We are not a fan of the Standard American Diet that is wreaking havoc on the genetic makeup of friendly bugs inhabiting our bodies. These good bacteria along with their genes are referred to as the “Microbiome” by the scientists.

As quoted by Hippocrates: “all disease begins in the gut.” If our gut function isn’t up to par, we get prone to several ailments from head to toe. Maintaining harmony in the gut microbiome is, therefore, the key to allowing your gut to heal.

Being particularly conscious about our health has helped us a great deal. Today, we’ll walk you through some exciting evidence-based tips for boosting your microbiome health and thus, live a life full of vitality.

 

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Hi, we're Sheri and Gina of Yonder! Our passion and goal is to help inform and inspire you to live your healthiest and best life. We believe that God has created our bodies for His good works, and we honor Him by keeping them healthy and capable of fulfilling His purpose. Our bodies are designed to heal and function optimally when given what they need. With so much information coming at us, we aim to cut through the noise and provide you with the essential information to help your body run at its best. 

How to Build a Healthy Microbiome

Add Fermented Foods to your Diet

We need live healthy bacteria (probiotics) for optimal function of our gut, mind, and body. And as one could expect, the best way of getting these probiotics is to consume them naturally or in the form of supplements.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is an old favorite. This fermented cabbage has tons of beneficial effects on our health. According to German scientists, Sauerkraut is one of the most common and ancient ways of preserving cabbage that can be dated back as a probiotic source to the 4th century BC.

The fermentation of Sauerkraut yields beneficial lactic acid bacteria. This German food is loaded with lactic acid, vitamins A, B, C, and K, and minerals, and more importantly, has few calories (about 80 kJ/100g). We love how using it in our daily routine enables the healthy bacteria to travel directly into our gut and keep us hale and hearty. We never feel bloated, have tummy aches, or experience any symptoms of irritable bowels, which is what the enclosed probiotics in Sauerkraut are designed to do.

The high levels of some miracle compounds like glucosinolates, ascorbigen, and ascorbic acid in this fermented veggie have shown some promise against cancer. The experts report that Sauerkraut can minimize the DNA damage and cell mutation (abnormal change) rate in cancer.*  We like to reap most of Sauerkraut’s benefits from the cabbage cultivated during the winter months as this has loads of ascorbigen content.

Kimchi

Kimchi is a staple Korean food that I use as a snack.  We buy it from the Asian market in Costa Mesa or at Whole foods. Brimming with probiotics, kimchi provides infinite health benefits. This spicy Asian veggie is a blend of as many as 30 different types of vegetables with Chinese cabbage as the prominent ingredient. Reported as one of the world’s five healthiest foods in the Health Magazine in 2006, kimchi’s nutritional value is remarkable.* We take it to optimize our gut health and also because kimchi’s capable of keeping our weight and cholesterol levels in control, thereby protecting from heart disease.*

Its cancer-fighting properties help us take control of our life as well.*

Gut Shots

This is a fermented pickled drink prepared by fermenting organic vegetables and squeezing them to liberate the juices full of healthy probiotics. We take a high count strain probiotic and drink the gut shot daily to ensure the delivery of the essential live active cultures into our system. 

And you know what the most interesting part is? These probiotic-rich foods boost our immune system, which wards off infections like cold and flu.* How? You might be surprised but the largest percentage (around 70% to 80%) of our immune system resides in our gut. This implies that the teensy weensy hitchhikers in our gut interact directly with the immune system, which does an awesome job at destroying the illness-inducing bugs. The high levels of good microbes like Bifidobacterium in our gut help prevent us from getting sick.*

To rephrase the above, the microbial community of our gut shapes the immune system and vice versa – referred to as a “love-hate relationship” by the authors at the Pennsylvania State University. An imbalance in the immune system will throw off the natural balance of the gut ecosystem, triggering a rise in harmful bacteria (technically known as dysbiosis). This, in turn, can pave the way for gut inflammation and gut and metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes. The other way around, dysbiosis will weaken our defense mechanisms leading to similar consequences.*

Consume Collagen

Research reveals that individuals with digestive problems have lower collagen levels that undermine their gut lining. This is the same collagen protein that plumps up your skin and hair, imparting a youthful look. The loss of integrity of the gut lining due to lack of collagen puts it at risk of leakage, damage, and inflammation. So, to maintain the integrity of our gut lining and protect ourselves from leaky-gut, we use the richest source of collagen called bone broth that has a strong gut-healing potential. Bone broth is the leftover wholesome juice (stock) prepared by boiling and simmering the bones and meat together. It has been known that collagen can bolster and repair the gut lining, thus, limiting inflammation.*

We personally enjoy making homemade bone broth and sipping that in the morning. We also add 5-10 grams of collagen peptides to our daily diet.

Being crazy lovers of bone broth led us to create Yonder collagen products that tastes great and comes in a format that will appeal to almost everyone. Try our flavorless collagen peptides or one of our two flavored options, our delicious chocolate collagen peptides or our creamy vanilla. We use pasture-raised and grass-fed bones for the nutrients. 

Our collagen is easily digestible due to the enclosed amino acid bonds gently broken down. Pair it with our organic mushroom coffee that is gentle on the stomach.* Combine these products is heavenly!  We are addicted!

Wondering what’s the link between a healthy microbiome and allergy? Well, here’s the scientific theory: A healthy gut microbiome educates our immune system to identify substances that can cause food allergy. It promotes acceptance of the immune system to harmless food items while rejecting the risky ones.*

Wrapping up

Our microbiome is the climate in our gut that needs to be harmonized in order to support good health. It is important to know about the safety and the nutritional value of the product that you are consuming. Thanks to these friendly foods that balance the health of my gut microbiome and ultimately help me stay in good shape.*

 

We're Sheri and Gina, the founders of Yonder, a clean collagen company born from our childhood friendship and shared health struggles. Through our faith and dedication to natural wellness, we discovered the transformative power of clean nutritional ingredients, including pure collagen peptides. Now, we want to share this with you. Trust in our firsthand experience and join us on the path to optimal wellness with Yonder - pure, clean, and potent. To learn more about our story and mission, visit our 'Our Story' page.