Being conscious about what you put into your body is a gutsy move. For good gut health, try Gift of Our Earth’s Organic kombucha. Photos: Supplied.
Hippocrates once said, “All disease starts in the gut.” No one knows this better than Angela Noble, founder of Gift of Our Earth, who uses and promotes probiotics and healthy eating to heal the gut and also prevent and cure ailments.
Angela Noble, Founder and CEO of Gift of Our Earth.
Angela was previously a chef at the prestigious Regent Hotel in Sydney, Ski Fields in the Snowy Mountains. But unfortunately, things changed after she had to have back surgery, which resulted in many hospital visits, rehabilitation visits and copious amounts of pharmaceuticals. The side-effects of such a hectic lifestyle saw her losing her career which caused her health to decline further. The huge amount of medications she was taking had a negative effect on her gut health, which led to Hashimoto’s disease, an illness where the immune system attacks the thyroid, a small gland at the base of the neck below the Adam’s apple.
Not much is known about gut health or its importance in sustaining our overall physical and mental health. In fact, if you are seeking an informed opinion on the subject, you need not go further than globally-renowned expert Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride MD. With a Master of Medical Science in both neurology and human nutrition, Dr Campbell-McBride authored Gut & Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) and is the creator of The GAPS Diet. She has worked with hundreds of children and adults with physical, neurological and psychiatric conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, ADD/ADHD, depression, schizophrenia, OCD and other problems, which prompted her to further investigate the link between good gut health and overall wellbeing.
As for Angela Noble, she has been on a journey of self-healing and educating people about proper health and wellbeing through the gut. I caught up with her and she was kind enough to share her knowledge and experiences.
RA: Why is it important that we have good bacteria in our gut?
AN: It is extremely important to have “good” bacteria in our gut as scientists have recently discovered that our gut is like our second brain, and our intestinal health is directly linked to our mental health. When beneficial bacteria are present in our gut, our immune system is well-supported, we experience effective digestion and even our metabolism is strong. There is a proven link between bad gut health and anxiety and depression.
RA: What causes bad gut flora?
AN: I believe our unhealthy environment and society have a large role to play. The food and drinks we consume are laden with pesticides and chemicals; highly processed. Our cities are badly polluted, and our homes are filled with many toxic products including beauty products, cleaning products and pharmaceuticals. Even the water that we are consuming either from a plastic bottle or the tap may leach chemicals into our guts. Does the water you are drinking have chlorine or fluoride in it? These are known to be harmful to your gut bacteria. Our bodies are always in a state of repair so if you give it the right foods and nutrients, it will heal itself.
RA: What happens, or what ailments/illnesses are people with bad gut flora susceptible to?
AN: If we continue to eat unhealthy foods or consume too much meat, coffee, alcohol and sugar (all the good things we crave) then over our lifetime we will create havoc in our gut and disease will start to develop.
There is a huge rise in illness in the world and unfortunately, people are getting sicker and not healthier. The rise of autism, anxiety and depression is at its highest. People are becoming more and more overweight; heart disease and type 2 diabetes are becoming more prevalent. So can we influence our gut? Yes of course!
RA: How can we heal our gut?
AN: Being aware of what you are feeding your body is a great place to start, reducing your toxic load and looking at what is in your water supply.
A great way of healing your gut is to introduce a variety of prebiotics and probiotics. You need to increase the good bacteria, so they will overtake the bad guys and help create a healthy environment. Eat loads of fresh fruits and vegetables, beans and lentils – all are a great source of fibre.
Fermented foods are a must and are actually fun to make! Some of the most popular fermented foods are Kombucha, Jun Tea, Water Kefir and Milk Kefir – all of these are great ways to have refreshing probiotic drinks throughout summer and you can easily add fibre rich foods including some Kimchi, Pickles, Sauerkraut and Tempeh. A few ways of introducing these foods is to add different fermented foods each day, maybe drinking Kombucha at work, adding a spoonful of sauerkraut or kimchi to your salad or a spoonful with your evening meal or in summer, simply open the refrigerator and grab a spoonful of crunchy Kimchi goodness as you walk past!
Water kefir grains.
Organic Pea Tea.
Organic Tumeric Latte.
Gift of Our Earth products can be found at some of the Old Bus Depot Markets or at their Etsy store here. You can follow them on social media through:
Facebook: Gift of Our Earth
Instagram @giftofourearth
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