More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek physician Hippocrates stated: “All disease begins in the gut.” This statement holds some truth to even this day. The key role our digestive system plays in our health and wellbeing cannot be underestimated. Your gut health is essential if you want to look and feel at your best.
Evergreen stocks a number of digestive support supplements and foods that help to support your gut health and aid your digestion naturally. Digestive support supplements such as probiotics, digestive enzymes, and aloe vera help to aid the body in dealing with digestive disturbances which may arise.
You can also support and enhance your digestive system and overall health through the power of food. This is where fermented foods come into play. Fermented foods are foods which have been through a process of lacto fermentation. This is where natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food, creating lactic acid. This process preserves the food, while also creating large numbers of beneficial enzymes, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and various strains of probiotics.
Benefits of eating fermented foods
Digestive health: Eating fermented foods and drinking fermented drinks like kefir and kombucha will introduce beneficial bacteria into your digestive system. Probiotic-rich foods also help to support bowel health, digestion, and the immune system.
Fermented foods for bowel health: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS ), Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and many other intestinal problems are the direct result of gut and digestive issues. They are also conditions that can be effectively alleviated and even reversed through improvement in diet and the inclusion of probiotic foods.
Improve your immunity: Did you know that an estimated 80 per cent of your immune system is actually located in your gut? Poor digestive/gut health automatically leads to a compromised immune system.
Better nutrient absorption: A healthy balance of gut bacteria and digestive enzymes is essential for ensuring your body is capable of absorbing nutrients from the food you eat.
Make your own: It is very cost effective, if you are willing to make your own fermented foods at home, and they can last for months. Lacto-fermentation allows you to store these foods for longer periods of time without losing the nutrients like you would with other traditional preservation methods.
The following foods and drinks are packed full of natural probiotics: kombucha, kefir, tempeh, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, miso, apple cider vinegar, natural yogurt, and kimchi.
If you would like more information on fermented foods or on any of the products mentioned call into your local Evergreen store, where the team will be happy to help.
Helena, Evergreen Oranmore
