GUT NOURISHING INGREDIENTS AND INCLUSIONS
These ingredients are not just delicious but they also add to the diversity score and benefit your gut microbial health. In this category, we share knowledge about how each of these ingredients help to nourish your positive gut microbes.
Increasing butyric acid
The recipes we create are designed to increase numbers of microbes that produce butyrate. Sometimes known as butyric acid, this important short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) helps prevent inflammation and the invasion of pathogenic bacteria. It is one of the main sources of fuel for gut cells, along with two other SCFAs called acetate and propionate. Together, they provide about 15 per cent of the body's energy needs. So exactly what nourishes positive bacteria?
It comes down to increasing both the amount and diversity of fibre and phytochemicals we eat. I’ve included all of the fibres below in the Botanical Blends.
Polyphenols and increased levels of antioxidants
Throughout the bread and baking recipes, as well as the 'eating symbiotically' recipes, you will see that I have incorporated ingredients high in antioxidants, especially polyphenols and flavonoids, which have been shown to nourish positive microbes. Due to their ‘prebiotic-like’ effect, polyphenols can also positively modify gut microbiota composition. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that different polyphenols can modulate the growth of specific bacterial strains. Indeed, polyphenols can increase beneficial strains, such as as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, which then reduce the number of pathogens. We’ve incorporated polyphenols into every recipe, but it's not enough to just take my word for it. Understanding the reason for diversity will change the way you bake, so this is a summary of the research on the main prebiotic foods that we know increase beneficial bacteria. Here are some of the ingredients we get excited about...
