A happy and healthy gut is the foundation for overall well being! Nourishing your gut with a balance of “good” bacteria is the first way to heal from the inside out. A natural remedy to doing this? Two words: fermented foods!
When your digestive system is not up to par, it can affect every single system in your body - from your cardiovascular system to your immune system! If your gut is off-balance, your whole body will be too!
Read on to learn how you can biohack your way to a happy gut - and a happy you too!
What is Biohacking?
Biohacking is commonly known as “DIY biology” - it is extremely broad and has many definitions depending on who you ask. Here is a definition that should catch most: biohacking is a way to change your environment so that you can have full control over your biology. This helps people optimize their overall performance and wellbeing! Biohacking is attempting to transform your life by upgrading your mind and body.
Let’s get into the good stuff: how can you biohack your way to a healthier gut?
Biohack Your Microbiome
There are trillions upon trillions of bacteria living in your gut. These microscopic bacteria play a huge role in balancing out all the bad bacteria. All these organisms make up a micro-ecosystem known as the microbiome.
Ever heard of that saying, “You are what you eat”? This old saying actually holds a lot of truth. Maintaining a healthy microbiome starts with what you eat. To improve your gut health, it is key to understand how probiotics help your gastrointestinal ecosystem.
What Are Probiotics?
Bacteria are often assumed to be negative. You may try to avoid bacteria at all costs- but not all bacteria is bad! Probiotics are “good” bacteria. They are living cultures similar to those that are naturally found in your gut. Probiotics help balance out the “bad” bacteria with more “good” bacteria. This balance of gut flora can have the potential to improve your overall health too!
Prebiotics basically act as the food for your probiotics as they promote the growth of the good bacteria that already exists in your gut. Prebiotics are specialized plant fibers that can be found in more fruits and vegetables. A food high in prebiotics will also contain complex carbohydrates like fiber and starch.
When your probiotic bacteria feast on prebiotics, they ferment these fibers, resulting in the health-regulating compounds known as “post-metabolites.” Postbiotic metabolites provide the health benefits probiotics are touted for - reestablishing an ideal balance, regulating digestion and absorption.
Bonus Hack: When it comes to gut health, it is always important to eat a balanced diet. Load up on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains to boost your prebiotic intake.
Fermented Foods
Eating probiotics is an efficient way to maintain proper balance - making them ideal for biohacking. You can find probiotics in your meals or supplements too. Probiotics are the key to the health benefits of fermented foods. Here are some easy fermented foods to add to the kitchen so you can take control of your microbiome!
Sauerkraut
You can add fermented foods to your burger! Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage that originated in Northern China among the Mongols and then made its way to European culture through migration. This thinly-sliced cabbage is fermented and produces lactobacillus bacteria making it a heavy source of probiotics.
We love krauts because they are flexible! Delicious and crunchy sauerkraut can be an addition to any staple meal of your diet. From a savory breakfast to a salad for lunchtime, add any one of our unique kraut flavors to spice it up. Try Gnar Gnar for our take on kimchi! Or take on the Classic Caraway for the traditional Bavarian flavor!
Bonus Hack: When looking for where to buy any fermented foods like sauerkraut, make sure your kraut is raw! Cleveland Kitchen krauts are kept the way nature intended it - raw and unpasteurized! We don’t pasteurize our krauts because high heat from pasteurization can kill all the probiotics fermented foods have to offer.
Yogurt
Add fresh fruit and some granola to a bowl of plain yogurt to your breakfast. Yogurt is a fermented food that contains a ton of probiotic cultures that boost your digestive tract.
Kombucha
Kombucha is a fermented tea usually made from four simple ingredients: water, tea sugar, and a SCOBY or "symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast". This mixture is then left to ferment, allowing probiotics to flourish and thrive. This fermentation process leaves you with a fizzy beverage filled with probiotics.
Fermented Food Recipes
We made adding fermented to your diet as simple as adding a dressing! Cleveland Kitchen dressings are the new way to boost gut health! With a base of fermented veggies, these dressings pack a punch of probiotics in every drizzle!
We recommend adding the dressing to your favorite dish for a new flavor. From your healthy bowls to your nightly side salad, adding a gut-friendly dressing is a mindless way to boost your health.
Power Of Probiotics
Taking control of your microbiome is crucial to maintaining your overall health and well-being. This care starts with a diet of probiotics in order to balance out your “good” and “bad” bacteria. Incorporating fermented foods into your diet can be a smart path to biohacking gut health.
Cleveland Kitchen is fueled by our desire to bring fermented foods to the American diet. Eating a balanced diet can seem daunting- we created products that are easy to add to any dish.
We truly believe that fermented foods are the key to a healthier diet, empowering you to be a healthier you!