Health from A to Z: G – Gut Health

We’re only really starting to learn about gut health now, over these past…ten years or so?  But gut health is incredibly fundamental to overall health.  In fact, the more I learn, the more convinced I am that gut health and/or liver health are implicated in almost all systemic illness.  Some of the effects of the gut flora (the bacteria that live within the GI tract) are so far-reaching or unexpected they might shock you.  In the interest of not repeating myself, I’ll just point you to this post on my other blog, containing a bulleted list of things research has connected with gut bacteria (together with reference links).

Probiotic Foods

A healthy gut is about more than just the bacterial balance, but that’s one of the most significant elements, one of the elements most frequently disrupted.  One of the best ways to restore or maintain a healthy gut, if not the best, is to eat probiotic foods regularly.  Probiotic foods are those which — usually through fermentation — naturally contain a supply of living, beneficial organisms.  Foods like:

• yogurt
• kefir
• kombucha
• sauerkraut (but not the packaged store-bought stuff, which is generally “dead”)
• kimchi

Something you might notice about these foods if you pay close attention to the list is that they all have ties to ethnic cuisines.  That’s because virtually every traditional culture had some form of fermented food that was used on a regular basis.  Modern food preparation has caused these traditional methods to fall by the wayside (not everywhere, and not entirely, but to a considerable degree), and we’re feeling the effects.

Supplements

Fermented foods might not be readily available to everyone.  (Most people do have access to yogurt, but it’s the least beneficial of all of the options, so it might not be adequate for many.)  “Real” versions of many of these foods are not available at most supermarkets and even though many of these are not difficult to make, they still require time and knowledge.  This is where probiotic supplements come in.

But there are so. many. options.  Where does one start?!  The folks at Reviews.com put together a page about probiotics that looks like has some pretty useful information.  Some of the information in it is debatable.  For instance, they specify that consumers should look for certain minimum bacteria counts and supplements requiring refrigeration.  I’ve heard conflicting opinions on those.  Opponents of those ideas say that the types and mix of bacteria are far more important than actual numbers (more is not necessarily better) and that if a supplement requires refrigeration to remain potent, it isn’t going to survive the harsh environment of the gut.  You’ll have to use your judgment on those; to my knowledge, no one has actually studied these questions.

But the article does have some handy references to which strains have been demonstrated in studies to be effective for particular purposes, and which supplement brands have those.  The brands I’m familiar with from among their recommendations I know to be good, so I suspect they’ve done a good job overall on making their picks.  So with the caveat above, I’ll point you to the article at Reviews.com for use as a tool when you’re selecting supplements.

If you’re a fermented food eater, leave a comment and share how you like eat your favorite fermented food.