Is Your Gut Healthy?

About 40% of our immunity is in our gut. So, we should definitely make sure that our gut is healthy. However, these days all we have is refined foods and high calorie foods but no prebiotics. Actually, prebiotics are the foods which promote the growth of healthy bacteria in our intestine. Remember, our body needs healthy bacteria so that it can keep our gut healthy. So, it is of utmost importance that you provide such foods to your body which do not take a toll on your health, rather give you nutrition.

So, let me start by asking few important questions to you? Have you ever felt like i cannot eat this food, my stomach will get upset? Or if you have ulcerative colitis, gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, leaky gut, constipation, diarrohea, eczema, gas, bloating, bad breath and more? Have you ever given it a thought that what has caused all of these problems? See, all of this is related to your gut or stomach and intestines.

Now, what can you do to give yourself a rest from all of these problems? Well, you can add prebiotic foods in your diet, which will help your body to flourish healthy gut bacteria and hence, your body will be able to fight with all these problems.

Let me also tell you here that if you are born through a c-section birth, if you consume antibiotics, if you have chlorinated water, if you consume a lot of tea or coffee, if you are having other medicines like oral contraceptives, you definitely need probiotic foods in your diet because all of these factors rob off your healthy bacteria in your gut. Now the question is how you can include the probiotics in your food or what foods you should include in your diet to lift up your intake of probiotcs? Well, here are a few to name:

1. Kefir

Kefir contains beneficial bacteria and yeast. Kefir in Turkey means "Feel Good''. You can make kefir at home with cultured grains or can buy it from store. It will provide you enzymes, good bacteria, probiotics and easy to digest proteins.

2. Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut means Sour Veggies, generally Cabbage. So, basically pickled cabbage is sauerkraut. One should have 1-2 tsp of it before each meal. You can also put it in your salads. This is one of the excellent gut-friendly food.

3. Khimchi

Khimchi is actually Korean Sauerkraut, with lots of antioxidants. It boost the circulation and absorption of nutrients in the blood due to the peppers. It tastes awesome and if you like spicy foods, you will love it for sure. Needless to say, it is full of healthy gut-friendly bacteria. Therefore, there are so many reasons to include khimchi in your diet.

4. Kombucha

Kombucha drink contains enzymes, probiotics B vitamins, organic acids, antioxidants etc, which are great for your gut as well as your brain. Studies have shown that it can aslo help you to deal with anxiety. You can mix it with chia seeds and various berries to increase the flavour to your choice. Surely, kombucha is an excellent replacement of all those sugary drinks.

5. Natto

Natto is a very popular dish in Japan. It is basically fermented Soyabean. the powerful prebiotic present in it is actually very good for your immune system and it also support your cardiovascular system.

6. Yogurt

You all know about it. It is one of the most famous probiotic source. It is also rich in calcium and very easily available all over the world. However, if possible always opt for organic yogurt.

7. Kvass

It is also a fermented beverage, hence the good gut-friendly bacteria. It can be made by bread, beets, barley rye or any other veggies. Apart from being a good probiotic, kvass also help us in curbing sugar craving.

8. Raw Cheese

Raw cheese contains powerful probiotics. It has Thermophillus, Bifidus, Bulgaricus and acidophillus bacterias, which are excellent for your gut health. However, if you are eating cheese for its prebiotic properties, please do not opt for commercialized cheese.

9. Apple Cider Vinegar

An excellent source of acidobacter and acidic and malic acid. These acids helps to maintain the gut pH, which naturally enhances the prebiotics in our body. You can start with having 1 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar in 1 glass of water and can slowly increase the quantity up to 2-3 tsp. You can also mix raw honey to it, if you want to sweeten it. It controls the blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and also aid in weight loss.

10. Tempeh

Tempeh is also a fermented soya product which can be used as condiment. It is also a good source of prebiotic. The tempeh starter is added to soyabeans to produce tempeh. Then it is kept for 2-3 days. The end product is a cake like product, which can either be eaten with Miso or as it is.

11. Miso

Miso is also created by fermenting soyabean, barley or brown rice by a fungus called Koji. The whole process can last from few days to few years. Miso can be used in soups or in place of butter anywhere you want, like spreading on a cracker or bread etc.

I hope, you will like this post and it has given you some new information. If you have any query regarding anything in this post, please let me know in the comment section below.

Be happy and stay healthy !!

Nainja