OhMyGut in Interview – gut-friendly nutrition in everyday life

After talking to nutritionist Adrienne Tonner from Kombuchery about our kombucha, I took the opportunity to ask Adrienne from OhMyGut a few questions about her specialty, gut-friendly nutrition. We would like to share her answers with you here. You'll learn more about the gut and microbiome, the gut-brain axis, and how varied a gut-friendly diet can be. Afterwards, you'll find Adrienne's bowl with our kombucha.

Would you like to briefly introduce yourself and explain the core of your work or passion?

I'm Adrienne. I'm a nutritionist, cookbook author, and knowledge and food blogger at ohmygut.de, the healthy food blog all about gut-friendly nutrition. When I was training to be a nutritionist, I really became aware of the importance of the gut for our holistic health. It is closely connected to our entire organism. Yet, the gut was long an overlooked organ that should be given much more attention. During my specialization in this topic, I found a lot of specialist literature on gut health, but unfortunately less culinary inspiration that truly makes you want to eat a gut-friendly diet. So I thought: "Well. Adrienne, now it's your turn to show how fantastic gut-friendly nutrition can taste!"

I'd like to discuss the topic of gut health with you. How important is the gut for our health, well-being, and psyche?

The gut, intestinal mucosa, and immune system are in close communication. A large part of the immune system is connected to the gut. However, it is not possible to make general statements about how strongly individual dietary factors influence these complex relationships. Symptoms such as fatigue, skin problems, or difficulty concentrating can also have many different causes and should not be generally attributed to the gut.

The gut has its own complex nervous system and is connected to the brain via the so-called gut-brain axis. Neuronal, hormonal, and immunological signaling pathways, among others, are involved in this exchange of information. How these connections influence psychological well-being is the subject of current research.

A small example: About 95% of the feel-good hormone serotonin is produced in the gut. If we eat well and thus help our body with serotonin production, then we can literally eat ourselves happy with the help of our gut. Crazy, right?

In particular, the topics of anti-inflammation and the influence of sugar and sugar substitutes have increasingly come into focus.

1. There is always talk of inflammatory foci in the body. Is this also important for healthy people? Also with regard to gut health?

In our Western diet, we actually tend to eat too many pro-inflammatory substances and too few anti-inflammatory foods. This leads to an imbalance and can promote the development of hidden inflammations in the body.

One must know: Diet and lifestyle can be linked to metabolism, gut, and general well-being in various ways. However, individual symptoms such as fatigue, skin changes, concentration problems, or allergies have numerous possible causes and should not be generally attributed to inflammation in the gut. A balanced, varied diet is generally sensible. Persistent or unexplained symptoms should be medically clarified.

2. How do different types of sugar differ nutritionally? And how would you classify the sugar content of kombucha compared to other soft drinks?

Sugar

The thing about sugar is tricky. There are many sugar alternatives on the market that give us the good feeling of eating a little healthier. But in fact, agave syrup, maple syrup, honey, rice syrup, cane sugar, etc., are also just sugar. Like sugar, they consist of simple, rapidly metabolized sugar molecules: fructose and glucose. Of course, a date or honey also contains some minerals in addition to sugar, which is naturally better in comparison to a highly processed refined sugar that is completely devoid of vital nutrients. But in the end, it's still sugar. It messes with blood sugar levels, promotes cravings, has pro-inflammatory effects, and inhibits fat burning.

The only exception that I can truly recommend for sweetening is Yacon syrup. Here, the fructose molecules are present as long, firmly connected fructose chains. These are called fructans. And these are metabolized not like sugar, but like prebiotic fiber by the gut. Fiber provides nourishment for gut bacteria, which promotes a healthy gut flora and also stabilizes blood sugar levels. For anyone interested in yacon, I highly recommend yacomo-food.com. Here you can find organic Yacon syrup in sustainable packaging at a fair price.

But now let's talk about kombucha. I think it's a truly exciting product. First, you have to consider that the sugar in this product has a genuine right to exist because it is the nutrient base for fermentation. A large part of the sugar is converted during the fermentation process. Kombuchery currently contains 2.3 g of sugar per 100 ml, which is 50% less sugar than conventional soft drinks. The sugar content of kombucha varies depending on the recipe and fermentation. Kombuchery currently contains 2.3 g of sugar per 100 ml. The combination of low sugar paired with living microorganisms and nutrients is a super mix. In my opinion, the small amount of sugar is totally acceptable. Ultimately, it's the sum that counts. By the way, I also find kombucha highly interesting for vegans. Which B vitamins are formed during kombucha fermentation and in what quantity they are present in the finished drink depends on the culture and manufacturing process.

We can boost our gut with fiber, probiotics, and prebiotics. Would you briefly explain these three terms?

Fiber

Fiber consists of plant components that cannot be broken down by our digestive enzymes. Thus, they reach the large intestine undigested, where most of our gut bacteria reside. They serve as food for our bacteria. Just as with humans, food helps bacteria to grow and thrive. The better the good, beneficial bacteria are doing, the better we are doing. That's why we should always include enough fiber in our diet. According to a national consumption study, however, many Germans consume less than the recommended minimum of 30 g of fiber per day. Unfortunately.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are a special form of dietary fiber. They are not only food for bacteria, they also increase the activity of bacteria and stimulate their growth and multiplication. The digestion of prebiotics produces acids that have a positive effect on our intestinal lining and create a favorable environment for the beneficial bacteria in our gut.

Probiotics

Probiotics are living bacterial cultures that are formed, for example, through fermentation or a long maturation process. They are like guest workers who make their way to the gut through food. However, for them to have a positive effect on the gut flora, they must be consumed in sufficient quantities and, above all, regularly eaten, drunk, or taken. Because probiotics from outside have a much harder time settling in the gut. The already established bacteria defend their territory.

How can we imagine the right balance of good to bad gut bacteria?

First, it must be noted that the classic good-versus-evil thinking is not entirely accurate. Of course, some bacteria have more beneficial effects than others. Some produce anti-inflammatory end products, others more pro-inflammatory ones. However, it is not the bacterium and its properties alone that determine how we feel, but above all the right balance of bacteria to each other. Every bacterium has its right to exist in our gut. As in a healthy society, "diversity" is also important in the gut! The more different bacterial strains we host, the better.

It is important that the bacteria that are particularly good for us always have the upper hand. The more they are in charge, the more our health benefits. With the right nutrition, we can specifically control this balance. Because different bacteria also have different culinary preferences. The particularly beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, and Akkermansia muciniphila, for example, love prebiotics. Anyone who eats a lot of these makes a big initial contribution to a better gut balance.  

What do you think of probiotics? Are there characteristics of a good probiotic that everyone should look out for, and do you recommend taking them?

I believe probiotics will play a significant role in nutritional medicine in the future. However, currently, research can only reproduce a small fraction of the bacteria we host in our gut in the lab. Therefore, when taking probiotics, you can never supply the gut with all the relevant bacteria that might do you good, but only with a fraction of the microbes. 

A tip: A microbiome analysis is often a good idea beforehand. This way, you know where an imbalance exists and can specifically supplement the probiotics that are missing.

Another tip: If you want to supplement probiotics, you should look for a particularly high bacterial count (20 billion, for example) and opt for a synbiotic. A synbiotic is a mixture of pro- and prebiotics. This way, the probiotics are immediately supplied with bacterial food and can therefore settle more easily.

What is the basis of all gut-friendly recipes?

In short: a prebiotic, probiotic, and anti-inflammatory diet that gradually builds up beneficial gut bacteria and reduces hidden inflammation.

How important are fermented products in our diet?

I am a big fan of consuming important nutrients that are good for us as naturally as possible. This means that a largely plant-based, whole-food diet, enriched with fermented foods and omega-3 sources, can provide you with many important nutrients – without having to take pills or supplements. In exceptional cases such as veganism, pregnancy, lactation, or illness-related deficiencies, this can of course still be sensible. But I believe that a healthy person can achieve a lot with diet alone. And fermented foods should also be an important component of this diet. In addition, they are also truly delicious culinarily. I believe many people are not even aware of how many probiotic foods we eat daily. It's not just kombucha, it's also the sauerkraut at Grandma's, the kimchi at the Korean restaurant, the soy sauce at the Asian restaurant, the fresh yogurt in the morning, or the pickled cucumbers for dinner. All of this is delicious and rich in living microorganisms, provided it has not been extra heat-treated.

What can everyone easily start doing to improve their gut health?

To ensure that everyone can truly do something, I have written a guide to better gut health in my book. You need to know that there are numerous factors that affect our gut. Not only diet plays a role. Mental health is also important.

Turning everything upside down at once is often difficult. I believe that the path of small steps is always the best. For this, one simply looks at the numerous nutrition and lifestyle tips in the book and sees what seems quickly implementable for them.

A few tangible examples

• Eating less meat, for example, is an important way to reduce pro-inflammatory factors. Here you could start by saying: "Okay, from now on I'll eat vegetarian or even vegan more often. I'll try that now."
• Eating more prebiotics and probiotics is also often very easy to implement. Just look at the list of all pre- and probiotic foods. What do you find delicious? Then simply include it more often in your meal plan or let yourself be inspired by finished recipes on my blog or in my book.
• Fewer preservatives in food is another point. The best way is to cook fresh. But that is often time-consuming. The solution: meal prep – planning and preparing meals. That's why my book also contains various meal prep ideas.

Adrienne's Immune Booster Bowl

You can find many more tips and inspiration on Adrienne's blog. For all those who also have a soft spot for browsing cookbooks and trying new recipes, I can also wholeheartedly recommend her cookbook "OH MY GUT, IST DAS LECKER!" (You can also find the cookbook here.)

Good luck with the preparation and good health!