People often ask me how to get more probiotic rich foods into their diet? Despite the best of intentions, many people struggle to find easy ways to eat fermented probiotic rich foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi on a regular basis. And I totally understand, it can be a bit alien at first!
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If you struggle to eat fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut regularly you're going to love my probiotic rich soup, it's my interpretation of Ribollita.

Ribollita’s depth of flavour is largely thanks to the rind of parmesan chucked in to add a unique moreish flavour. Not only does this bring amazing umami, the soup is served with a glorious grating of probiotic rich parmesan cheese.

Did you know, eating Parmesan cheese can be a simple and effective way to bring probiotic bacteria into your diet, even surviving stomach acid?!! These friendly probiotic bacteria influence our emotions and our brain chemistry as well as supporting our gut health.

This probiotic benefit doesn’t apply to all cheese however. Most cheese we see in the supermarket is pasteurised which means the bacteria have been killed off during the processing.

Parmesan cheese is made from unpasteurised milk so the “good” bacteria from the cow are preserved as they pass all the way through the food chain reaching our table as parmesan cheese. It’s crazy but it’s true! If you’re interested in finding out more about the probiotic content (and bacterial journey) of parmesan, check out this cool study.

The researchers in this study suggest eating Parmesan cheese weekly to support the optimal levels of the bacteria in the gut. Here are a few ways to eat probiotic parmesan:

• Ribollita soup
• Parmesan shavings on a salad of rocket leaves and pine nuts
• Grated parmesan over your favourite pasta dish

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​Can you think of any others?
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​Too much dairy can be pro-inflammatory but small amounts of dairy including fermented dairy such as kefir and parmesan have shown to have many health benefits. For instance, the EPIC study shows that the calcium in dairy products specifically may be protective to the gut in colorectal cancer.

This study on traditionally made kefir, is a great introduction to the health benefits of kefir.

If you eat dairy, I recommend choosing fermented dairy products where possible so you experience the added benefits of probiotics. This includes:

• Homemade kefir
• Parmesan cheese
• Plain natural full fat yoghurt

Interested in making your own fermented foods? Check out the videos in my Facebook Group, The Gut Health Club. You’ll find them saved under “units”.

Get the recipe for my probiotic ribollita soup here.

​Firstly, what is a probiotic?

Probiotics are “friendly” bacteria that can promote health in the host they reside in (you!)

What are probiotic supplements and when are they used?

Probiotic supplements are capsules and powders containing researched strains of bacteria that confer a health benefit and are proven to reach the gut alive. They usually contain a mix of commonly researched bacteria like L-acidophilus and Bifidobacterium.

​Many people consume probiotics in supplement form to achieve specific health outcomes. For example:

• Saccharomyces boulardii is shown to reduce the duration and severity of diarrhoea 
• L-Rhamnosus Rosell 1 is shown to balance the gut during antibiotic use. 
• Other probiotics are formulated to target the bladder and vagina microbiomes.

So as you can see, not all probiotics are the same. This is why I would really recommend consulting a nutritional therapist first before blindly popping pills but here’s a rough guide to what to look for in a probiotic supplement.

​Probiotic rich foods are fermented foods and include:

• Raw sauerkraut
• Miso paste
• Kefir
• Parmesan cheese
• Kimchi (pictured above)

Due to their natural preservation method, fermented foods are teaming with a rich array of probiotic bacteria and yeasts. These foods can have a much broader and varied profile of bacteria that’s unique to each batch (some bacteria won’t even have names yet!)

​For some of my clients, fermented foods are too strong to start with. For instance, if histamine intolerance or yeast intolerance is suspected, we may need to do some work on the gut before exploring fermented foods. This is when probiotic supplements can be helpful as part of a gut healing plan to help support and rebalance the gut environment. That’s why I love to work with people for a period of 90-days so we can implement changes gradually. Find out more about my 90-Day Gut Health Plan here.

Remember, unpasteurised foods and probiotic supplements are not suitable for everyone e.g. immunocompromised individuals. If you are on any medication or receiving treatment for cancer always check with your doctor first.

Lastly, probiotic supplements and powders are very different to yoghurt drinks (e.g. Yakult) which are usually very sugary and use a lot of single use plastic packaging. These wouldn’t be my first choice.

Interested in making your own fermented foods? Check out the videos in my Facebook Group, The Gut Health Club. You’ll find them saved under “units”.

Want to find out more about probiotics? Check out my previous blog post here.
​Fancy making some probiotic rich soup? Get the recipe for my probiotic ribollita (a delicious, Tuscan "leftovers soup" with a healthy twist) here.

A diet high in (free) sugars can alter the amount of “good” bacteria in our gut. Free sugars are sugars added to packaged foods. They also include sugars that are naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices (but not whole fruit).  
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Our “good” bacteria are kept busy in our gut digesting the fibre in fruits, vegetables, nuts and wholegrains turning them into molecules that protect the lining of our gut and feed other “friendly” bacteria. The greater the variety of wholefoods we consume, the more “workers” we have looking after our gut.

What you’re looking for in a healthier sugar is: 

• A low glycemic index (a measure of how quickly sugar enters the bloodstream), I've listed some in the table below 
• Additional nutrients that regular castor sugar does not provide 
• A plant based sugar, nothing artificial please 

 
Table of plant based sugars and their Glycaemic Index (GI).
The lower the GI the better for our health, specifically our energy levels, anxiety and mood. Find out more about the link between sugar and anxiety here.

​As you’ll see, honey is very close to castor sugar in terms of its impact on blood sugar so it’s helpful to be mindful of how much we use each day.  
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Ultimately these are all still sugars and should be used in moderation for good health.  Too much sugar can increase our risk of anxiety and impact our mental wellbeing.

• Do you skip meals?
• Do you get "hangry"? (hungry and angry)
• Does your mood fluctuate throughout the day?
• Do you crave sweet treats after meals?
• Do you experience a slump in energy and mood at certain points in the day?

​Certain foods including:

1. Sugar
2. Foods that contain sugar
3. Foods that quickly convert into sugar once ingested, such as breakfast cereals, white bread, white rice and pasta

can literally shock and panic the body.

Shortly afterwards, our blood sugar levels can rapidly crash which is usually when we start to feel hungry again or our sweet cravings kick-in.

You may be familiar with the term, "hangry", which describes a person who is hungry and angry, usually from prolonged fasting and low blood sugar. Perhaps you experience it first-hand yourself, or know somebody who does? This is a classic sign of low blood sugar and will have a very negative impact on mood and anxiety. 

When your blood sugar crashes, your body produces "fight or flight" hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. At this point you may start to experience:

• Light-headedness or dizziness
• It becomes much harder to concentrate 
• You’re more prone to headaches
• Feeling down

These stress hormones send alarm signals around your body warning that the foods are “shocking” and “scaring” and to "please eat something again" in order to get blood sugar levels back to normal. Cortisol and adrenaline can lead to feelings of anxiety and “jitteriness”. The long-term effects may include panic attacks.

​To minimise our risk of low mood, depression and anxiety our aim is to focus on eating foods that keep our blood sugar stable such as good quality protein, like eggs, and healthy fats such as almonds and avocados. 

Could your anxiety or low moods be symptoms of blood sugar imbalance?
I’ll explain step-by-step how to avoid this from happening in my upcoming online masterclass: Nutrition, Anxiety and your Gut on 8th September 2020 at 7pm. Grab your ticket here.