When you think of bacteria, you may think of sickness and sanitation issues. However, not all bacteria is bad. In fact, your body contains numerous bacterial cells – the human body houses more bacterial cells than human cells! This means that bacteria has an enormous effect on your immune system and overall health.
Bacteria can be thought of as either good or bad. Good bacteria live in our bodies and promote our overall health by aiding in digestion, helping to regulate pH levels, and releasing toxins that harm bad bacteria. Bad bacteria are harmful to the human body and make us sick in a number of different ways. Food poisoning, toothaches, salmonella, and diarrhea are all examples of illnesses caused by bad bacteria. Fortunately, we can control what kinds of bacteria live in our bodies by eating certain foods.
Just like you can avoid salmonella by not consuming raw eggs, you can ingest good bacteria by consuming certain healthy foods. Yogurt is a well-known probiotic that introduces good bacteria to the body. There are also other ways to get in your probiotics. Fermentation not only breaks nutritious food down to an easily digestible form, it also creates beneficial enzymes and various strains of probiotics. Here are four fermented foods that will give your immune system an extra boost.
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is one of the most common fermented vegetables. It can aid the immune system by bringing high quality and live probiotics into your body. Consuming vegetables is already extremely healthy, but when you let them ferment you add even more to their health value. As the vegetables feed on the sugars provided in fermentation they create lactic acid. This process is a birthing ground for probiotics. The lactic acid alters the acidity in the intestine, which helps prevent the growth of bad bacteria in the body.
Kefir
Kefir is a fermented drink made up of milk, water, grains, and coconut water. Kefir contains multiple healthy bacteria that help enhance hydration. These bacteria live in your gut and mucous membranes and work with your body to keep bad bacteria out. This drink also provides you with beneficial yeasts that detoxify the liver and destroy pathogenic yeasts living in the body.
Kombucha
This healthy tea-based drink has recently gained popularity due to its many health benefits. It is a sweetened tea fermented with bacteria and yeast, and it is sure to give your immune system an extra kick. Kombucha detoxifies your liver, aids in digestion, improves joint health, and boosts your immune system by introducing beneficial enzymes and bacterial acids into the body.
Apple Cider Vinegar
You may have heard of this type of vinegar as a remedy for weight loss. But the benefits of this fermented apple drink go deep into the body. This amber colored drink helps to improve digestion, relieve heartburn, stimulate the lymphatic system, and strengthen the immune system. The drink is actually double fermented: the apples are fermented into a cider, which is then fermented again into a vinegar. This process provides a flood of enzymes, probiotics, and amino acids that work together to improve your health.
When it comes to keeping bad bacteria in check, fermented foods are the way to go. These foods work to boost your overall health by aiding in digestion, strengthening the immune system, and releasing easily broken down nutrients into the body. They attack bad bacteria by adjusting your pH levels and even releasing toxins that can harm unwanted bacteria. Give these fermented foods a shot and watch your health improve.
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