IS YOUR GUT HEALTHY?

IS YOUR GUT HEALTHY? THESE ARE THE WARNING SIGNS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT...

Our gut is incredibly complex and vital for our overall health.

Medical research has demonstrated there is a link between gut health and numerous diseases and disorders, and it has been proven its connection to immune system, mental health, mood, endocrine disorders, autoimmune diseases, cancer and even skin conditions.

It's now undeniable that our digestive system does a lot more than just pass food through a long tube, absorb it and excrete it.

You have probably heard of the term “gut microbiome”, which refers to the about 300 to 500 different species of bacteria in our digestive tract. These microorganisms living in our intestines are incredibly beneficial and necessary to a healthy body.

According to  this study  conducted by Dr. and Chair of Medicine in Digestive Disorders, Martin Quigley, having a wide variety of these good bacteria in your gut can improve your immune system,alleviate symptoms of depression, help combat obesity, among many other benefits. 

An unhealthy gut might manifest itself in many different ways, such as inflammation, upset stomach, unintentional weight fluctuations, fatigue, sleep problems, autoimmune diseases and food intolerances.

Avoiding processed, high-fat and high in refined sugar foods, is key to maintaining a healthy microbiome, as these foods destroy the needed good bacteria, while at the same time promoting the growth of damaging microorganisms. 

But now that we know what to avoid, what should we eat in order to actively promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and contribute to our overall health?

These gut-friendly foods include fibre rich vegetables, fruits, nuts and wholegrains, since they feed healthy bacteria in our intestines. Keep in mind that extra-virgin olive oil contains the highest number of microbe-friendly polyphenols. Also probiotic and prebiotic foods might encourage more microbes to grow.

Prebiotics are foods that fertilise gut bacteria that already live in our intestines, helping the development of a wide microbes community. These foods include complex carbohydrates like wholegrains and vegetables. 

Probiotics on the other hand, are foods, or food supplements, that contain live bacteria thought to be beneficial to us. This includes some types of cheeses, live yoghurt and fermented foods.

Fermented vegetables are delicious, loaded with probiotics, and easy to make at home. Mason jars are the perfect vessel to ferment in: they're easy to find, fit perfectly in kitchen cupboards, are dishwasher safe, and versatile. That's why Masontops created an entire suite of products for fermenting vegetables in Mason jars. 

Our Basic Vegetable Fermentation Set has all the standard tools needed to start fermenting probiotic-rich vegetables in Mason jars. 

With this set you can weigh your vegetables below the brine and automatically vent fermentation gas. If you're a beginner and also want some recipes and tamper, checkout The Complete Fermentation Kit. It includes all of these great products, plus a Pickle Packer vegetable tamper for making sauerkraut and a free recipe book.

We support our customers on their journey to better health by providing them with free recipes and resources to get the most out of our products.

Download our free guides  here  and happy fermenting!