Hi everyone,
Today's quick post is a bit different from the norm. I am going to start posting interesting articles that I come across that I think are worth the read. If you are friends with me on Facebook you know I often use that as an outlet to share such articles, but I am going to start sharing more information here. I will tag these posts as "articles" so if you ever want to check out what other quick reads I have on www.realfoodcourt.com then you can just search that word.
Today's article of interest is all about pets! (< click for the article)
I know what you're thinking... "What do pets have to do with real food or health?" But, as this new study shows us...quite a lot...
This new small, but thorough, study found that infants raised in houses with pets had a unique strain of bacteria in their stool which infants raised in pet-free houses did not have. All of the children included were at risk for allergies because their mother had allergies. Researchers found that of the infants who went on to develop an allergies to one of any number of allergens (wheat, milk, eggs, grass, dogs, etc.) lacked this specific strain of bacteria.
It was historically believed that pets would induce allergies in children. Now, the thought is that interaction with pets through licking or petting allows bacteria from the animal to colonize in the infant gut. As we know, gut bacteria is so important to health as the intestines make up the most important part of the immune system and prevent the bad guys from getting in. A happy gut is well colonized with a variety of bacteria (hence why probiotics can be so beneficial to digestive and overall health) and this can protect children from the immune response that can occur when exposed to certain allergens.
The take home: Parents shouldn't be afraid to have pets around their children, in fact they can be extremely beneficial.
Don't have kids? Gut health is important throughout life. Enjoy fermented foods such as fresh sauerkraut, kefir, plain greek yogurt, skyr, kombucha and kimchi. And take a probiotic daily. These are some brands I love: NOW foods, Metagenics, Jarrow Formulas, Klaire Labs.
Hi...best yogurt EVER
Kombucha <3
Enjoy your weekend everyone :)
