Let’s Talk Gut Health

Let’s Talk Gut Health

Who wants to talk bacteria and gut health? Now, don’t raise your hands all at once!

It’s not the most exciting topic, I know, but bear with me.

For sure, what we digest nourishes the body and can literally make or break our morning constitutional (that’s poop if you’re not familiar with the euphemism), but scientists are recently finding out that what goes in the gut, or stomach, may be more important than we realize. A healthy gut may aid in the fight against chronic disease, cancer, obesity and even depression.

There are over 5000 bacteria that live in the gut, some good, some not so much. A diet rich in probiotic foods, like yogurt, sauerkraut and sour pickles, can greatly affect our immune system. The more of the good guys you consume, the more balanced the microbiome (that’s the fancy name for all of those lovely bacteria swimming around in your stomach) and the healthier you will be.

To help the good guys grow, you need to add prebiotics to your diet. Think of these as fertilizer for the probiotics. Non-digestible carbohydrates, like asparagus, dandelion greens and garlic nourish the probiotics already in your intestines.

Now here’s the kicker; things like stress, the environment and exposure to antibiotics can throw off the delicate balance in your gut so it’s a good idea to consume a combination of both prebiotic and probiotic foods on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, no single food contains both pre- and probiotics, but no worries, we’ve got you covered. If you are looking to supercharge your gut health through diet, we’ve got a tasty breakfast cookie recipe, courtesy of The Complete Prebiotic and Probiotic Health Guide, that contains both!

The prebiotics and probiotics in these cookies create a synergistic effect in your gut, and that’s a great thing!

How fast can one change the body’s microbiome? Fast! The gut adapts to a change in diet within 24 hours, so eat up! —Karen

Original article and pictures take fitbottomedeats.com site