All About Postbiotics + Homemade Kombucha Recipe

Has gut health gut you curious?

Perhaps I can help with that?

Today, we’re going to talk all about postbiotics, but before we get into the nitty gritty, you have to understand the basics of the gut microbiome, so we’ll start there. 

Hold onto your microbes; it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

Why is the Gut Microbiome Important? 

I want you to imagine a new town with various people. While some contribute positively to the environment, others… not so much. The community changes over the years depending on external stressors and travellers, but the population stabilises as a whole. 

When the town’s going well, most people are law-abiding and moral, living harmoniously and doing what they can to support the city. If there are unhelpful people, they tend to be kept in check by everyone else. However, some events may cause these not-so-great people to multiply, leading to a population filled with not-so-good people. 

Now, imagine that town is your gut microbiome. 

In a healthy microbiome, the bulk of microbes are good or neutral, living in harmony to support digestion and nutrient production processes. When disruptive events occur, the not-so-good microbes can multiply and overgrow, which can manifest itself in different ways, such as yeast infections or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).   You can read more about SIBO here.

The good news is that, like our town, it is possible to improve and change the state of the gut. You can improve your gut microbiota and gut health by consuming specific foods, such as probiotics.

What are Probiotics? 

If you’re here, I’m sure you’ve heard of probiotics – the positive live and active cultures that better sleep, improve immune function and promote a thriving digestive system. While the gut naturally produces some strains of probiotics, other essential strains can only be consumed through food or supplementation. Certain foods contain live microbes, such as fermented vegetables, kombucha and kefir. 

What are Prebiotics? 

If probiotics are flowers, prebiotics are the soil and fertiliser. Prebiotics increase the diversity of gut bacteria and promote the growth of probiotics. Prebiotics naturally occur in many plant-based foods, including unripe bananas, asparagus, oats and legumes. 

Need a Prebiotic recipe? my tray bake fits the bill and has all the answers.

Get Your Prebiotics in with My Prebiotic Tray Bake

What are Synbiotics? 

Synbiotics combine the power of probiotics with the potency of prebiotics to positively impact the digestive system in a supercharged, easily absorbable way. Synbiotics are more than just the sum of their parts, as they contain live microorganisms and substrates to create a health benefit for the host. Synbiotics aid metabolic syndrome, reduce parasites and pathogens, manage irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, diarrhoea, atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions.¹  

You’re probably eating synbiotics already, but you may not be getting enough; this is where Love Your Gut Synbiotic Powder comes into place. Love Your Gut Synbiotic Powder will help you repair, restore, and rebalance your gut health from within. It contains 20 billion bits of love for your bacteria in the shape of a unique synbiotic formulation, with plenty of digestive enzymes and a supercharged blast of antioxidants. 

What are Postbiotics? 

So, what are postbiotics?

Unlike probiotics, postbiotics aren’t live microorganisms. They are the waste left behind after the body has digested both prebiotics and probiotics.² They take the line ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ to a whole new level. Postbiotics contain peptides that help slow the growth of harmful bacteria and short-chain fatty acids, which allow good bacteria to flourish. In this way, they seem similar to probiotics, but they offer additional perks. 

While postbiotics are an emerging and evolving field, they may have anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.² Some preliminary research shows that postbiotics boost the gut health of premature babies, young children, and critically ill patients by promoting communication between the gut bacteria and immune system.³

You can help promote the growth of postbiotics by focusing on getting enough of the foods that promote a healthy gut bacterium, including prebiotic-rich foods like asparagus, onion, chicory root, dandelion greens and root vegetables. 

According to Peptides Australia, peptides are particularly valuable in reducing inflammation and enhancing the body's ability to repair tissues, further promoting gut health. Their presence in postbiotics adds another layer of benefit, making them an essential component in maintaining a balanced and healthy microbiome.

To transform your gut into a postbiotic producing machine, be sure to include Love Your Gut Synbiotic Powder. Simply add one teaspoon of the delicious tasting powder to your water to support your gut in its natural production of postbiotics; you can thank me later! 

There's nothing like homemade kombucha on a hot day

And now I'd love to share with you a simple Homemade Kombucha Recipe.

Kombucha has also been linked to a myriad of other benefits such as improved digestion, fighting candida (harmful yeast) overgrowth, mental clarity, and mood stability. It truly is a tonic rather than simply a yummy beverage.

Don’t be afraid of the fermenting process which can seem like a complex lab operation rather than a kitchen recipe. Honestly, you just have to take the plunge and enter into the world of fermentation to realise that with some basic knowledge of the way bacteria feed on a constant supply of sugars, the process of keeping your culture alive and enjoying it’s wonderful and delicious creations is actually a very straightforward, common sense process that will become part of your daily rhythm.

Once you get the hang of making it, you can flavour it up with ginger and turmeric or even berries. Purchase a SCOBY online or, if you’re very lucky, a friend might give you one. You can buy kombucha online or at a health food store, although once you’ve made your first batch, you won’t need to buy it any more.

You’ll also need a breathable cloth such as muslin (I use a nut bag), a rubber band, and one sterilised wide-mouthed, 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cup) capacity glass jar with a lid (Mason jar).

Homemade Kombucha

Ingredients:

• 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) filtered water
• 2 organic black tea bags
• 55 g (2 oz/ 1/4 cup) organic sugar
• 1 SCOBY (see above)
• 100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) homemade or store-bought kombucha (see above)

Method:

Put the water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Pour the tea into the sterilised jar, then add the SCOBY and the kombucha. Cover with muslin, secure with a rubber band and write the date on the jar.

Store undisturbed in a cool, dark, dry place for 7 days, then test it to see if it’s ready. It should be fizzy and slightly sour/vinegary. If it’s still sweet, let it ferment for a day or so longer (usually up to 10 days).

Once the kombucha is ready, carefully remove the SCOBY using a clean long-handled spoon and place it on a plate with a little of the liquid to stop it drying out (then use it to make another batch straight away). Pour out 100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) of the kombucha and keep aside to make another batch, then pour the remaining liquid into a jug through a sieve and then into a clean glass bottle with a lid. Secure the lid tightly and make a note on the bottle of the date. The kombucha will keep in the fridge for 2–4 weeks.

Stay Supercharged! 

References 

¹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4648921/

²https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468815/

³https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6801921/