GUT-HEALTH & WATER KEFIR
For the June Supper, the theme was gut health. We were joined by Laure of Absorb Health who is training to be a naturopath. Laure shared some top tips on how to promote a healthy gut and shared some delicious samples of her water kefir.
Here is some more info from Laure about what water kefir is...
What is water kefir?
Water Kefir is a health promoting drink, known as Tibiscos in South America, it derives from the Cactus plant in Mexico. It is made with small translucent crystals (cultures grown from the symbiosis of Bacteria and yeasts). It is fermented in sweet water, dried fruits and lemon for 48 hours to become a refreshing, fizzy and natural probiotic drink.
What are the benefits of drinking water kefir?
It contains 15 strains of probiotics, B vitamins, particularly B12. Through a 2nd fermentation process, flavours can be added to the drink that will enhance the properties of that item (eg: Peppermint/ Ginger/ fresh fruits).
The benefits of drinking water kefir are numerous to achieve optimal health:
By adding extra probiotics in your diet you will strengthen your immune system. Water kefir contains Lactobacillus casei which helps reinforce immunity. It will help with digestive issues, increasing the balance between good and bad bacteria in your gut. It's also a very pleasant substitute to alcohol and sugary pop drinks, suitable for all as well as vegan and low calorie, low sugar (less than 2gr/100ml).
Hydration is also crucial to support a healthy gut (not only the quantity of water but the quality as well). Added good fats that contain omega 3 will help optimising the hydration in your body. An anti inflammatory diet is important to make your gut bacteria thrive. Avoiding dairy, gluten, alcohol, sugar, processed foods and increasing intake of green vegetables as raw as possible will also help reducing inflammation as well as feed the gut with good fibres. Also reducing stress, regular relaxation and exercise will also improve gut health.
Gut health is central to all types of health issues from digestive, to skin, allergies, asthma, immunity and mental health issue! Introducing more fermented foods in your diet is like increasing the micro biodiversity of your gut and therefore your connection to the outside diversity of the world.
To find out more, come to one of my workshops, take a naturopathic nutrition assessment, check out my facebook page or contact Laure on 07515493402.
