Your gut. Is the perfect synergistic probiotic a pill or fermented food?

*Warning: I'm not a doctor and I don't have any degrees in nutrition. This is my opinion on the topic.

Last weekend, Aaron and I went to the Documenting Hope's conference in Orlando. It was for both parents and doctors who are helping kids heal from chronic illnesses... in a holistic way. It's such an important cause that aligns perfectly with our tagline "Inspiring Health Generations". We had a table and loved feeding everyone yummy and pure snacks. I also had the pleasure of attending some of the talks.

One of my favorite talks was from Star Edwards MS, RDN/LD titled "Where's Bifido? Missing Bifidobacterium, Impact on Child Health, and Restoration Strategies⁠". It was all about gut health and balance and its affects on the immune system, the brain, and overall wellbeing. 

One thing that really stuck with me were the warnings about probiotic pills. 

First off, probiotic pills are super potent. They can completely throw off the balance in your gut. Star advised people to get tested for what's actually in their gut first. This is so you can know which strains are too low or high. Then, you can determine the right probiotic pill to correct any issues. And then, you want to get tested again 6-8 weeks later to make sure those little pills had the desired effect.

Second, probiotic pills need to be formulated properly. If they're not, then "probiotic" strains can compete with each other and cancel each other out. Then, they're not doing you any good at all. Wow!

This got me thinking about balance in nature and in living things and therefore our gut and our food.

It made me wonder -- Would fermented food naturally be in balance? Would eating fermented foods be better than taking probiotic pills? After all, they're living things and we're living things. 

So of course I did some research. And I mean there are A LOT of studies on probiotics and gut health. But, it seems that science is conflicted when it comes to probiotics. Here are a few reasons why:

1. It's the same story as any FDA-approved product. The companies do the studies (and lots of them) that prove their product is superior. They set the parameters and goals to achieve the desired result. It's hard to determine which studies are unbiased.
2. The limits for whether something is considered "probiotic" or not is set by the FDA. And the bar is set for probiotic pills that seek approval. The limits are so high that, by those standards, fermented foods don't meet the regulatory criteria to be considered "probiotic".
3. Gut health is a holistic approach to health, which is hard to prove with modern science. Every body is different and will react differently. Every person has a different diet, sleep habits, exercise routine, etc. There are too many variables to conclude definitive health outcomes based on probiotics in the gut alone.

Although science in conflicted on which kinds of probiotics are best and the precise benefits of each, there are a couple things there is scientific consensus on:

1. Eating probiotics (whether in pill or food form) alters the microbiology of your gut.
2. The balance of gut microbiology directly relates to your health and wellbeing.

So... back to the main topic. Are fermented foods more synergistic than probiotic pills?

Since science is kinda out on this one, I think we need to rely on our gut instinct (pun intended) to make the best choice for ourselves. So I'll tell you my perspective.

I personally believe in a more ancestral way of eating. How about you? 200 years ago everyone ate pure food (without weird chemicals or additives). Everyone cooked. The soil was packed with nutrients and regenerated by nature. And... people fermented food.

If not eaten immediately, many foods will ferment naturally. It's why we have cheese, kefir, yogurt, salami, sourdough bread, kombucha, etc. Humans found that they could still eat it... and it tasted pretty yummy too. And maybe most importantly it helped preserve food over winters and for travel.

But... fermented foods were only considered edible if they tasted good. If the microbiology in a fermented food is out of whack, it just doesn't taste good. That's when bad molds and other weird stuff grows. That's when our body's response is to spit it out!

In other words, fermented foods need to be in balance microscopically. And they need to align with our taste buds. So, in the most natural and ancestral way, I believe that fermented foods that you think are yummy must be the most synergistic way to boost and balance your gut microbiology.

How is your gut health? Do you do anything in particular to help keep your gut in balance? Have you noticed any changes after working on your gut?

I'd love to hear from you. Comment below ⬇️