Bug Love.

Our digestive system is home to approximately 100 trillion bacteria… Yep, you read that correctly - One hundred trillion bugs that live inside your digestive system (give or take a few trillion). I don’t mean to freak you out but we are actually more bacteria than we are human cells. They can be beneficial, commensal or opportunistic little suckers. Collectively these bugs are known as our Microbiome, or gut microbiota and they are being recognised more and more as crucial in the state of our health.

The Microbiome plays an important role in many aspects and systems of health including digestion, the immune system, metabolism, the nervous system and hormones. The cells of the immune system and the gut microbiome work closely together in defence against infections by coordinating responses.

It has been found that increased microbiome diversity, as in those with a vast variety of different types of microbes in the gut have been shown to have less inflammatory markers therefore disease states such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

There are different ways the diversity levels of the gut microbiome can be both increased and depleted. One of the ways in which diversity levels can be increased is through the consumption of fermented foods. In one study, a diet high in fermented foods helped to boost microbiome diversity as well as improve immune response through a decrease in inflammatory markers. For example, in this particular study Interleukin 6 levels had been shown to decrease in the fermented food group over 10 weeks. Interleukin 6 is an inflammatory protein that has been linked to Type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic stress and other conditions.

How to start adding fermented foods into your diet is the next step. A good tip for finding most quality fermented foods is start in the fridge at a place like Market Organics (Brisbane) where they have lots of different options available. If you’ve ever fermented your own foods then you know that if the end product is not put in the fridge - the live bugs within are going to continue fermenting and in some cases (like kombucha and kefir), may just explode. If products such as kombucha or sauerkraut are on the shelf, it is more likely there is something to keep them on the shelf long term (think preservatives) and less likelihood the bugs are still alive by the time they reach your gut, thereby kind of defeating the purpose.

I personally started playing with fermenting foods about a decade ago. I was then trained as a raw food chef in Ubud and the climate over there asked for it. A fresh young coconut after a sweaty Yoga practice was a staple. You could then bust open the coconut, blend up the fleshy inside, add a little bit of coconut kefir and have the most delicious yoghurt in a day.

Fermented foods were still seen as a little bit gross or ‘hippy’ then hence why I went all the way to Ubud in Bali to learn about it in more depth. And I do get it - making sauerkraut in your garage stinks, I’ve had kefir blow up in my kitchen and that mushroom looking Scoby thing on top of your kombucha that grows layers seemingly by the second is weird AF. If you know, you know.

There also just wasn’t a lot of science around it. There still isn’t enough known science around it, but we’re getting there. I’m a curious person by nature and think it’s important to never dismiss something just because there isn’t funded research around it. By the time something is researched, approved, advertised to practitioners and then marketed on ads in front of us - we’re usually a good 15 years down the line. Thankfully knowledge and awareness is growing and now there is an abundance of different fermented foods available in stores everywhere that you don’t really need to worry about stinking out your house with a sauerkraut experiment, unless of course you want to.

If you’re dealing with a bacterial overgrowth like SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), it’s important to address this first with a practitioner as fermented foods might cause more dysbiosis initially. But for me, fermented foods were and continue to be a huge part of my gut healing journey. I managed to do my own digestive system a bit of damage in my previously lived ways and when I began attempting to eat properly and work on my insides - it wasn’t fun. Many different foods had me bloated, caused reflux, made me nauseous and uncomfortable. Food sensitivities are often a sign of damage to the gut. According to my latest metagenomics microbiome test (total flex), I have about 100 more bacteria species than the test group average and my ability to digest most food is, thankfully, now great. I partly blame fermenting who knows what bacteria in my experiments and about a decade of fermented foods being a key aspect of my diet. It takes time and effort but your gut health can be improved and can make a massive improvement to quality of life.

Just like any muscle (think lifting weights) - our digestive system needs training to strengthen. If fermented foods are not currently part of your diet, start with just a little bit each day. Start small and pay attention to how your body responds. Back to the gym analogy; if you’ve just started lifting weights, you’re not going to go straight to the heaviest weight. That will end in hurt. If you go straight to eating fermented foods with every single meal when they’ve never been part of your every day diet, you might be headed for upset.

The taste can be different for some people. Try a few different flavours and brands and try adding it to meals instead of on its own. Some sauerkrauts and kimchi’s have really delicious flavours available now that can really amp up the most simple salads and dishes. Also, you might find your microbes and taste buds adjust and eventually you begin to crave different types of foods.

I have listed underneath some fermented foods with microbes that have been shown to have health benefit that you might like to try adding to your diet. I recommend going with organic and paying attention to labelling around natural fermentation. If you have any questions about a product, make sure you reach out. Some of the later foods listed are not so common to find fermented here in Brisbane but I have added them just in case.

Happy Bug Life.

Sarah Kate.

Fermented Foods:

Kefir

Coconut Water Kefir

Kombucha

Sauerkraut

Kimchi

Miso

Tempeh

Natural/Greek Yoghurt

Apple Cider Vinegar

Pickles - Most store bought shelf pickles are not.

Cottage Cheese - look for labelling that has active cultures.

Some raw/aged Cheeses

Kvass

Natto