March Goals… A Daily Dose of Probiotics

So here’s the deal.  I have a long and complicated history with mental health.  Despite being resolutely upbeat and genuinely loving life, I have suffered horribly with both post-natal depression (x3) and two big bouts of depression before I had children. 

As well as having a long and complicated history of mental health, I have always had a really poor digestive tract.  Even as a child there were a lot of visits to the doctor about this.  We’ve known for a long time that an unhealthy gut can cause all kinds of physical problems but in recent years is has increasingly clear that our gut health is linked to our brain health too.  

I remain on antidepressants from when my youngest daughter was born, nearly two and a half years ago.  Due to my medical history, I’m medicated in pregnancy anyway, then my mum died, then I came off the antidepressants for a few months until a global pandemic hit and I could feel myself starting to flounder.   I am in no way adverse to taking them (sertraline if anyone’s interested), but I am ready to try and come off them.  

Why fermented foods though? 

The ‘science bit’ tells us that fermented foods are rich in probiotic bacteria, so by consuming fermented foods you are adding beneficial bacteria and enzymes to your overall intestinal flora.  This increases the health of your gut microbiome and digestive system and enhances the immune system.  Our diet can influence our gut microbiome and the foods we should be eating including kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi. 

I am NOT a qualified nutritionist, but I do believe that good gut health is the basis of good overall health.  Scientists are only just beginning to scratch the surface in their understanding of the relationship between the microbiome and brain health, but fermented foods and fermented supplements look like they may be a key link in the gut-brain axis and overall cognitive health.

Even the word kefir is derived from the Turkish word for a good feeling.  I am taking Chuckling Goat’s complete probiotic every morning, first thing.  Not going to lie – the taste takes a little while to get used to, but I’m not overly squeamish about such things, so it doesn’t bother me.  You can, of course, make your own, but the reviews for Chuckling Goat are absolutely compelling and I’m short on time.  Highly, highly recommend. 

A word of advice: read the instructions.  It’s strong stuff.  Start with 1tbsp and work your way up to the full amount.  

Kimchi I have made before and am intending on making again - when time allows.  At the moment I buy Cultured Collective Classic Kimchi or Vadasz Raw Kimchi (both available from Waitrose), and I LOVE the saukerkraut from the Saukerkraut Company (made in West Sussex no less) – the beetroot one is mega.  

Kombucha is delicious.  I was lucky enough be gifted a case by Remedy Drinks, even my kids guzzle it down.  I genuinely love all of the flavours.  Also highly recommended is https://www.no1living.com (founded by Jonny Wilkinson no less).  If you want to take things one step further and start fermenting your own, the site www.happykombucha.co.uk is the holy grail of scoby’s, grains, and sterilised jars, and also sell their ready-made products too.  

I’m a few weeks in.  Nothing radical to report yet, except my ‘regularity’ has improved.  This may not be a big deal to most people, but to me it’s huge.  I haven’t found it remotely difficult to incorporate into my diet, and I have no intention of stopping.  If I was going to go for one product, it would be Chuckling Goat, but I’m trying to get at least two sources a day in.  I’ll keep you posted.  

Jx