Did you know that some types of bacteria are good for you?
I know, it sounds counterintuitive - especially because we're told to get rid of "germs" all the time. Apparently, most digestive, emotional and autoimmune diseases start because we don't have enough good bacteria. There are trillions of bacteria living in our bodies (we're made up of 5 - 10 times more bacteria than human cells!). And most of it, about 80%, lives if our guts. No wonder gut health has been an extreme area of interest in the wellness world today. Some doctors even think that brain-based diseases like Alzheimers begin in your gut.
Since our guts regulate everything from our immune systems to our happy hormones like serotonin, here are a couple of ways to keep them in check:
Cut the sugar: sugar inflames the gut, which leads to issues such as leaky gut
Eat fermented foods: these foods, like kimchi, kefir and kombucha add good bacteria to your blood stream. (But if these sound too obscure, you can turn to cauliflower or asparagus, two veggies with strong prebiotic qualities).
Use non-toxic products at home: toxins from makeup, cleaning materials and plastics impact our gut health
And of course - we'd love to hear from you with any other bacteria knowledge!
Katerina Mountanos
Olive Oil Sommelier Katerina Mountanos, is the Founder & CEO of Kosterina Olive Oil, which produces 100% organic, extra virgin olive oil from Greece sold directly to consumers online. Katerina is an ecommerce expert and has built beauty, home and wellness businesses for Amazon, Jet, and Walmart. She founded beauty services company, Manicube, which was sold to The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden in 2015. Katerina is very passionate about olive oil, the Mediterranean diet and eating for health and longevity.
This time of year, there's always a lot of pressure to implement quick-fixes around our health to reach certain goals. But, my purpose in starting Kosterina was always to help more people create accessible, healthy habits for themselves and their families over the long-term.
Happy New Year! Or "Kali Chronia" as we say in Greek, which literally translates to "good year". We all need some good wishes to enter 2021 on a new foot.
We've been spending more time at home than ever this year because of the pandemic, and because of that many of us have been engaging in old pastimes like playing board games or even making crafts. But, none of those activities beat how much we've been experimenting with cooking at home over the past 8 months.
