Gut Heath: Why It's Important and What Teas Help
Gut health seems to be the newest health buzz word. Along with that comes lots of information (and marking) around probiotics, prebiotics, and kombucha. But sometimes all the information can get confusing, so I’m here to synthesize it for all the tea drinkers who are interested.
Importance of Gut Health
According to a presentation given by Chef Robert Graham, MD, MPH, ABOIM, FACP of Fresh Medicine, there are 10 trillion bacteria cells living inside our body. Most of this bacteria is found in out gut—our stomach and intestines—where it has many benefits to our body.
Here are some of benefits:
nervous system modifications (the gut-brain connection is a huge area of nutrition and mental health research right now)
breakdown food compounds
illness prevention
bone-mass density modulation (BMD is the main factor for osteoporosis)
biosynthesis of vitamins and amino acids (our body makes some proteins from other proteins)
and more!
With all of those benefits, you definitely want to make sure you have plenty of healthy gut bacteria. There are some factors of gut bacteria you can’t control, like genes, environment, and medications; but your diet is one controllable factor.
Probiotic Foods
We call this healthy bacteria probiotics, and they can be found in many fermented foods. Common foods containing probiotics include yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and tempeh. The presence of probiotics is also a large part of the reason kombucha has gained popularity lately.
Kombucha is a tea-based beverage that has been fermented with bacteria and yeast. It has a very distinct flavor, and even the flavored varieties can lead to quite polarizing opinions. Even as a tea drinker, I have yet to try plain kombucha due to what I’ve heard about the flavor. Personally, I enjoy GT’s sparkling kombucha’s in the Strawberry Lemonade and Watermelon Wonder flavors. However, I only drink a quarter to a half a bottle as a time because the flavored varieties can be high in sugar. Even if you drink plain or otherwise sugar free kombucha, I would still recommend taking a few days to drink a full bottle. While we should absolutely incorporate more probiotics into our diet, we only need a small amount each day.
Interestingly, tea drinkers may have another option for getting in their daily probiotics—pu’erh. I recently participated in the Sipping Streams 5 Days of Tea Challenge, where owner Jenny Tse mentioned that pu’erh tea contains microbes. Microbes are another word for bacteria or probiotics, which means that pu’erh would have similar benefits to kombucha. Pu’erh teas can also have a distinct flavor that some may not like, but others really enjoy this type of tea.
What about Prebiotics?
You may see some food products advertise that they contain prebiotics. Prebiotics are food for the probiotic bacteria, and are pretty much just fiber. Fiber has many other benefits, and most Americans are not getting enough of it each day. However, that does not mean you need to take a prebiotic supplement or only purchase probiotic foods that also have prebiotics. Just make sure you are eating an adequate amount of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and you will be on the right track.
The internet can be a confusing place for nutrition information, but gut health and probiotics are actually quite simple. Kombucha and pu’erh are some great sources of probiotics for tea drinkers and anyone looking to improve their gut health.
NOTES:
Some links are affiliate links. I make a small commission off anything bought via these links.
I am not yet a Registered Dietitian and am therefore not certified to give nutrition counseling. Please consult your doctor or other healthcare provider before following the advice in this article.
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