Digestive Harmony: Gut Issues, the Vagus Nerve, and Living Clean It might very well be Coeliac Awareness Week from the 9th to 15th September, but – like never before – gut health in general is at the top of people’s priorities these days. Ensuring a symbiotic balance of prebiotics and probiotics within our digestive system has become so much a focus due to scientific studies, discoveries from lengthy research into how much of a bacterial universe our gut microbiome actually is, affecting everything from weight to mental health, from immunity to everyday functioning. Prebiotics, if you were wondering, are natural, nondigestible carbohydrates (or oligosaccharides) which are fermented by probiotics (being as they are the fuel for probiotics, bacteria that assist in maintaining that desired natural balance of microorganisms and microflora in our intestines). That fermentation results in a fatty acid known as butyric acid, which maintains the healthy lining of the intestines, promoting proper digestion and supporting the regularity of our bowel movements. Believed to also keep in equilibrium the amount of cortisol in our bodies as well, thereby not allowing our stress levels to become overwhelming – for those who suffer from Crohn’s disease, leaky gut syndrome, or ulcerative colitis, focussing on the importance of prebiotics can be a lifesaver.
According to Dr Anton Emmanuel, around 4 in 10 people in the UK suffer from a digestive complaint at any one time. The group Core, meanwhile, reported in 2016 that over 10% of a GP’s working life is spent treating GI (Gastrointestinal) health issues: perhaps not surprising given that some 43% of us suffer digestive problems at some point. A shocking statistic when you realise that up to 90% of a person’s immunity is controlled by the gut. In these (hopefully) post-pandemic days, or at least in this brief reprieve from the frontline of battling the coronavirus (though such can’t be said for India), maintaining a healthy immune system is absolutely critical. Therefore, logic dictates we should look to our gut. One individual’s microbiome contains trillions of microbes, which in turn consist of over 10,000 species of bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and parasites – and those microbiota are more unique than DNA. In order to keep this intestinal galaxy of microbial magic in tiptop condition, it is advised that we consume in excess of 50 different types of food each week (over seven days; equal to just over seven different foods per day) in order to provide the diversity of nutrients necessary to essentially feed all those species. Just as the ecoconscious are striving to return a full and thriving biodiversity to the world at large, consider your own personal gut microbiome as an environment which also needs to be kept vitally biodiverse.
Kefir: From Mountain Milk to Modern Usage Fermented foods are highly important for overall gut health. Fermentation being the anaerobic process whereby lactic acid bacteria convert sugar into lactic acid, which in turn acts as a preservative that also leaves alive the prebiotics and probiotics present. You’ll have heard of tempeh and miso, of sauerkraut and kimchi, but in addition to drinks like kombucha (a superstar of the holistic lifestyle movement, and frequently in the positive social media spotlight) there exists kefir. The history of kefir dates back thousands of years, some say 4,000 years ago to China, but the grains recognisable today are just like those used by nomadic mountain peoples in the northern Caucasus over 2,000 years ago, when they utilised the milk from their goats and cows. The people there fermented their stocks of the liquid in order to save any spoiling, replenishing the leather skins containing the kefir grains with fresh milk as and when the liquid had been diminished (just like one feeds a sourdough starter in breadmaking). The grains were so valuable that they were passed down as heirlooms. Kefir came to be more widely known when Russian scientists in the 14th century began to want to understand how the mountain peoples of the Caucasus lived as long as they did, despite the inclement climate and harsh natural conditions. Even early research noted the beneficial effect on the digestive system.
Yet, it wasn’t until the 20th century that kefir grains were able to be obtained (by cheesemaker, Irina Sakharova, according to a very nice legend involving Tsar Nicholas II) and actually brought back to Russia, where they were used initially to treat tuberculosis with kefir. Given the lengthy history of its appropriation, it speaks volumes that kefir became as mainstream as milk and eggs in the country as quickly as by the 1930s. The kefir found today on shelves beside yogurts and other probiotic dairy drinks is often made from powdered cultures, rather than grains. That said, vegan alternatives have been formed from coconut milk and other nut milks. justnaturalhealth.co.uk | Just Natural Health & Beauty
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