What Are Cultured Foods & Why Are They So Good For You?

Learn how to optimize your health with cultured foods – & why they are so important for your overall health…

You probably already know a lot of the things you need to do for optimal health. For example, we all know the importance of engaging in regular exercise, getting a good night’s sleep, and the value of drinking lots of water. But did you know that it is also important to do what we can to ensure our bodies are shielded against infections and diseases inside our digestive tract, by optimizing our gut health?

Our bodies are filled with bacteria. It may sound dangerous, but the truth is there are trillions of both good and bad bacteria inside everyone. Some bacteria can make us sick, but other bacterium serves an important role in keeping our gut healthy and our bodies well. The combination of good and bad bacteria is called flora.

At any given time, your gut should be filled with healthy flora (often known as probiotics) to help reduce gas and bloating, fight off yeast overgrowth and wage war against unhealthy bacteria trying to infect your body. Some evidence shows they may even improve your mental health and mood!

However, when you are sick or under a lot of stress, the good probiotics can die off quickly and make it harder to have harmony in your gut. One of the best ways to protect your gut while promoting good nutrition is through the consumption of cultured foods.

What Are Cultured Foods?

These are foods that have been fermented, which break down to easily digestible components and help to preserve a healthy balance of flora.

If you’ve never tried cultured or fermented foods, it may sound a bit strange, but no matter what your personal preferences are for food, chances are there is a cultured food that you will love! Consuming cultured foods can aid in treating illness such as candida overgrowth, and can also help counteract the effects of taking certain medications, like antibiotics, that are known to kill off the flora in your gut.

Increasing your gut health can be as simple as finding and consuming cultured foods that you love.

Examples Of Cultured Foods

★ Yogurt
★ Kefir
★ Kombucha
★ Sauerkraut, pickles and other cultured veggies
★ Miso
★ Tempeh
★ Natto
★ Kimchi

Familiarizing yourself with the many benefits of keeping your gut healthy is the first step towards optimal health. Learning what foods promote good gut health makes it easier to incorporate great-tasting foods that fight disease into our diets. Increasing your intake of cultured or fermented foods can create a corresponding increase in your energy, health, and mood, so it’s definitely worth adding some cultured foods to your diet!