Eat fermented food
Adding fermented foods to your diet is an excellent way to
improve your gut health.
Fermented foods are made by simply adding bacteria to food.
While this may not sound appealing, remember that our gut contains millions of
bacteria that collectively make up our gut microbiome, and eating fermented
foods helps to ensure we have the right type and balance of healthy bacteria.
An imbalance of this ecosystem, where there are more bad bacteria, can disrupt
our immune function, metabolism, and damage the gut lining.
Fermented foods are now readily available in the
supermarket. It is best to have a small amount each day rather than a large
serve once a week. Make sure you read the ingredients label and avoid products
that have additives, too much sugar or salt as these will reduce the
effectiveness or possibly kill the bacteria in the food.
5 Fermented foods to try:
1. Yoghurt. Look for Greek yoghurt or plain unsweetened
varieties. Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most common probiotic in yoghurt
which may also be listed as “live and active cultures”.
2. Kombucha is a fermented sweet tea that is lightly
carbonated. Be sure to read the ingredients as many contain sugars and
flavours.
3. Kefir is a milk drink found in the fridge section. You
can drink this on its own or use in a similar way to yoghurt.
4. Miso is made from a combination of soybeans, fermented
rice, and salt and is commonly used in Japanese soups and sauces.
5. Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage. It is used as a
condiment you can add to a sandwich or a meal.