Why You Want to be Eating Cultured Foods

Our body requires many things to thrive in optimal health. We are all familiar with the importance of engaging in regular exercise, getting a good night’s sleep, and the value of drinking lots of water. Did you know that it is also important to do what we can to ensure our bodies are shielded against infections and diseases inside our digestive tract?

Our bodies are filled with bacteria. It may sound dangerous, but the truth is there is good and bad bacteria inside everyone. Some bacteria can make us sick, but other bacterium serves an important role in keeping our gut healthy and our bodies well. The combination of good and bad bacteria is called flora. 

At any given time, your body is filled with probiotics which are healthy flora that is thriving in your gut, making it possible to do things like reduce gas and bloating, fight off yeast overgrowth and wage war against unhealthy bacteria trying to infect your body.

When you are sick or stressed, the good probiotics can die off quickly and make it harder to have harmony in your gut. Thankfully, one of the best ways to protect our gut while promoting good nutrition is through the consumption of cultured foods.

What are cultured foods?

These are foods that have been fermented, which break down to easily digestible components and preserve a healthy balance of flora.

No matter what your personal preferences are for food, chances are there is a cultured food that you will love. Consuming cultured foods can aid in treating illness such as candida overgrowth, and can counteract the effects of taking certain medications, like antibiotics, that are known to kill the flora in your gut.

Increasing your gut health can be as simple as finding and consuming cultured foods that you love.

Samples Of Cultured Foods: 

• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Kombucha
• Sauerkraut, pickles and other cultured veggies
• Miso
• Tempeh
• Natto
• Kimchi

My personal favorites are kombucha and sauerkraut and I try and consume one of those two daily.

Discovering the benefits of keeping our gut healthy is the first step towards optimal health. Learning what foods promote good gut health makes it easier to incorporate great-tasting foods that fight disease into our diets. Once you find the foods you love you can expect to see a dramatic increase in your energy, health, and happiness.

If you want to make changes in your life that will improve your gut health, consider my e-course Fit and Fabulous:  Gut Health,  a 6 part video course with email support.

So what are you favorite cultured foods?