I found an interesting article from NPR about gut microbes and diet soda. Healthy gut microbes aide in digestion and absorption of nutrients and the elimination of waste. All of these processes are supported by good eating habits and a whole-foods plant-based diet, together with naturally fermented and pickled foods. I have discussed the details of these processes in another blog.
As healthy gut microbes diminish, unhealthy ones try to take over. Certain foods specifically interfere with our healthy gut microbes. The most harmful foods are artificial sweeteners, chemicalized foods, iced drinks and cold foods like ice cream and frozen yogurt. Hard baked flour products, dairy, and animal based products also interfere with the healthy functioning of our gut. If we cannot eliminate unhealthy foods, they have more of a tendency to putrefy and toxify us.
Common sense tells us that natural foods simply prepared nurture healthy gut microbes. It has been my longtime observation that people that consume these harmful foods have more problems with weight, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain kinds of cancers. It is not a good idea to wait for scientific evidence to come to a final decision regarding our diets. Grains, beans, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruits have weathered the test of time and have proven to support our health.
Thank you, Denny. What about the inclusion of healthy ferments, such as: miso (aged 2+ summers), raw sauerkraut, high quality pickles , authentic sourdough bread (Baldwin Hill where are you?), unpasteurized tempeh (is it still available), and the sprouted Essene or Mana bread?
And do other cultures rely on yogurt as a source of healthy bacteria and, if so, do they sweeten it?
Lastly, what effect do antibiotics have on gut bacterial?
All naturally pickled and fermented foods that are unpasteurized nourish gut microbes. Vinegar pickles probably do not have the same benefit. I am not sure if miso and yogurt are compatible.
Naturally antibiotics destroy healthy and unhealthy microbes alike.
I keep a jar of oat flakes and water with a few caraway seeds fermenting in my kitchen. It becomes somewhat creamy with a cheesey like aroma and taste. I find it very tasty and use a spoonful in my miso soup. I first read about this a few decades ago in an East West Jounal. (The macrobiotic oracle of the 70’s.)
Sounds interesting. I never tried it.
Thank you for your ongoing blog. It’s very supportive in an area where there is little natural macrobiotic support. Susan