Cultured Foods for Digestion

There are more bacteria our gastro-intestinal (GI) tract than there are people on the planet. About one hundred trillion bacteria live together in our digestive system. The two most important groups of friendly flora are lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. These friendly flora aid in digestion, strengthen our immune system and change the environment of our intestines, making it unsuitable for pathogens.

Some of the factors that can disrupt the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria in our GI tract include bacterial infections, over use of antibiotics and other medications, high stress levels, excessive alcohol intake, and poor diet. These can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating and gas. They can also contribute to long-term conditions such as IBS.

Fermented foods have probiotics, or “friendly bacteria” that aid in digestion and support overall health. Cultured or fermented foods have increased probiotic content, provide health-building enzymes and have a high nutritional value.

Friendly flora also help manufacture many vitamins including vitamin K and the B-complex vitamins Biotin, Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2) Niacin (B3) Pantothenic acid (B5), Pyridoxine (B6), Cobalamine (B12), and folic acid. Lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacteria increase the absorption of minerals that require acid for absorption, such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and manganese.

Prebiotics stimulate the growth of good bacteria, while promoting a reduction in disease-producing bacteria or bad bacteria. We ingest prebiotics through our food. Prebiotics and probiotics work best when taken together. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin are two prebiotics that are found in our food. FOS has been shown to reduce triglyceride levels, protect against colon cancer, and help normalize insulin levels.

Healthy fermented foods include sauerkraut, miso, tamari, umeboshi plums, yogurt, kefir, and kombucha. Foods that contain the prebiotics FOS and inulin include jerusalem artichokes, onions, chicory, garlic, leeks, fruit, especially bananas, soybeans, peas, legumes, eggplant, burdock root, and asparagus. Be sure to include these wonderful foods into your healthy diet on a daily basis!