Bacteria has been given a bad name. Often associated with sickness and disease it is going to take some convincing that ‘anti-bacterial’ products are not a good thing. For both humans and soil bacteria are crucial for our health. One teaspoon of rich garden soil can hold one billion bacteria. And the majority of bacteria, if managed properly, are good for soil and our guts.  The Sustainable Food Trust has a great blog post discussing the symbiotic relationship that exists between people, soil and bacteria.

Bacteria and Digestion

Although many of us are aware that ‘friendly’ bacteria exist, it’s not readily known that we can easily damage the bacteria. Junk food, stress, and antibiotics, amongst other things, all kill out gut flora. Once this harm is done, we need to actively restore good bacteria. Along with prebiotics such as fibre and alliums, which bacteria love to feed on, fermented pro-biotic foods bring your gut back to life. Probiotics stimulate bacterial growth, and enzymes, helping break down food and absorb various nutrients. The bi-product of this metabolic process is also psychoactive, meaning it can help make you happy!

Help Your Good Bacteria

Fermented foods like tempeh, sauerkraut, miso and kombucha are all important in small quantities. There soured taste can take some getting used to however. Fortunately there are lots of resources to inspire healthy, tasty meals which can easily be cooked at home.

Huffington Post have a great collection of tempeh recipes.  Or if you’re looking for something super simple, try marinating tempeh in oil, garlic, ginger, chilli, fresh coriander and lime juice for as long as you can before adding it to a stir fry. For all things sauerkraut see here. And miso can be added to almost any recipe. Think of it like a stock cube, bursting with salty and umami flavours. And it works particularly well when added to oriental dishes during cooking.

Feeling inspired?

All ingredients mentioned are available in store for your next bacteria-boosting meal.  Give some a go for a few months and see if you can notice a difference.