Instead of talking about bokashi composting, which is our area of expertise, we want to focus on effective microorganisms for human consumption herein. As you probably know, bokashi composting is, in fact, fermentation. Hence, we know a great deal about the effective microorganisms that are involved in the process. These microscopic creatures process organic matter and break it down into minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients that plants can easily digest. But did you know that effective microorganisms are essential for our survival too? In fact, each and every one of us lives in symbiosis with microorganisms. Moreover, there are about 30 trillion human cells and 39 trillion microbial cells in the human body. So, what we consider a human body has more microbial cells than human cells. As such, effective microorganisms for human consumption play a vital role.
Why do effective microorganisms for human consumption matter?
Before we take a closer look at some cool facts about effective microorganisms for human consumption, you ought to know the basics of the human microbiome. That will help you answer the above question. So, what is the human microbiome? These microorganisms live on and "inside" the human body. Ideally, these would be all effective microorganisms (a.k.a. the good guys). However, in reality, they include bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Though, the good news is that our lifestyle choices can ensure that the good guys prevail.
To better understand the human microbiome, we suggest you imagine the human body as a tube with a rather thick wall. The outer surface of the tube represents our skin, while the inner surface of the tube represents our digestive system. Well, both of these surfaces are covered with microorganisms. And, these organisms play a vital role in our survival. Moreover, with the above "tube" analogy, the food that we consume is initially not put into our bodies per se. Starting in our mouths, the enzymes and microorganisms start to digest the food and it isn't until the intestines that the nutrients actually enter our body. According to dr. Gundry, in a way, effective microorganisms eat the food you consume and pop nutrients into your body.
Furthermore, as mentioned previously, it is important to ensure that the good guys (effective microorganisms) prevail. As such, you need to eat the right food, the one that effective microorganisms thrive on. This is known as prebiotics. Moreover, to additionally stimulate your gut buddies, adding effective microorganisms for human consumption (probiotics) to your menu can be highly beneficial. And, this is where fermented foods enter the picture.
10 cool facts about effective microorganisms for human consumption
Now that you know why effective microorganisms for human consumption matter, it's time we take a closer look at some interesting and useful facts about fermented food.
- Fact #1: Fermented foods have been around for about 10,000 years. The main reason why people started fermenting foods was to preserve them. Today, when most of us can access fresh food all year round, fermentation is mainly used to add flavor to the food. Here are some of the most common fermented foods that contain effective microorganisms for human consumption: kefir, Greek yogurt, cheddar and Stilton cheeses, sauerkraut, pickles, yeasty sourdough bread, kimchi, and kombucha.
- Fact #2: Fermented foods are loaded with certain strains of good bacteria and yeast. In some foods, this happens naturally, while in others, we add cultures (fermentation starters) to them in the process.
- Fact #3:The average human gut reacts positively to fermented foods. As you may know, the gut is called the second brain. This tells you that it is very important to your overall well-being. It's been scientifically proven that your gut influences your mood, appetite, weight, and many other aspects of your health and wellness. In fact, your gut has the greatest impact on your immune system. Hence, digesting effective microorganisms for human consumption ensures that your gut biome is working for you and not against you.
Many health benefits of effective microorganisms for human consumption
- Fact #4: Fermented foods can help you keep blood sugar in check. Many studies show that unsweetened yogurt rich in probiotics has a link to lower blood sugar. Moreover, this consequently stabilizes your blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Fact #5: Fermented foods keep obesity at bay. Studies have confirmed that lean people have a very different microbiome than folks with obesity. Moreover, it's been concluded that a healthy biome can help to prevent or manage obesity. For this purpose, green vegetable-based kimchi and chungkookjang have proven to be very effective.
- Fact #6: Fermented foods help prevent heart diseases. It's quite logical that by positively affecting blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, effective microorganisms for human consumption help prevent heart diseases.
- Fact #7: Fermented foods help you breathe easier. There have been studies proving that kimchi has the power to ward off asthma.
- Fact #8: Fermented foods make your gut biome healthy. A healthy gut biome is an underlying reason for all of the above benefits. Moreover, having a sufficient population of effective microorganisms for human consumption in your intestines ensures that you don't have digestive issues. Moreover, your body will get the right nutrients into your bloodstream with a healthy gut.
- Fact #9: Fermented foods boost brain health. There's a very strong connection between our gut and our brain. As such, by improving your gut biome, you actually positively affect your central nervous system. Moreover, fermented food has a tendency to boost serotonin (a brain chemical that boosts feelings of well-being) production.
- Fact #10: Fermented foods improve your oral health. Effective microorganisms for human consumption can have a positive impact on your mouth biome, which leads to better oral health.
Final thoughts
Unfortunately, some still believe that the food they eat doesn't make any difference. What's even more shocking is that there are many doctors among them. Luckily, we now know a lot about what kind of food benefits humans. Thanks to experts like Dr. Gundry, who tested his dietary guidelines on thousands of patients, we now know that we have to eat not for our tongues but for our gut buddies. And, to efficiently increase the number of good guys in our gut, we should add effective microorganisms for human consumption to our menus. This is where fermented foods enter the scene.
However, keep in mind that not all fermented foods have beneficial bacteria. For example, the beer loses them during processing. Moreover, baking and canning foods can also make the bacteria inactive. All-in-all, make sure you choose your food wisely. And of course, remember to properly manage your food waste to be the responsible human being that the earth deserves.