So what exactly are probiotics? Well, they are live microorganisms—generally bacteria and/or yeast. But they’re not just any old live microorganisms. By definition, probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, you guessed it: “confer a health benefit on the host.” The theory with probiotics is that they mimic the

Yes and no. Fasting benefits the gut microbes because they get a break to reset, and anything but water interrupts that. But the fat-burning metabolic benefits continue if you drink coffee and avoid solid food. I personally have had great success with twelve hours of strict water fasting followed by coffee and delaying my first solid food for a few

Believe it or not, I could keep going. So how does sulforaphane interact with our gut microbiota? We saw above that sulforaphane is capable of reducing levels of pathogenic bacteria and bacterial endotoxin release. But there’s so much more. In another study, sulforaphane corrected gut dysbiosis by increasing healthy gut microbes, increasing

F: Fruit & Fermented G: Greens & Grains O: Omega-3 Super Seeds A: Aromatics (onions, garlic) L: Legumes S: Sulforaphane (broccoli sprouts and other cruciferous veggies)

In this case, we carry thirty-nine trillion microorganisms in our colons. Thirty-nine trillion! Most of them bacteria.

Bacteria are living single-celled organisms

Food preservation doesn’t always have to be about destroying the microbes. Fermentation is one of the rare examples of food processing that actually makes our food even more healthy. When you think of fermentation, think of transformation. The taste and appearance get a reboot. We’re breeding new microbes, transforming fiber, and generating

Right off the bat, let me say that the hype around probiotics is outpacing the science big time. Sadly, probiotics have gotten popular because of marketing and because they are what everyone wants—a new pill that’s cutting edge, ideally natural, that will require zero effort and fix all your problems. But the truth is that you can’t fix a bad diet

But before I jump in, a few words on omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. You’ve heard of different fat types: trans, saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated. These omega-3 and -6 fats are polyunsaturated fats, and they’re considered “essential” because our body is not capable of intrinsically making them so we are required to get them from our