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Can a Fermented Milk Drink, Like Kefir, Help Your IBS?
As a health coach if there was one thing that I say more than any other, it’s 70% of your immune system resides in your gut.
This is why what you eat is so important for your overall health.
So a big problem with the Standard American Diet (SAD) is that many who live by it suffer from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). And yes, some people IBS may have gotten it passed down in their genes (thanks mom!). But you will often find that IBS sufferers need a restart in their digestive system.
What is IBS?
IBS can occur when there is an increase of the number of bacteria in your small intestine. See your gut needs a balance bacteria to properly digest food, so when the balance is off, you experience things like:
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Gas
- Diarrhea or Constipation
Solutions for IBS
My secret weapon when it comes to maintaining gut health is a probiotic supplement or foods with natural probiotics. Probiotics are the microbes that live in our bodies and provide us with important health benefits, such as boosting immunity, calming inflammation, assisting in digestion, and creating amino acids and vitamins.
Probiotic supplements can be found at any pharmacy or health food store (Thrive Market is a great online one).
Foods that contain probiotics include:
- Yogurt
- Sauerkraut
- Tempeh
- Kombucha
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Kefir
Why I Recommend Kefir
Kefir is fermented milk (either cow, goat or sheep, coconut, or rice milk) that is high in probiotics and nutrients. I recommend kefir over any other probiotic food because it actually contains more strains of bacteria and yeast than any other. So if you typically eat yogurt for its probiotic properties, try swapping it out for kefir.
Another option if you’re not willing to give up yogurt just yet, is to make your own. Homemade yogurt is more like kefir than store-bought brands. This article by The Good Gut explains how homemade yogurt can help with IBS and even tell you how to make it.
Lactose intolerant? Kefir has actually been found to be tolerated by people with a lactose sensitivity.
Don’t trust me? The Journal of Medicinal Food touts Kefir for its probiotic benefits including prevention of GI stress and promoting bone health. And a study done by the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology discovered that kefir has “antimicrobial, antitumor, anticarcinogenic and immunomodulatory activity and also improve lactose digestion, among others.”
Fun fact: the word kefir actually comes from the Turkish word, keyif, which means “feeling good”.
Have you tried kefir? Do you find that it has helped you with IBS or any digestion issues?
