Go with your gut

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Fermentation is not new. Earliest evidence of fermentation dates back to 7000BC China, but it is likely to have been going on for longer than that. Fermentation happens when microbes breakdown sugars and starches, producing energy and new nutrients like probiotics. The fermented food becomes more acidic, stopping the growth of other microorganisms, preserving foods and extending their shelf-life. This was a good thing, especially in pre-refrigerator times. Today, supermarket aisles offer a variety of fermented foods such as kombucha, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut and the gut-brain axis and the microbiome are buzzwords in the world of wellness. Some of the claimed benefits of a healthy gut include:

• Better digestion

• Better mood

• Better sleep

• Weight loss.

So, can eating fermented foods improve your gut health and how do the health benefit claims stack up?

How does it all work?

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The short answer to the question of whether fermented foods can improve gut health is yes. Fermented foods contain live microbes that boost digestion. Your gut also contains live microbes (all living more-or-less happily together in a community called the microbiome). The theory goes that a microbiome that is healthy, with a diverse range of microbial life, helps to boost the immune system and reduce inflammation. This inflammation can contribute to things like diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases.

An unhealthy microbiome, with too many bad bacteria, can lead to weaker intestinal walls, which is bad news for all sorts of reasons, including suspected links to conditions from asthma and eczema to dementia and schizophrenia.

A diet rich in fermented foods, with their lovely probiotics, can lead to a more diverse, healthier microbiome, which, as we can all see, is a good thing.

Sounds great – how can I get involved?

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There is no doubt that a healthy gut is a good thing, but the whole fermented food = better gut health link does come with some caveats. For a start, not all fermented foods offer the same benefits. Some fermented products on sale in the supermarket contain additives such as sugar, salt and artificial flavours, putting them into the ultra-processed food category. Then there’s cheese, which is fermented, but which doesn’t deliver the health-giving punch of yoghurt, because yoghurt contains live cultures. But not all yoghurts (do you see why this can get confusing?!), as not all of them contain the good probiotics in the right quantities. Same with pickles – some are pickled with vinegar, so don’t contain probiotics.

As with most things in life, it’s important to check the label and know what you’re buying OR you could make your own fermented foods. Doesn’t that sound fun?