Fermented foods could help transform mood and lower stress levels, study finds
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Revealed: The Fermented Foods That Could Transform Your Mood AND Lower Your Stress Levels
- Fermented foods could help benefit mental health, according to a new study
- Findings show there is a direct link between the brain and the microbiome
- Experts told FEMAIL how foods like kimchi and sauerkraut could reduce stress
Fermented foods, such as kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, and some yogurts, have experienced a surge in popularity in recent years due to their gut health benefits.
But now experts have revealed that fermented foods could also benefit a person’s mental health in a new study by scientists at University College Cork in Ireland.
As our gut and brain are constantly in communication with each other, making sure to maintain our gut health, eating fermented foods along with a balanced and diverse diet rich in fiber, fruits and vegetables can help reduce negative feelings.
Rhiannon Lambert, a registered nutritionist and author of ‘The Science of Nutrition’ told FEMAIL that when we feel stressed, our bodies go through a process known as the ‘fight or flight response’.
Fermented foods, such as kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and some yogurts, have gained popularity in recent years due to their benefits for gut health, but experts have now told FEMAIL how they might also help with Mental health.
She said: ‘This prepares your body both physiologically and psychologically to deal with incoming stressors by increasing your heart and breathing rates, as well as diverting blood flow away from areas like the digestive system that are less important during times of stress.
“This means that often if we feel stressed, we can experience digestive and gut health problems.”
By adding more fermented foods to your diet, you can restore this balance.
Simple additions to your diet, like plain yogurt for breakfast or adding sauerkraut to your lunchtime salad, can be integral to maintaining a healthy and balanced gut microbiome, which consequently means a balanced temperament.
Pauline Cox, MSc functional nutritionist, author and nutritional advisor for Wiley’s Finest sustainable supplements, explained that sauerkraut is a popular fermented cabbage dish that has a number of health benefits.
Rich in beneficial probiotics, a source of healthy fiber as well as being a source of vitamin C, a daily dose of sauerkraut is a simple and cost-effective way to support your health.
Pauline said: ‘When buying sauerkraut, make sure it’s raw and unpasteurized and found in natural food store fridges, as opposed to unrefrigerated jars on supermarket shelves. It’s also cheap and easy to make yourself.
Other great options include kefir and kombucha, which have grown in popularity and are now available in most supermarkets.
Rhiannon said: ‘These are the types of probiotic foods that have live strains of bacteria and are eaten to directly increase the population of ‘good’ bacteria living in our gut.
Research suggests that probiotics, such as fermented foods, are primarily beneficial when the gut microbiome is out of balance, for example, to relieve diarrhea caused by infection or after antibiotic treatment.
“Although limited, there is also some evidence to suggest that certain types of live bacteria strains found in probiotics may reduce symptoms such as swelling in IBS.”