Kombucha, kraut, kimchi, and kefir are just a few of the foods that boost gut health.
Thanks to a process known as fermentation, which concentrates nutrients, these and other foods contain probiotics, good bacteria that play a role in a variety of bodily functions.
Each of us carries approximately one hundred trillion bacteria — a chemical factory in our guts made up of about 500 species weighing 2 to 3 pounds — that help, primarily, to digest food.
Here are nine other ways these good bugs help us thrive:
- Prevent or treat diarrhea
- Shorten the length of antibiotic-associated diarrhea
- Prevent or treat eczema linked to cow’s milk allergy
- Lower odds and shorten bouts of bacterial vaginosis
- Treat symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome
- Relieve symptoms of lactose intolerance
- Reduce anxiety and depression
- Aid in the excretion of excess nutrients and neurotoxins
- Undo the damage of antibiotics, stress and nutrient-poor diets on the gut.
To learn how to choose — and make your own — fermented foods, check “Discover Fermented Foods” in the June 2014 issue of Experience Life.
Tell Us: Have you tried fermented foods? What are your favorites? Leave a comment below or tweet us @ExperienceLife.
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