Back in 2010, hardly anyone had any idea what I was talking about when I mentioned ‘kefir’.  To acquire good quality cultured foods I’d have to do it myself. But slowly this super healthy craze is growing momentum and has hit the mainstream. In my local area, there are amazing producers of kefir, sauerkraut, and yoghurts popping up all over the place. As local goes I love Raw Sisterhood who make beautiful nourishing sauerkraut, and Wholesome Pod’s very tasty and hydrating coconut kefir.

Let’s look at how healthy these cultured foods are, and how can they help you. Fermented and cultured foods are healthy for so many reasons, including gut health, mental and emotional health, and immune system function. But as a hormone expert, I am particularly interested in the effects these fermented foods have on your hormones and your metabolism. Cultured foods have so many beneficial functions that it seems negligent not to make them an important part of your regular routine. They are not only beneficial but are also great ways to preserve food through seasons.

I want to share my top 5 reasons to eat cultured foods to help balance hormones, lose weight, regain your energy, and reset your under-active metabolism.

Reset Your Metabolism and Nourish Your Thyroid

About 20% of your active T3 hormone is converted from T4 in your gut with the help of specific bacteria and with the assistance of an enzyme called intestinal sulphatise, which is made in your gut from a good spectrum of health bacteria and sulphur from your diet. Having insufficient enzymes or a poor array of good bacteria will cause active T3 levels to be low, leading to hypothyroid symptoms such as morning fatigue, weight gain, cold hands and feet, and hair loss. Thyroid hormones also protect the gut lining from damage, preventing leaky gut, so if your T3 production is down, then this will lead to more damage to the gut lining, worsening or new thyroid symptoms, and the cycle continues. The best way to figure out if you are making enough T3 or if your medication for hypothyroid is doing its job is to test for active T3, this is the only test to really tell us what is going and if the gut is doing its job. Taking probiotics and consuming fermented foods will help up-regulate your T4 to T3 conversion and boost metabolism.

Reduce Toxicity

Whenever you detox or cleanse your need to ensure your gut has a good balance of bacteria, specifically lactobacillus. Lactobacillus lives in the large intestine and is the reason for the colon’s alkalinity. Without the lactobacillus strains, your large intestine becomes acidic and this causes toxins to be reabsorbed instead of being expelled. This reabsorption of toxins can cause a number of problems and symptoms, including fogginess, moodiness, acne, rash flare-ups, and joint aches as well as IBS symptoms. Due to daily bowel movements, you’ll lose a significant amount of the bacteria in the large intestine, this is why it is important to consume various forms of fermented foods throughout the day, to ensure you get a wide array of various bacteria and also ensure they stick around for a while colonising. You’ll feel happy and more energised once you balance out your gut flora.

Weight Gain

More and more literature is now surfacing about the connection obesity has to gut health. A study conducted by Michelle Beaumont at the King’s College in London has shown a clear link between bacterial diversity in faeces and markers of obesity and cardiovascular risk. “Diversity was a big factor in this study, the more diverse the bacteria markers, the less visceral the fat”. That diversity of microbes can be obtained through diet, specifically by eating a wide variety of cultured foods. Two categories of bacteria have been identified as key in gut health and weight control. Bactericides have been shown to help reduce weight, and Firmicutes have been found in large amounts in obese subjects. So it is vital to balance these two categories of bacteria, and using cultured foods is a great way to restore this balance and assist with weight loss. 1 tablespoon daily of cultured vegetables is a great place to start.

Help Manage Your Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is a condition which has pronounced inflammation, along with raised cortisol levels, insulin resistance, out of balance oestrogen to progesterone and elevated androgens. This inflammation can be systemic but can also originate in the gut in the form of leaky gut. It is this inflammation which can contribute to symptoms of PCOS and hormone dysregulation in PCOS sufferers. Once the gut bacteria has been targeted with health bacterias then the inflammation will reduce and the correct hormone synthesis can occur in the gut.

Get Your Libido Firing 

A poor gut microbiome can cause leaky gut, which triggers inflammation followed by a cortisol spike. This all wreaks havoc with your built in libido thermostat. The more elevated the cortisol the less likely you will be in the mood for it!!! Gut bacteria also functions to synthesise sex hormones, one hormone super important for libido is testosterone. Studies have found that Clostridium Scindens helps to increase low testosterone to help boost your sex drive. This particular bacteria can be found in dairy based kefir, which has been fermented for up to 36 hours using a good quality milk. I suggest consuming about ¼ cup per day to help boost your libido.

So, it’s time to get those cultured veggies and soured coconut milk into your diet