How significant is balance? Be it in the context of work life, a relationship, our body’s internal systems or bacteria? That is no typo my friend, we did really mean the balance of bacteria. There are trillions of bacteria in our gut and a unique balance of good and bad bacteria. The good bacteria as you know by now keep us healthy, active, happy. Yayyyy. But, what about the bad ones? Well, it seems like they are pretty badass.
A study in BioEssays indicates that it might be our gut bacteria that’s behind our moods, snacking, self-control and digestive system. We all know the cycle, a low mood, we crave our comfort food, we end up eating something unhealthy and that leads to a misbehaving digestive system, and back to a low mood. We all are aware that unhealthy eating habits are a major contributor to all health problems. But still, why is it so difficult to change such habits?
Don't be too hard on yourself, you can blame it on the bad gut bacteria. These bacteria can make a few foods desirable over others by producing changes in our taste receptors. They make us crave for food which is good for them. They are capable of hijacking the vagus nerve, that the brain and gut use to communicate. In this research scientists have held the bad bacteria responsible for making us crave unhealthy food and then also making us feel satisfied after eating it. These clever little devils!
Poor eating habits can be fought with. We have to stop feeding the bad bacteria and start feeding the good bacteria in our gut. This can help reduce craving unhealthy food. Prebiotics, fruits, vegetables are the most obvious and simple solution. We should eat more probiotics- Probiotics are the foods rich in good bacteria- Yogurt, kombucha, sauerkraut, fermented vegetables, kimchi, kefir to name a few. The more you fill your gut with good bacteria, the easier it will be to fight off the bad ones. In case you like fizzy drinks or love soda, you should make a shift to kombucha. Sauerkraut can make a great snack roll or a to-go sandwich. Kimchi with noodles will make you drool. We have multiple recipes on our website for you to try. It’s all about training the gut right. Once you make these foods part of your everyday diet, there is no going back. A blessing not disguised.
