Whenever I say "fermented foods" to a client, the reaction is usually nose turned up and I'm met with immediate resistance.

People tend to be afraid of fermented foods, until they hear what those foods actually are...

But let's start with why we should even eat fermented foods in the first place.

I'm sure you've seen the increasing number of headlines about gut health and probiotics, and that we are finally starting to understand how important those bacteria inside our gut actually are (or how detrimental they can be if unbalanced...)

All disease begins in the gut, and the bad bacteria in your gut can dictate to your brain what they need to be fed to survive, can you guess what it is?

SUGAR!

The bad bacteria in our gut thrive off of sugar in order to survive, creating an imbalance with the good bacteria which is what actually helps our digestion, overall health, etc.

Consuming fermented foods is one way that you can start balancing out the good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract.
They contain probiotics that help support gut health and slowly rebalance the gut flora (good and bad bacteria). They can help increase antibodies and strengthen the immune system, regulate appetite, reduce sugar cravings. and treat candida in the gut.

Here are 6 fermented foods that you can try now (start with one and slowly work your way up to more):

1. Kombucha (look for one with no sugar added, GTS is a good brand)
2. Pickles (look for a manufacturer that uses organic ingredients)
3. Sauerkraut
4. Miso (made from brown rice if you are avoiding gluten)
5.Yogurt (look for organic, goat or sheep milk, and grass-fed)
5. Kefir

See, not so scary right? I mean c'mon, who doesn't love pickles?!

The bottom line is that without proper gut health, creating and maintaining any sort of weight loss is extremely difficult.

Pick one fermented food from the list to try this week and see how it goes!