
The fiber-eating group had a stable microbiome, but received limited to no change in inflammatory proteins.
So, what types of fermented foods did the high-fermented food group who got better results eat?
Yogurt, kefir, fermented cottage cheese, kimchi, sauerkrauit, vegetable brine drinks, and kombucha tea.
Zoe Nutrition Encourages More Fermented Foods And Fiber
I am still using Zoe Nutrition’s program and I feel fantastic. The program recently featured a testimonial from Nancy, who suffered from many chronic illnesses.
As I’ve previously noted, I have had IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) my whole life. Now that I am using Zoe Nutrition, I’ve found that I can easily eat many healthy foods I gave up because of IBS, including broccoli, brussels sprouts, and beans.
Encouraged by the Zoe program, I recently made my own sauerkraut, which isn’t just easy and inexpensive, it is indeed, better than any storebought type. All you do is cut up cabbage as if for coleslaw, put some salt (not much) into it — I used 1 teaspoon for half a head of regular sliced cabbage, and “massage” it with your hands for about 5 minutes. Put it in a Mason jar or similar on the counter. Weigh it down with a flat cabbage leaf, and put something heavy on top. Cover this with a cheesecloth or dish cloth. Three days later, you will have delicious sauerkraut. That’s it!
If you are interested in Zoe Nutrition, here is a link to get $35 off. I do not earn money from this — you just get a discount.
Sources
Clutter, Christy, Ph.D., “Disappearance of the Human Microbiota: How We May Be Losing Our Oldest Allies,” American Society of Microbiology (ASM), 8 November 2019, url: https://asm.org/Articles/2019/November/Disappearance-of-the-Gut-Microbiota-How-We-May-Be
Menees, Stacy, and William Chey. “The gut microbiome and irritable bowel syndrome,” F1000 Research, 9 July 2018, url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6039952/
Olendzkikelly Sanders, Barbara, “Fermented Foods for Gut Health,” UMass Chan Medical School Center for Applied Nutrition, 19 June 2019, url: https://www.umassmed.edu/nutrition/blog/blog-posts/2019/6/fermented-foods-for-gut-health/
Robertson, Ruari, Ph.D., “Why the Gut Microbiome Is Crucial for Your Health,” Healthline, 3 April 2023, url: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gut-microbiome-and-health
Weaver, Janelle. “Fermented-food diet increases microbiome diversity, decreases inflammatory proteins, study finds,” Stanford Medicine News Center, 12 July 2021, url: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/07/fermented-food-diet-increases-microbiome-diversity-lowers-inflammation