Kefir: Is It Truly a Gut Saviour?

Did you know that your gut is largely responsible for the major functions of your body? A healthy gut means the healthy overall well-being of a person.

Our gut is home to more than 100 trillion bacteria and viruses. Yes! You read that right! But wait, this isn’t a bad thing. Bacteria play an important role in our metabolism and health. The bacteria feed on dietary fibre while they perform a variety of functions, including helping to make vitamins B and K and breaking down dietary fibre. This breakdown results in a release of helpful, anti-inflammatory fatty acids that are vital energy sources for our bodies. Now, not all bacteria are good bacteria. You need to get rid of some of the harmful bacteria and replace them with beneficial good bacteria. Probiotics can help us with this!

One such probiotics is kefir which can do wonders for your gut health. Kefir, pronounced as kee-feer, is a drink made from the fermented milk of a cow, goat, or sheep. It contains around 30 unique species of probiotics, ‘good bacteria’ that are known to improve gut health and that may aid the body’s digestive processes. You can buy kefir at grocery and health-related food stores or make your own.

Kefir and Gut Health

Most of the time when your immune system is weak it can be traced back to what is happening in your gut. Just knowing that allows you to change what you are putting in your body so that you can enhance your immune function. For optimal immunity, detoxification and nourishment, your gut must be in proper balance.

Kefir contains many beneficial nutrients such as vitamin C, calcium, vitamin K, folate, and phosphorus, and supports digestive health because of its high concentration of probiotics. The probiotics and yeast in kefir have shown to improve the balance of healthy bacteria in the gut, helping the body alleviate constipation, among other major health benefits. Kefir also contains tryptophan which is an essential amino acid that scientists believe has a relaxing effect on the nervous system, helps the body with the processes that move food through the digestive tract which will eventually improve gut health.

Lastly, it is time to reduce your junk food intake to increase the good effect of probiotics such as kefir. Your gut bacteria just don’t like them, so why not try and eliminate them from your diet? And we are not just talking about fast food. This would also include anything that is highly processed, artificial sweeteners, or has a large amount of refined sugar.

Over to you:
Have you shown your gut some love today? It is time to look after your gut health by including probiotics like kefir which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, improves cardiovascular health, and lowers cholesterol. Do try and make your gut healthy and happy filled with good bacteria!