Hello Beautiful!

It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

How do you Replenish Flora w/o Fermented Foods

germin8germin8 Raw Master

Is there a way to replenish flora without fermented foods? I feel like my body is missing out on all this friendly bacteria and probiotics... and often, I see that fermented foods are recommended. Is there another way to do this without fermented foods? ...and without trying to food combine.

Or, maybe I am confusing fermented food with food that ferments in your body (like milk and sugar) or alcoholic beverages.

Comments

  • Fermented foods like kombucha tea, coconut keifer, rejuvelac, raw sauerkraut and kimchee are wonderful for you!

    I've been working on learning to make my own fermented veggie mixes.

    I recently ordered some cultured vegetables from a company called Immunitrition, http://www.immunitrition.com/wst_page11.html

    and I eagerly await their arrival so that I, too, can work on restoring my intestinal balance after years of steroids and antibiotics that I was prescribed to deal with excema.

    I don't get it. Why are you trying to AVOID eating fermented foods?

    Cheers,

    Christina

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    Take a probiotic supplement

  • This is an inappropriate place to post this - but yes, Mike Patton is God

    I'm curious too about why you don't want to consume fermented food? It's such an ancient technique with so has so many health benefits

  • Happy Thanksliving Day Everyone!!

    We rely on alot of Fermented foods here at the Ann Wigmore Institute.

    All the students have hands on training on making and Harvesting Quinoa and Cabbage Rejuvalac and also Veggie Kraut. We then use the rejuvelac to make seed cheeses and yogurts. We had a fantastic Thanksgiving Day meal with our students here, and look forward to our next group to arrive soon.

    Come on down to the Ann Wigmore Natural Health Institute in Paradise and learn all the Secrets to the Living Foods Lifestyle in Beautiful, Sunny Aguada, Puerto Rico.

    www.annwigmore.org

  • Raw_OrleansRaw_Orleans Raw Newbie

    The Short Answer is... Almonds...

    Almonds, as well as being high in vitamin E and other minerals, are also thought to have other health benefits, such as reducing cholesterol. Recently published work by the Institute of Food Research has identified potential prebiotic properties of almonds that could help improve our digestive health by increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria.

    Our digestive system maintains large populations of bacteria that live in the colon. Prebiotics are non-digestible parts of foods that these bacteria can use to fuel their growth and activity. These 'good' bacteria form part of our body's defense against harmful bacteria and play a role in the development of the body's immune system. The prebiotics work by stimulating the growth of these bacteria. However, in order to get to where they are needed prebiotics must be able to get through the upper part of the intestine without being digested or absorbed by the body.

    Funded by the Almond Board of California, IFR scientists first used the Model Gut, a physical and biochemical simulator of the gastrointestinal tract, to subject almonds to the same conditions experienced in the stomach and small intestine. They then added the digested almonds to an in vitro batch system to mimic the bacterial fermentation in the large intestine and monitored its effect on the populations of intestinal bacteria.

    The study, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, found that finely ground almonds significantly increased the levels of certain beneficial gut bacteria. This effect was not seen when the fat content was removed from the almond preparation, suggesting that the beneficial bacteria use the almond lipid for growth, and this is the basis for the prebiotic effect of almonds.

    Previous studies have shown that the amount of available lipid is reduced if the almonds are not processed, for example by grinding as in this study or by chewing. The length of time the almond spends in the digestive system also affects the amount of available lipids and proteins. More detailed studies on the digestibility of almonds are now required, and the prebiotic effect of almond lipids needs to be tested in human volunteers.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Thanks RavishingRaw. I'm going to look into that more! This is great information. I didn't realize undigested food fuels the bacteria... I hope this is only for good bacteria (but I have my doubts).

    RawKidChef: I am looking for natural foods... and not supplements.

    onion & MikePatton: I don't want to consume fermented food if I don't "have to". I am doing it for spiritual/religious reasons.

    Thanks all.

  • Eating fresh fruits (bananas and tomatoes are two great examples) supply the body with FOS (fructooligosaccharide), which is the fuel that beneficial bacteria in the gut enjoy. I agree with your desire to avoid fermented foods (they make me very bloated) and supplements (supplementation never worked well for me). Vegetable sources include asparagus and jicama. I'm sure almost all fruits and vegetables have FOS to various degrees. Just keep the consumption of fatty foods to a minimum as I believe they may interfere with the beneficial bacteria's feast. Also it may take several months to fully replenish your digestive tract so eat well and be patient! I hope this helps!

  • You're replenishing the flora in your intestines for religious reasons?

    What religion suggests such a thing?

    (I mean no offense, I'm just wildly curious!)

    Cheers,

    Christina

  • RawKidChefRawKidChef Raw Newbie

    I can understand that. I have read that if you have freshly picked fruit it has the natural beneficial bacteria which fruit that isn't eaten fresh doesn't have. That's the only reason I take a probiotic supplement but I understand if you don't want to. If you have a garden where you grow fruits that you eat freshly picked then that has the beneficial bacteria on the surface, like apples, for example. I'm not as sure about fruit that needs to be peeled though.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    *haha* MattPatton. I'm avoiding fermented food for religious reasons... not replenishing my flora for religious reasons. *lol*

    Thanks Karmyngirl and RawKidChef, this is good information. I wanted to add more fat do my diet and lower my intake on "sweet" foods. I thought fruit would be what's feeding the "bad bacteria" too. Oh, so confused. Nevertheless, I'm glad to hear replenishing flora doesn't have to mean fermented foods.

  • RawaholicRawaholic Raw Newbie

    I get mine from supplements and miso. My mom likes to eat raw pizza with the raw goat cheese she sometimes buys from our local health store, which she found out is LOADED with probiotics. She says it leaves her feeling "strong".

Sign In or Register to comment.