Why do people drink kombucha or kefir or eat saurkraut or yogurt? Do you know what prebiotics or probiotics are?
Let’s start at the beginning
Microbes all around us, and for the longest time, the world thought that all microbes were bad. But that’s not necessarily the case. Microbes consist of bacteria, yeast, viruses, and other small cellular organisms. Mostly bacteria, they live on our skin, inside our airways, and our digestive system, working as first line defense against pathogens or “foreign invaders” that might cause an infection or set off other reactions like inflammation.
The good, the bad and the ever changing
Each person acquires a personalized set of bacteria starting from birth but modifiable with time, called a microbiome, that sets the balance for their body, affecting the ways that person digests sugars or breaks down toxins (1), smells when they sweat, helps the body absorb essential fatty acids or make vitamin folate, and helps to repair the cells of the digestive system or help to regulate inflammation (2). These beneficial functions are usually from what we call good bacteria.
Bad bacteria can result in diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even obesity (3). Your body’s microbiome has a combination of good and bad bacteria, with bad bacteria in the minority. The bad bacteria can sometimes take over when your balanced microbiome changes either via stress, a course of antibiotics or even a change in diet (4).
Prebiotics & Probiotics
Although more research is still needed, there are early signs that foods with good bacteria, like kombucha or yogurt with active cultures, can improve our health and our cells. The theory is that these foods with good bacteria can help to seed your digestive system with good bacteria. There is also research that feeding the good bacteria by eating prebiotic foods high in fiber humans cannot but bacteria can digest like onions, garlic, flax seeds, apples, bananas, oats, cocoa and konjac help to support the flourishing balance of good bacteria in your system.
And your Skin
So we have talked a lot about how microbes affect your health and your gut, but what does all of this do for your skin? Keep your skin healthy and hydrated so that the good bacteria can proliferate and fight off the bad bacteria while keeping your skin’s immune system functioning well. And if you’d rather drink your kombucha, then apply that sweet black tea ferment of organic acids, minerals, and amino acids to your skin in the form of Sweet Black Tea and Rice Moisturizer, Ginger Moisturizer, and Miracle Tea Eye Creme. Cheers!