All Things Fermentation, and Gut Health
My discovery of probiotics and fermentation not only profoundly changed my life, but indeed quite likely saved my life as well. Upon receiving a cancer diagnosis, I sought out a naturopathic oncologist to help support my health while going through cancer therapies, she gave me a list of nutrients to help my body heal and concluded with…’oh, and you need to take a good probiotic’.
That was the beginning of my journey into understanding the profound impact of probiotics, a healthy microbiome and the benefits of fermented foods in supporting a healthy body, and mind.
Both of us were home brewers and ‘hop heads’ (beer lovers) so I suggested a beer making class (totally in jest, or so I thought), but he actually scheduled the course. However, we needed to shift the focus away from producing an alcoholic beverage to a more general emphasis……fermentation! So, I began developing a new course on aspects of fermentation, and in so doing I was awakened to a whole new world of not only great tasting foods and beverages, but the astounding health benefits associated with them.
Most of my fermentation students were in my pre-med classes so over time the course evolved into one which focused heavily on understanding gut health, and the critical importance of a healthy microbiome on your immune system, ability to resist and recover from a broad range of illness, and even the mood and behavior enhancing properties of our friendly microbes. Not to mention the horrible impact of not having a robust, or balanced, microbiome. We also, the emerging trend in healthcare found in therapeutic use of probiotics. Often, we’ve been told ‘you are what you eat’ as an axiom for good health, but I’d like to add the parallel axiom of ‘we are what they eat’! Please, journey with me into the world of your microbial partners, and learn to know them, love them and feed them well….after which they will flourish and so will your good health.
Explore the alimentary system (aka, your gut)
Food preservation and how it can contribute to health and wellbeing:
This foundational workshop is a series of three 2-hour sessions.
Dr. Holly Huffman earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California at Riverside, she was a faculty member at Arizona State University for over 20 years primarily teaching biochemistry and cell biology to pre-health professionals, during the last seven years at ASU she also developed and taught a special topics course in fermentation. In 2019 she began giving presentations and workshop series sharing her expertise on gut health, the microbiome and fermented foods/beverages, and is passionate about sharing the health benefits of probiotic rich foods and how to make them. Holly is the Founder, and Chief Fermentation Officer, of The Merry Monk (LLC) and social media sites Merry Monk Ferments ……all things fermentation.
When it comes down to nurturing your body’s own ability to create wellness and your defenses against illness, it’s important to understand that most of your body’s immune function and sense of well being reside in your gut. That’s why we strive for that good….gut feeling. Even our moods and behaviors are largely modulated via the communication between the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system referred to as the gut-brain axis.
One night I was at a dinner party with some friends and was talking about aspects of the Fermentation class I was teaching at ASU, suddenly I realized that every person present was listening with rapt attention, then one of my friends said ‘oh Holly you need to teach a class like this that anyone could take’…..that’s when the idea of doing seminars and workshops started, and the Merry Monk was born.
Feeding fermentation starters for sourdough bread, kefir or kombucha will become a rhythm in your life, consider that they are living cells, needing your care! Psychobiotics are probiotic strains, such as bifidobacterium that can module your behaviors!
Maintaining a healthy balance of microbes in your gut will contribute to having a more robust immune system, better digestion, better moods and generally better overall health !
Inside of you lives a powerhouse of allies, trillions of little cells known as your microbiota, the more you know how to care for them, the better they can be at helping you unleash robust health.