Some bugs are good bugs

I have bragged a bit that one of my (few) Covid accomplishments is I learned how to make Sourdough bread. I had a neighbor who suffered through and recovered from Covid early on last year. Phoxay offered me lessons and converted me to her easy method for making sourdough bread and I've actually baked this probiotic bread nearly every week since! 

I was excited to learn that sourdough bread is considered a probiotic food. And probiotics (as always variety is best) are a blessing to our gut and microbiome. In fact because of the fermenting process in making sourdough bread some people that are sensitive to gluten are able to eat this bread with no ill affects. 

In our currently over sanitized world where there is hand sanitizer station every few feet we need to make extra efforts to introduce the good bugs into our diet. 

This week we are going to enjoy the world of probiotics as  I challenge you to eat some bugs. You’ll be relieved to know I’m not referring to the creepy crawly, and maybe even leggy and crunchy roaches, ants or crickets-- I’m talking about microscopic bugs—the beneficial bacteria that are naturally present in foods like yogurt or kefir. 

We focused on Prebiotics during the weekly challenge where we worked on eating 30 different plant foods in a week . Probiotics (fermented foods containing beneficial bacteria) are another key to your gut health. Recent studies are linking poor gut micro biome (gut) health to maladies such as bloating, ulcers, gallstones, lactose intolerance, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel disease, celiac disease, constipation, food allergies, acid reflux, depression, low immunity and many other ailments. It seems our gut health is key to our overall health.  A healthy microbiome – in turn protects the gut wall, regulates inflammation, and assists with hormone and neurotransmitter production. We are just beginning to learn how crucial this is to your overall health. 

According to one of my favorite nutrition bloggers Monica Reinagel M.S.,L.D./N. from NutritionDiva.com  “Every traditional cuisine has developed some sort of naturally fermented or cultured food. There’s Japanese miso, Bulgarian yogurt, Polish sauerkraut, Indian lassi, and Korean kim-chee. And each of these plays a central role in that culture’s cuisine … and for good reason. All of these foods contain lactobacillus bacteria, which are extremely beneficial to your health. In the days before antibiotics and other drugs, cultured and fermented foods were critical to staying healthy.”

Monica goes on to explain that “The friendly bacteria found in these foods actually set up housekeeping in your gut, where they do all kinds of good things for you: They help digest your food and produce certain vitamins for you. They keep the lining of your intestines slick and shiny. Most of all, they make it harder for unfriendly bacteria to take hold and make you sick.”

In other words if we have a basic population of beneficial bacteria in our gut our digestive system will work better and our body will be healthier and better able to fight off disease.

Monica goes on to explain that “Unfortunately, the traditional methods of fermenting cabbage in stoneware crocks, or burying salted vegetables in pits in the back yard, or culturing warm goat’s milk on the hearth are just not as common as they used to be. Instead, we have ultra-pasteurized milk that keeps for six weeks. Let me assure you that no beneficial bacteria survive the ultra-pasteurization process.”

Personally I love kimchi (I had a Kimchi taco last week- yum)  and Kefir (Kefir is a fermented milk drink made with grains and is believed to have its origins in the Caucasus Mountains. It is available in health food and many grocery stores and it tastes like a yogurt drink but almost like it has a bit of carbonation) but probably the easiest way to get our daily lactobacillus fix is to eat yogurt regularly 

Which brand of yogurt should you buy? Look for brands that advertise “living cultures” (Recent studies show Stonyfield to be the brand with the most active and live cultures)  but it is not necessary to pay extra for fancy yogurts that promote digestive health. Regular yogurt contains all that you need.

It’s pretty easy to work some yogurt into your daily diet. Besides eating it as a breakfast or snack you can easily add it to smoothies or use it in dips or spreads. 

And I’m a step ahead of you ladies in your day dreaming. Does frozen yogurt (one of my all time favorite treats) contain live active yogurt bacteria and qualify as “eating yogurt’?  Maybe and maybe not. It seems that while the freezing process does NOT kill the yogurt bacteria some frozen yogurts use heat-treated yogurt, which does kill the live and active cultures. The best way to find out is to ask at your local frozen yogurt shop or look for the NYA Live & Active Cultures seal. What you want is live active yogurt bacteria. And remember if you find a frozen yogurt which contains live culture but also has sugar it DOES count as a sugar day! You might enjoy plain or unsweetened yogurt with some fresh fruit or non-caloric sweetener added. 

For every day that you eat at least 1/4 cup of a fermented food (sauerkraut, miso, yogurt, kefir, kim-chee etc.)  containing live and active cultures and/or take a probiotic supplement you earn the daily 5 bonus points. As always variety is best for your health so try to try at least one that you have not tried before!