Good Gut Health

Millions of trillions of bacteria are in existence on Earth. Trillions of bacteria reside in human bodies. In fact, bacteria outnumbers the number of the cells in the body 10 to 1. These bacteria are part of us in more ways than not. This brings about perplexing questions, why are there so many bacteria and what do they do? The human gut houses a great number of bacteria, making it the microbiome of the human body. The existence of bacteria goes back to the beginnings of life on Earth. From then, over millions of years more and more bacteria have emerged into existence. Ever wonder how there are so many illnesses that exist, yet not every single person on this Earth is ill? Well, these bacteria contribute enormously to the immune system. Gut bacteria contributes in the development of white blood cells which helps the body fight off infections! This is crazy! Who would have thought the bacteria in your GUT would protect you from, dare I say, pathogens all over your body.

Cartoon version of bacteria found in your gut

This segues me into my most favorite beverage behind water and coffee… kombucha <3. Kombucha is a probiotic rich drink. There are inconclusive health benefits in drinking kombucha and any other probiotic drink for that matter. Many people believe that kombucha aids in digestion because of all the bacteria it contains, such as lactobacillus, which is also found in your gut. Digestion is essential for your body to get the nutrition it needs and also to stay healthy, however kombucha might not be the able to solve all your digestive problems (as heartbreaking as it sounds).


An example of what kombucha looks like

Kombucha is green or black tea that is fermented with live bacteria and yeast known as the symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast or SCOBY. Through this fermentation process, kombucha allegedly gains antioxidants and probiotics. The content of the antioxidants and probiotics varies drastically from each manufacturer, so there is no single answer to determine whether or not all kombucha is actually beneficial to people's health. However, people continue to claim that kombucha contains probiotic properties because of the fermentation process it goes through (this could also be very false and the kombucha industry is just doing a great job at advertising, but that's a whole other discussion). So, there is no definitive evidence that kombucha is actually good for you. 

Even after all of the evidence that says kombucha has no real health benefits, I still think everyone should try it because it makes you feel like a health person.


Some fresh kimchi

One fermented food that I can guarantee you helps in digestion is kimchi. I know this because my mom is Korean and she told me so. Also, because there are actual probiotics such as lactobacilli, and it's even backed up by scientific evidence! Fermented cabbage also has been proven to be cancer preventing! That is actually amazing. 

TRY KOMBUCHA AND KIMCHI!!! That is all.