BALANCE INTHEBELLY
Why Good Gut Bacteria Die and What You Can Do About It
Probiotics play a critical role in your digestive system. These good gut bacteria help your body digest food more efficiently and protect your overall health. However, these microorganisms are susceptible to many negative influences that can cause them to die. More often than not, probiotics die off due to a disruption in the balance of your digestive tract. One of the harmful things to your gut bacteria is antibiotics, which is self-explanatory when you think about it. Antibiotics attack all forms of bacteria in your body, good or bad. In some cases, people who take too many antibiotics or take them for longer than prescribed experience significant damage to their intestinal flora, leading to digestive issues. Another big threat to probiotics is medication in general. When you start or stop a medication, probiotics in your system can be adversely affected. Taking new supplements or changing your dosage can have the same effect. A major change to your diet can also harm your gut flora. If you introduce new foods or alter your diet significantly, it can shock your system with the sudden change, resulting in a die-off. In this case, even an insignificant die-off can cause you to feel under the weather.
For most people, simple and small changes to medications or diets will not have much effect on existing gut flora. After all, the average person has roughly 3 pounds of gut bacteria in their system at any given time — that’s about 100 trillion microorganisms working for your body! But when they do die off, all they need is time to repopulate and restore balance to your digestive system. You can help speed up this process by consuming probiotics like yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha.
Take a Break!
Pumpkin Chickpea Fritters
INGREDIENTS •
1 can chickpeas, drained
•
1–2 teaspoons flour, for binding (optional) 1 cup panko bread crumbs, for coating 1/4–1/2 cup safflower or canola oil, for frying
•
1/2 cup organic pumpkin purée
•
•
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
•
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
•
•
1 teaspoon garlic granules
•
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS 1. In a large mixing bowl, mash together chickpeas and pumpkin purée until the majority of peas are mixed with purée. 2. Add sunflower seeds, apple cider vinegar, spices, and flour to mixture. Fold until fully integrated. 3. In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high.
4. Formmixture into golf-ball-sized spheres and roll to coat in panko breadcrumbs. Pat into flat cakes and carefully drop into hot oil. 5. Fry fritters, flipping once, until golden and toasty, about 2 minutes per side. 6. Transfer cooked fritters to a
paper towel to dry and cool. Serve 5 minutes after cooking.
Solution on page 4
Recipe Inspired by epicurious.com
Give Us a Call! 1-866-937-5454 • 3
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker