Being a fermenter and someone who works a lot with gut and digestive health also means many open conversations about poop. I’m so used to it now I forget that others struggle to utter the words ‘bowel movement’. After all, we all do it every day….or at least you should be…
There comes a point in your marriage when you reach a new level of comfort and things that you’d normally avoid like the plague, well, become a bit more unavoidable and starts creeping into your daily conversations. Next thing you know, you’ve high fiving each other after a good morning elimination. I can’t really imagine being in a relationship with someone I can’t share this kind of talk with. ‘Morning baby, how you doing?’ ‘Great, thanks love, just dropped a load and feel fab. Must’ve been that awesome salad you made last night.’ That’s true love.
Colon and bowel health is essential to overall health. The gut is, after all, known as the second brain and directly communicates with your actual brain via the vagus nerve and the trillions of bacteria living in your digestive tract. 70-80% of the immune system resides in the gut. It is the core of your immunity. Research has discovered that the gut is also the epicentre for antibiotic resistance and the root cause for most diseases can be found in micro biome imbalances in the gut.(mental health included) With these facts, why would you NOT take an interest in your own waste management? Your turds can say a lot about your state of health and if you’re seriously ill, they should be one of the first functions that are closely monitored. These bowel changes are SYMPTOMS of something else out of balance in your body. Checking out your deposit everyday is a really good habit to get into. It’s doen’t have to be done on your knees with a magnifying glass and a stick, no no, just a quick glance is sufficient enough to catch a glimpse these important factors – color, shape, texture, buyoncy.
FACT: You have more bacteria living in your gut than you have cells in your whole body.
The gut micro biota that live in the gastrointestinal tract provide essential health benefits to the body, particularly by regulating immune homeostasis. Homeostasis is an amazing example of the brilliance of the body. It’s the body’s ability to maintain a stable, relatively constant internal environment despite external changes. For example body temperature, glucose, ph and of course, the immune system.
Often one of the first signs of an imbalance in the body is a change in digestion and/or bowel functions. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation. All related to the gastrointestinal tract. All governed by micro biota.
Feeding your gut daily with fresh prebiotics as well as probiotics is a no-brainer.
*Prebiotics – A type of non-digestible fibre that goes through the small intestine undigested and is fermented when it reaches the large colon to feed the gut bacteria that live there.
. They are the foods for our gut bugs.
Onions, garlic, banana, asparagus, barley, oats, flax seed, wheat bran, seaweed, Jerusalem artichoke, the skin of apples, chicory root, beans, are all examples of prebiotics.
*Probiotics – are live beneficial bacteria that are naturally created by the process of fermentation in foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and Kefir. They live in our whole body, but particularly in our digestive tract and gut. They are ESSENTIAL to our health.
“But I take a probiotic supplement daily. So my gut is good, right?” Uh, not necessary. Sorry, the truth about probiotic supplements is that they don’t work well. Often, they only contain 1 strain of bacteria and we have up to 5000 strains living in our gut. Trillions of them! Taking one strain is really not going to do much at all. We also need billions at a time, so unless your supplement can guarantee you that amount in a tablet, you’re wasting your money. There is also the issue of whether the supplement still contains live bacteria at all. The best way to keep your gut biome healthy is to include fermented foods DAILY into your diet. One serving of sauerkraut will give you the billions of a very wide variety of bacteria. And it’s delicious!!
For serious food gardeners like myself, animal poop can be worth it’s weight in gold! I’v made my kids climb fences for decent cow pats. Manure is well known to be amazing for gardens and compost heaps. It adds to the micro biome of the soil and adds carbon matter to sandy or clay soils to help aerate it and hold water. It also holds carbon in the soil that otherwise would be released into the air.
The compost heap is a bit like your homes excrement’s. Is says a lot about the state of your families health by what you eat. A large, steaming hot compost heap that gets added to daily is a clear sign of a healthy diet and that you get plenty of fresh produce. I love compost. It’s like a living breathing creature that needs water and food and temperature control to function at its best. I know not every household has the space for a compost heap and some folks just aren’t interested, but there are other options like bokashi bins and worm farms that could work in smaller spaces.
So it may not be the favourite topic to chat about, but don’t ignore any messages coming from your rear end. Prevention is better than having to get a colonoscopy.
- Incorporate fermented foods into your daily diet
- Increase the amount of vegetables you eat
- Eat whole plant foods
- Drink enough water
- Poop at least once a day. Every day!
- Cut back the sugar, alcohol and processed foods
- Avoid unnecessarily taking antibiotics
Very informative and well written in an easy to understand, humourous way. Thank you for talking sh*t. 😁
Love it & love your work & products Di.
All the best. Still looking forward to working with you in the near future.
This is SOOOOOOOOOO good, couldn’t stop laughing at the realness! And BEST fermented food EVER!!!!!
O my goodness Di, another brilliant article. My mother taught me this + now I see why LOL!!