Many people suffer from poor gut health and don’t even know it. Indigestion, bloating, hyperacidity, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or leaky gut syndrome, and even lactose intolerance are all signs of poor gut health.
We tend to believe that this is normal only because there are many who experience this throughout their life, and just say it’s triggered by something we ate. Well, there’s truth to that. I was a person who believed that bloating, acidity, lactose intolerance was normal. Eating something too oily or creamy would naturally send me to the bathroom. Didn’t this happen to everyone?
I lived practically my entire adult life–lactose intolerant, hyper-acidic, and egg-intolerant.– making sure I had a clean toilet to run to, limited my coffee and dairy, and had to stop having my favorite soft-cooked eggs. It was inconvenient, but I thought this was normal and it didn’t bother me so much until I went through a digestive health plan that completely transformed me.
So what did I have to do to find good gut health? Did I learn about foods to avoid? Not at all. I learned that good gut health is about building a balance of Probiotic, Prebiotic, and having Synbiotic meals as often as I can.
Probiotic, Prebiotic, Synbiotic. What do they mean?
Prebiotics are natural, high-fiber food that we eat and serve as the ‘food’ for our Probiotics. Probiotics, on the other hand, are the live micro-organisms that help digest and break down the food we eat. They are also called the “good bacteria” in our digestive system. Probiotic “good bacteria” thrive on prebiotic food.
The term synbiotic is used when both probiotics and prebiotics are in a product. The term naturally means a synergism of both prebiotic compound and probiotic compound favoring each other. Prebiotic ingredients would normally be your fibrous fruits, vegetables, and high-fiber carbs. Probiotic foods are those that are fermented, like kimchi, tofu, saurkraut, yogurt, pickled vegetables, etc. Therefore, Synbiotic eating would simply mean having high-fiber ingredients coupled with fermented ingredients in one dish, or eaten in one meal. It is when BOTH PREBIOTIC AND PROBIOTIC are eaten together.
When Prebiotics are present, the good gut bacteria will prosper and multiply in your digestive system, called the gut microbiome. The more good bacteria present in the digestive microbiome the better for immune health, for cognitive health, and metabolism.
But what synbiotic eating really means is :
- nourishing and healing our digestive system,
- strengthening the gut microbiome
- helping cognitive health, immune health
- being able to eat the food we enjoy, (like ice cream! coffee! Cod or Salmon, Eggs!)
- reducing bloating, gas, hyperacidity, indigestion
It’s a win-win! Take, for example, this recipe we are sharing here, The Asian Tofu and Cabbage Stir-Fry.
Why we love Tofu and Cabbage
Tofu is considered one of the best sources of plant protein. But the good gut health fact about Tofu is its Probiotic property!
Tofu is a Probiotic! It has natural good bacteria enhanced by its fermentation process. All forms of Tofu (soft, silken, firm, extra firm) are excellent sources of probiotics. So if you have tofu, or other soy-fermented product like Tempe, in your meals, that’s great!
On the other hand, Cruciferous vegetables like Cabbage is a Prebiotic. It is rich in fiber and because of this it causes many people to bloat and become gassy. However, the gas and bloating occur only when the digestive system is lacking in the good bacteria needed to breakdown this vegetable.
Hence, combining these 2 ingredients in a dish or meal is a WIN-WIN! You’ve got a perfect SYNBIOTIC dish!
Imagine if
Imagine if you could be nourishing yourself with meals and dishes that are Synbiotic, and how much faster your gut will heal from indigestion, hyperacidity, or even lactose intolerance?
Wouldn’t life be better eating the food you enjoy when your gut is healthy? without having to worry where the next clean toilet/WC is? or without having to blame the stresses of motherhood for poor digestive health?
Can you now think of dishes similar to this? Chinese and other Asian dishes are actually Synbiotic. Kimchi is another source of probiotics — that Bibimbap doesn’t sound so bad after all, does it? Just exchange the traditional white rice into higher fiber brown or basmati rice would make it into a great synbiotic dish! So are you getting the picture? What other dishes can you think of that are Synbiotic?
Let’s get Synbiotic eating into our daily habits! After all, keeping a healthy gut is keeping a healthy brain and healthy body.
Share with us your comments and thoughts on this. If you’ve found a dish you want to share with us, let us know here! We’d love to hear from our community!
Perfect Synbiotic Recipe To Jumpstart Your Good Gut Health!
Great To Pear With Cauliflower Rice!
Asian Tofu and Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium-sized red cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 medium-sized white or Chinese cabbage, shredded
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tsp ginger, minced or grated
- 2 tbsp coconut cooking oil
- 250 g hard tofu, drained and squeezed dry, cubed
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos, or low-sodium soy sauce, or Braggs Liquid aminos
- 3 tsp sesame oil
- 2 green onions, chopped
- sesame seeds and cilantro for garnish (optional)
- 1 tsp chili paste or Sriracha
Instructions
- Brown the tofu in heated coconut cooking oil in a large skillet or wok, over medium heat. Stir fry until tofu starts to brown. Transfer and set aside.
- In the same skillet, over medium heat, add sesame oil. Once hot, saute in garlic, onions and ginger until fragrant, about 3-5 min. Pour in a little bit of water to avoid burning too quickly and continue sauteing.
- Add in the cabbages and carrots. Return tofu into the skillet. Toss and add coconut aminos and chili paste. Cook for another 3-5 minutes or until cabbage is tender
- serve over rice (Low-glycemic grain/whole-grain rice is preferred), and top with green onions and sesame seeds and cilantro.