Probiotics are all the rage these days – and there’s a huge reason why! Popping probiotics can help populate our friendly gut bacteria to reap the benefits of a better mood, a healthy immune system, more energy and clear, bright skin.

Probiotics can do so many amazing things, but only contain a handful of different types (also called species) of friendly bacteria. But we have thousands of different species of friendly bacteria living within us. And by giving them the love they need, we can reap even more health benefits for our whole body.

But how can we access these “friends” and tantalize them to make us healthier? The answer lies in what dark chocolate, red wine and coffee have in common.

Yes, dark chocolate, red wine and coffee make us feel good by helping us wake up in the morning or unwind after a long day, they’re each considered “healthy” when consumed in moderation, and many of us look forward to enjoying them.

However, the true answer is found at the molecular level. It’s so powerful that it’s able to tame inflammation, fight heart disease and slow the aging process. It’s an amazing type of nutrient called polyphenols – that are found in many of the plant foods that we eat.

Plants don’t have claws or teeth to defend themselves like animals do, but they produce chemical nutrients like polyphenols to protect themselves – polyphenols and other plant chemicals can help to protect the plants against disease, pollution, predators and the sun.

When we consume foods that are rich in polyphenols, their protective benefits are extended to us. Polyphenols have been studied for the antioxidant benefits that they provide throughout the entire body, like protecting the brain, normalizing blood sugar, supporting heart health, and slowing the aging process.

But polyphenols are very hard to get in the diet, and are not easily available to our cells. When we consume polyphenols, most pass through our small intestine (where most nutrients are absorbed) and travel straight to the large intestine. Researchers have just made an incredible discovery – in the large intestine, polyphenols are no longer used as food by our cells, but they are used as food for our health gut bacteria!

Researchers also found that people who consume polyphenol-rich foods like red wine, chocolate and coffee have broader diversity of gut bacteria than others. In other words, polyphenols are supporting the thousands of different friendly bacteria species in the gut!

How can you get more polyphenols in your diet?
Making sure that you get enough polyphenols your the diet (no, we don’t recommend that you try to get them ALL from red wine and chocolate) can be tricky for the healthiest of us.

Genuine Health has long been the leader in superfood supplements – 25 years after its launch, greens+ is still the most studied and popular superfood in Canada.

All of the incredible discoveries about polyphenols and the gut got us thinking about how we could capture all of the benefits of polyphenols from dark chocolate, red wine and coffee (but without any of the downsides of over consuming them). Which made us wonder, what if we created a polyphenol-powered superfood just for the gut?

We used all of the amazing knowledge that we’ve collected in our 25 years of making natural health products, to create a gut superfood that addresses gut health in 3 different ways:

1. We looked far and wide to find 21 polyphenol-rich vegetables, fruits and culinary herbs – like sweet potato, bitter melon, black currant, kale, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, spirulina, pomegranate, grape, sea buckthorn, mulberry, raspberry, spinach, cinnamon, ginger, clove and cocoa seed – that are not only rich in polyphenols, but are equally powerful when combined.

2. We wanted to concentrate these nutrients, so we fermented them. We LOVE fermentation, and brought the first fermented supplement and proteins to market. Fermentation is an amazing process because it not only amplifies nutritional value, but also helps to support gut health by creating entirely new nutrients that are nourishing to the gut and can support healthy gut bacteria populations.

3. Then we added a fermented prebiotic fibre to encourage even more good bacteria to grow. This fibre is unique because it’s fully fermented and easy-to-tolerate (i.e. it won’t cause bloating, gas or digestive upset).

fermented organic gut superfoods+ was created to be the ultimate prebiotic superfood.

When your gut is nourished properly with polyphenols and prebiotics, your whole body reaps the amazing benefits: Less stress and anxiety, a happier mental outlook, more energy, clearer skin, fewer allergies and, of course, better digestion.

This is your gut on plants.
At Genuine Health, we believe that gut health is SO important to your health – so we created a line of supplements specifically for it!

• Prime the gut with fermented nutrition – fermented proteins nourish and prime the gut tissue much like a fertilizer does to the soil in your garden
• Seed the gut with the healthiest live microbes – advanced gut health probiotics are potent, multi-strain probiotics with guaranteed delivery
• Feed the gut with the ultimate nourishment – fermented organic gut superfoods+ is the ultimate prebiotic superfood

Learn more about fermented organic gut superfoods+ and Genuine Health’s gut lovin’ nutrition at genuinehealth.com.

About the Author: Genuine Health Team

Genuine Health believes that we should all have a vibrant, healthy life, and that a well-nourished body is the best way to get there. They work with renowned scientists and professionals at leading institutions and a panel of esteemed health experts, including researchers and doctors of natural and traditional medicine to back their formulas with research and clinically proven ingredients. Learn more at genuinehealth.com