Everyday Aches & Pains: Is Your Body Telling You Something?
(Health Secrets) Friendly bacteria? The types of bacteria we have in our bodies is a serious matter. You may be thinking about the “bad” bacteria, but let’s focus on the “good” bacteria or normal flora. These are the friendly bacteria we should all have in our bodies.
Did you know that we should have over 100 trillion friendly bacteria within our human frames, roughly 5 pounds worth of single-celled organisms, just waiting to play a certain role in our bodies? Scientists say that if all of our friendly bacteria were put together they would be the size of a liver. That’s pretty impressive.
Our friendly bacteria are vital to many functions in the body. They are necessary to digest food, and to protect against disease-causing bacteria, as well as in making certain vitamins we need. The amount of good bacteria to bad bacteria in one’s body helps to explain in part why certain people react differently in certain situations, such as sickness.
Bacteria are crucial to boosting our immune system. In the vagina, bacteria secrete certain chemicals that kill off other bacteria and leave the environment slightly acidic, leaving the area unappealing to other microbes.
How do we get all of these friendly bacteria? One of the first ways that our gut is colonized is through the birth process. A baby that is born vaginally swallows its mother’s normal flora. It takes about one month for an infant born vaginally to establish its own gut colony. A baby born via cesarean section will have a disturbed gut for up to six months after birth. Other ways that bacteria colonize our body are through the things we touch and the foods we eat, especially fermented foods.
Fermented foods have been around for a long time. Evidence exists that shows fermented beverages were present in Babylon around 5000 BC. The fermented foods consumed thousands of years ago were fermented with salt, not vinegar, like today’s fermented foods are mostly made. Today’s wine, beer and cheeses are being pasteurized–killing off the good bacteria that are essential for good health.
3 Reasons to Eat Fermented Foods
1. Fermented foods balance the good bacteria in the gut. Eating fermented foods help to create a healthy environment in the gut, so that good digestion can take place.
2. Fermented foods that are raw are high in enzymes. Enzymes help speed up chemical reactions in the body. Enzymes are necessary to digest, absorb and make use of the food that we eat.
3. Fermented foods help us to absorb the food that we eat. You can eat all the food you want, but if you don’t have the proper bacteria in your gut to breakdown the food, you won’t be absorbing what you should be getting from your food.
Common Fermented Foods
Some fermented foods and drink you may be familiar with include sauerkraut, pickles and different beverages, such as kombucha. Kombucha is a fermented tea that boasts many wonderful benefits, such as improved digestion, increased energy as well as clearer thinking. Making kombucha is fairly easy. All that you need to make it is a kombucha “mushroom” (also known as kombucha mother, kombucha starter or kombucha SCOBY), filtered water, organic loose leaf tea, organic sugar (used by the bacteria to ferment the tea), as well a few supplies that you most likely can find in your kitchen. For more information, check out Nourished Kitchen to get brewing your own fermented tea.
Probiotics
Probiotics are a good bacteria that can be taken in a powdered form or capsule that aid an individual’s digestion and overall immunity. Most probiotics contain Lactobacillus acidophilus as well as Bifidobacterium bifidum. Probiotics are essential after antibiotics have been taken, as the antibiotics kill off the good bacteria, leading to issues such as constipation, diarrhea, nausea, yeast infections and more. It is important to replenish the body’s good bacteria with a high quality probiotic.
Stool Analysis
An excellent way to access your digestive health is through stool analysis. By analyzing the stool, one is able to see the levels of normal, beneficial bacteria as well as fungus and yeast. Symptoms such as bloating, gas, constipation, excessive food cravings, in addition to depression, joint pain and headaches are all good indicators that a stool analysis would be valuable to help common diseases such as Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, and malabsoprtion issues, just to name a few.
As you can see, bacteria are highly valuable in the overall makeup of our body. Be sure to include fermented foods and probiotics in your daily routine and take note of how your health improves!
Published with permission from AlignLife. Original article link is here.
