Tag Archives: ferments

Protect Yourself from the Flu – Concentrate on Building Your Immune System 

It is not unusual to see more sickness during and after the holiday season – with the stress of eating more, traveling more, socializing more, etc. . . .and after all the treats that are so hard to resist.

Time to hit the “reset” button. Now that the festivities are over, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, work to rebuild your immune system, since a strong immune system strengthens your defenses again illness.

Here are some simple things we do in our house when the flu season starts rolling in:

1 – Drink more bone broth. Bone broth is nutrient dense and full of minerals. To learn more and find out how to make it yourself, click here. It is really easy to do. If you are vegetarian, consider making this vital broth at least once a week to help replenish your minerals and electrolytes. Continue reading →

Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Your Gut Microbiome

As a young girl, I was on penicillin daily for six years, so I know first hand the affects of a compromised microbiome. Over the years, I had to work hard on healing the gut and even today I still need to be proactive, using many of the methods I explain below.

The term “microbiome” typically refers to the bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract (or gut), specifically in the large intestines. These bacteria live in harmony with other microbes in our gut such as viruses, fungi, and parasites. Some report up to 100 trillion bacterial cells reside in our gut microbiome, which cumulatively comprise more genetic makeup than all the other cells in our body.

These bacteria consists of commensal (friendly or good) bacteria and pathogenic (harmful or bad) bacteria. In the past, the common thought was that we had to kill off the “bad” bacteria and replenish the “good.” The problem is that when you try killing off the harmful bacteria, you also kill the good.

More recent research indicates that both types of bacteria, the good and the bad, live in harmony with each other. The key is to have enough good bacteria at all times so that the commensal bacteria keep the pathogenic bacteria in check.

You want to improve and maintain a balanced microbiome by eliminating the things that disrupt the microbiome and create a well rounded strategy to encourage bacteria diversity. Hint: It is more than just taking a probiotic (or prebiotic) supplement. Some of the suggestions below may surprise you! Continue reading →