Gut Bacteria & Preventing Diabetes. Megan breaks it down...

We've said it once and we'll say it again: bacteria matter. The latest comes from Science Daily, reiterating the importance of healthy gut bacteria in our gut. It's a short but dense read, so here's the gist: bacteria are known to be vital players in the digestion process (which supports a healthy immune system, provides us with energy and more); but now they're being linked to preventing the onset of diabetes. 

This is huge. Why? Diabetes is becoming an epidemic among our youth. It's happened over the last 40 years as our foods have become pre-packaged and our home and environment more sterile. This new understanding of how bacteria can help protect the susceptible is a big deal, as many of you already know diabetes requires life-long treatment. So what to do? How to increase friendly flora? 2 simple steps to take right away:

1) Decrease the amount of sugar in your diet. Sugar and refined carbohydrates (bread, pastries, crackers, pretzels, etc.) are known to be major culprits - they throw gut flora off-balance, letting the bad bacteria take over. 

2) Increase fermented foods: whole milk, organic and plain yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, kim-chee, kefir and traditionally fermented pickles are all wonderful ways to naturally increase beneficial flora. Try adding some to your diet each and every day. Some more benefits and ideas can be found here.

A great article on fermentation here!