We generally think of bacteria as something to be avoided, however, we have more bacteria living in our guts that we have cells in our body. The right bacteria aid in digestion, modulate the immune system and protect against overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria and yeasts. Bacteria make up approximately 80% of the dry weight of stool from a healthy gut, so having plenty encourages intestinal motility and increased stool volume. When the healthy gut bacteria are reduced as a result of antibiotic use the potential for overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria increases.
Several approaches are helpful in repopulating and maintaining healthy gut flora. One way is to take probiotic supplements. You can find these in health food stores. The probiotics kept in the refrigerated section are usually the best. A much cheaper option is to eat fermented foods like sauerkraut (raw, unpasteurized), kimchi, fermented vegetables, sour pickles, yogurt with live cultures, kefir (either milk or water kefir), and kombucha (fermented tea, If you're interested in this let me know, I have starter cultures). These are all easy and much cheaper to make yourself than if you buy them in the store. So, this weeks challenge is to ferment something yourself. Nourished kitchen provides several additional ideas for fermented foods.
Most ferments take about a week, so next week's challenge is to actually eat a bit of your experiment every day.
One additional note: alcoholic ferments (beer & wine) don't count here. These items tend to promote yeast overgrowth instead of beneficial gut flora.
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