The Microbiome - it’s role in longevity and how fermented foods can help
By Francesca Moore, registered Nutritional Therapist
It’s a red hot topic – gut health and the microbiome, but why all the fuss?
The microbiome refers to the trillions of bacteria, fungi and yeast that live in our guts and form a complex, interconnected ecosystem. It’s important because our microbiome has a massive influence over our health. Weight management, energy production, mood, sleep, hormone balance, skin health, digestion, immunity, detoxification, stress resilience and inflammatory processes are all affected by the health of our microbes.
There are over 70,000 research papers on the microbiome and the upshot is that a healthy microbiome, one that is DIVERSE (lots of different bacterial strains), correlates with good health and longevity and a microbiome with low diversity correlates with ill health and chronic disease.
There are certain things that can disrupt our unique microbiome - stress, antibiotics, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, processed foods, high sugar intake. And there are certain things that can FEED a robust, healthy and diverse microbiome - an abundance + diverse range of plant based foods (fruit, veg, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, pulses, beans, grains). It’s the VARIETY that’s key so aiming to eat a ‘rainbow’ of plant based foods daily is the aim of the game.
But we can go one step further. Fermented foods, such as kefir, kombucha, kimchi, live yoghurt, apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, raw cacao also support the health of our microbiome.
These are packed full of live bacteria (they are probiotics) with way more bacterial strains and diversity than a probiotic supplement. As we consume these fermented foods the live bacteria work their magic as they transition through the gut, imparting their benefits whilst promoting good digestion, absorption and elimination processes.
Not all fermented foods are created equal… many supermarket kefir and kombucha is pasteurised meaning the live bacteria will be lost. So look for ones in the fridge. I personally love the Born from Necessity Kefir and kimchi.
Aim to include some fermented foods in your diet daily to reap the rewards!