Probiotics Improve Gut Health and Brain Function! Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast that keep your gut and brain healthy. “Pro” means for. “Biota” means life. Foods fermented with bacteria (live bacterial microorganisms) keep pathogens in check, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function. Boost mood and cognitive function and lower stress and anxiety. The Gut and the Brain are connected via the Gut-Brain Axis, linked through biochemical signaling between the central nervous system and the digestive tract called the enteric nervous system. The primary information connection between the brain and gut is the vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the body. The gut (the enteric nervous system) produces neurotransmitters that the brain does including serotonin, dopamine, and gamma aminobutyric acid which all regulate mood. Serotonin is made in the digestive tract. When your brain senses danger, the fight or flight response, the brain sends warning signals to the gut thereby causing a nervous or upset stomach. Meanwhile, when your gut is full, your gut microbes produce proteins that suppress appetite and tell the brain to stop eating. The Role of Probiotics is clearly vital to the gut and thereby overall health. Probiotics cause lower activity in the insula, the brain area that processes internal body sensations that emanate from the gut. Fermented Foods contain probiotics. What does fermented mean? It means it has undergone a metabolic process that uses enzymes to alter the production of foods. Why? Probiotic foods are produced through fermentation either by adding bacteria to foods or adding salt to foods to aid fermentation.
Benefits of fermented foods: 1. Risk of diabetes: increasing healthy bacteria can alter microbiome 2. Weight: certain bacteria make efficient use of calories 3. Immune system: 80% of immune system located in gut so body’s first line of defence against various infections. Balance of bacteria in gut impacts immunity. 4. Bowel health: Healthy bacteria encourages regularity. 5. Decrease food waste: use odds and ends of root vegetables for fermented recipes.
There are multitudes of ways to incorporate fermented food into the diet:
1. Yogurt: dressings, sauce, plain, dip for crudités Easy dressing: ½ c Greek yogurt, 2 T EVOO, ¼ c balsamic vinegar, 1 T honey, 1 T mustard, & seasoning (to taste) 2. Sauerkraut – side dish 3. Miso – sauce (for vegetables such as eggplant, fish), soup, dip for crudités
Best miso salmon: whisk ¼ c miso, ¼ c rice vinegar, scallions, ginger, 2 T soy sauce, and 2 T sesame oil. Marinate 30 minutes then grill salmon. Optional, add yuzu to drizzle. 4. Kombucha – preferably lightly or non sweetened Ingredients: water, tea, sugar, Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) Note: pasteurization kills the live bacteria so look for raw organic and live! 5. Kimchee – side dish Made from salted and fermented vegetables, most commonly napa cabbage and Korean radishes, with a variety of seasonings, including gochugaru, scallions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal. 6. Tempeh – a traditional soy product originating from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form #probiotics #fermented #kombucha #kimchee #tempeh #sauerkraut #miso #yogurt #gut #mood #health #brain #immune
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