Do a quick search on 'gut flora' in the news and you get headlines like:
NRC:
Beau Monde
Medical Contact
Max
Medical File
Dutch newspaper
Heart Foundation
Wow! It seems increasingly likely that gut flora is linked to various health conditions. Therefore, it seems logical to work towards the healthiest possible gut flora. Chufa can help with this with its dual fibre properties.
Impaired intestinal flora
According to the Stomach Liver Bowel Foundation disrupted intestinal flora is caused by:
- An infection or disease
- Use of some medicines including antibiotics
- Some treatments such as radiotherapy or surgery
- Stress
- Prolonged unhealthy eating with little fibre
The daily recommended amount of fibre is 30 grams for women and 40 grams for men. Sometimes you read that primordial man may have eaten as much as 100 grams of fibre. This comes from an article by radiologist Stanley Boyd Eaton on what primordial man probably ate, see this abstract on Pubmed.
I read his original article from 1985 and in it, however, Eaton talks about 45.7 grams of fibre per day. Not a very big difference from today's recommended amount! The tricky thing is: most people don't get there and eat 15 - 23 grams of fibre today....
What can you do?
Drinking and sleeping enough and good hygiene will already help improve your gut flora. As for food, you can start adding more fibre yourself.
Two types of fibre
'Regular' fibre, unfermentable fibre is common knowledge and is found in fruit and vegetables and wholemeal products (which, however, also have drawbacks). They make for better bowel movements. Less well known are the fermentable fibres that also end up in your colon and serve there as food for your intestinal flora. This is also known as prebiotics.
Why do you want that?
When the bacteria in your colon feed on these fibres, they produce butyrates, butyric acid. These butyrates feed the cells of the intestines. They make the intestines stronger, allow the intestines to absorb more nutrients and maintain an optimal pH in the gut. Butyric acid also possesses anti-inflammatory properties.
How do you get this fibre?
There are more ways but they are also in the chufa!
The chufa is rich in the common fibre with its 11-16 grams of fibre / 100 grams. That the chufa also contains the fermentable fibre is shown in the following video, which looks at 'horchata', a drink known in Valencia (Spain) which is made from the chufa.
Chufa is an easy way to start improving your gut flora and thus your health right away! With a handful a day, you already increase your fibre intake by a few grams a day and feed your gut flora. The bacteria will thank you.
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