A woman on Reddit said she had suffered for years and spent countless dollars before finding what she called a “$10 solution.” Her solution was not another complicated supplement plan. It was making fermented foods at home.

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Health with Hashimoto’s is your free weekly podcast that sorts this autoimmune condition into thyroid or immune. Each episode is for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss any questions or concerns with your trusted healthcare professional. Some links may be affiliate links, marked as such, at no extra cost to you.

Why gut health matters with Hashimoto’s

Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune condition. Every autoimmune condition has three pieces: a gut component, a genetic component, and one or more triggers. Fermented foods fit into that first piece.

Your gut is the tube that begins at your mouth and nose and ends at your rectum. Around 70% to 80% of your immune system is in and around your gut. That gives your gut an important role in immune function.

Your gut is sometimes called your second brain because of the hormones and signals it produces. Your gut sends 400 times more messages to your brain than your brain sends to the rest of your body. We tend to think of the brain as the control center sending messages everywhere, but communication from the gut to the brain is also constant.

When the microbes in your gut are out of balance, you may notice symptoms such as:

• Gas
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Diarrhea

Stress, sleep, exercise, and even how well you chew your food can also affect your gut. Gut health is a big subject, so this article focuses on one part of it: prebiotics, probiotics, and fermented foods.

The garden analogy for prebiotics and probiotics

I use a garden analogy to keep prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics straight in my mind.

You want good garden soil. That is the prebiotics.

You want good seeds. That is the probiotics.

You want good fertilizer. That is the postbiotics.

You do not need much fertilizer in a garden. In the same way, I do not spend much time worrying about postbiotics. When you eat well and include prebiotic and probiotic foods, you are usually getting postbiotics too. I focus on the soil and the seeds.

Probiotics are the seeds

Probiotics are the living bacteria in your gut. According to a Harvard study, more than 500 different species of bacteria live inside the human intestine.

When you read a probiotic supplement label, you may see three parts to each name: the genus, species, and strain. Common genera include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. The letters and numbers at the end identify the strain.

You do not need to memorize the names. The point is that your gut contains many different kinds of bacteria. Variety matters.

Prebiotics are the soil

Prebiotics are the food your probiotics eat. If the probiotics are your garden seeds, prebiotics help create the soil where those seeds can grow.

My husband and I are completely different when it comes to food. I could eat the same breakfast, lunch, and supper every day for a year and probably not get bored.

My husband wants variety. He wants choices, color, and something different. I appreciate that about him because my kids would have a pretty boring menu if I were always in charge.

Your gut bacteria are more like my husband. They want variety.

Feed your gut bacteria a variety of prebiotic foods

Prebiotic foods include many everyday fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, herbs, and spices. Fiber and colorful plant compounds called polyphenols provide food for the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Examples include:

• Broccoli, kale, and cabbage
• Apples, bananas, avocados, and tomatoes
• Blueberries, cranberries, and red grapes
• Onions, garlic, chicory, and Jerusalem artichokes
• Almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds
• Potatoes, corn, and other grains
• Tea and dark chocolate

Wheat also contains prebiotic fiber, but it would not be an appropriate choice if you are gluten-free.

Butter, olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil do not feed probiotics in the same way fiber does. They can still be part of the overall environment you are creating in your gut.

You do not need to eat every food on the list. Look at what you already eat and consider where you could add a little more variety.

Fermented foods provide another source of probiotics

Probiotic supplements are one way to add probiotics. Fermented foods are another.

The Reddit commenter who inspired this episode recommended starting with milk kefir and then trying other fermented vegetables and drinks. Buzzle Muzzle wrote, “Healing my gut microbiome with fermented foods completely reversed all my crippling digestive issues.” Of course, that was her personal experience; it does not mean everyone will have the same result.

Fermented foods mentioned in the episode include:

• Milk kefir
• Water kefir
• Kombucha
• Sauerkraut
• Lacto-fermented pickles
• Fermented carrots, onions, and garlic

Lacto-fermented vegetables are made with a saltwater brine and time.

Many fermented foods are inexpensive to make. Kombucha begins with tea, sugar, starter kombucha, and a SCOBY. Kefir begins with kefir grains, which are not cereal grains, plus milk or sweetened water. Fermented vegetables generally begin with vegetables, saltwater brine, and time.

Different fermented foods provide different bacteria. That is another reason variety can be helpful.

Start with one fermented food

You do not need to make kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, and five jars of vegetables this weekend.

Choose one.

You might add sauerkraut to one meal or learn how to make one fermented vegetable at home. Once that feels normal, you can decide whether you want to try something else.

Choose one fermented food and give yourself time to make it part of your routine. If you want help turning healthy ideas into things you actually do, join the Simple Habits Program waitlist.