Pun intended. Because if you aren’t eating pickles, or fermented foods on the regular, you’re missing out. They’re not just a flavorful component that can make your meals more memorable + delicious, but they’re an entire food group that plays a critical role in your health + well-being, as a human, and as an athlete.
By now your know that the work I do behind the scenes of this blog is create plans and strategies for athletes of all walks. Together, we focus not only on eating better/performing better now…but also FOREVER. The strategy isn’t so easy as just eating more plants, or changing the amount of macros you get in a day. Actually, it has very little to do with that in the long run. It does have to do with making a change in your gut.
Like, literally.
Listening to your gut, giving it what it needs.
And that’s where this Quick Cucumber Kimchi comes in.
Did you know that you have a SECOND nervous system…in your gut?
It’s true. Ya do.
And whenever you’re listening to your gut, going with it’s intuition, getting butterflies in your stomach, you’re likely getting signals from the enteric nervous system (ENS) in your digestive system – two thin layers of over 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to rectum.
The primary function of this nervous system isn’t writing song lyrics or making small talk. Instead, it’s responsible for controlling our digestive processes, everything from swallowing to releasing enzymes to break down our different foods, and even moderating blood flow that helps with nutrient absorption + elimination. Communicating these needs to the central brain in our skulls is a big job, and the ENS does it with great gusto…WHEN we support it as a system. But just like any of our internal organs or processes, when it struggles our bodies, wellbeing, and performance struggle too.
When we eat food combinations that are difficult to digest, when we over-exercise, under-recover, over do it, or fail to listen to our bodies queues that it needs a rest, a recuperation or just less coffee, there’s a physical response from our digestive system. Diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas or even IBS are ordinary and expected physical responses…to irritation. They suggest that something we’ve consumed doesn’t agree with our system. It’s something to take note of and to remedy.
Just like any of us, when we’re irritated for too long, or to such a great degree, our moods shift. Our digestive systems are the same. When the ENS is unhappy, or uncomfortable, these 100 million nerves send messages in our brains to make mood shifts that can impact our overall well-being. It’s a bummer. Literally.
Not only will our bodies not feel well to perform the tasks we want and need to achieve, but we’ll forever be concerned with having inconsistent digestion when we’re running, riding, hiking, swimming…or worse yet, we’ll start to notice that our enthusiasm starts to wane and spread into other parts of our lives. Whelp.
So, how can we remedy this type of discomfort, manage our mood swings and stay happy, elevated, and performing at our peak?
The first thing is listening to our bodies, watching our digestion, and aiming to keep things pretty even keel. If a food makes you really fart, gives you diarrhea, instigates bloat or makes you uncomfortable, note the food itself and the combination…and try not to eat those things.
The second thing is supporting our digestive systems with the nutrients and inputs needed to let them do their jobs. Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that live in our guts and allow our bodies to do the digestive and communicative tasks we require. Consuming more of them is like enlisting members into the army – it’s strengthening our digestive forces. Prebiotics are the special plant fibers that those little prebiotic guys eat to thrive – when we eat more of them, we fortify the strength + vigor of our digestion.
When it comes to uploading both probiotics and prebiotics they need to thrive, fermented foods, such as this kimchi, contain both. (Other fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, pickles, and lassi are wonderful as well.) When a food is fermented, it means that the natural bacteria resident in the food has broken down the sugars in the food anaerobically. It means that the bacteria inside are thriving and healthy and that when we consume them we’ll be onboarding little worker bacteria to help us digest well.
This Kim chi is also the real deal when it comes to amping up the flavor or all of your meals. Some places I love to use it:
Put into different terms: So, you’re a high-achiever, right? And you know that a orange juice and a piece of toast slathered with Nutella are the fuel you need to get going in the morning and crush at life. But, instead, your fridge is only stocked with root beer. That’s all that’s available to you — root beer. No smoothie, no toast, not even yogurt or another healthful option. Root beer. Now, go perform!!
This ridiculous scenario is the same as when we don’t feed our body the prebiotics that the probiotics need to survive (well, sorta anyway.) The foods that are easy for our digestive bacteria to consume and turn into fuel are ingredients such as ginger, turmeric, chicory, dandelion, garlic, asparagus, bananas, barley, oats and apples. The more of these we consume, the more our digestion will thrive.
…does not require the painstaking process or patience that most fermented foods require. Instead, it’s quick pickled which means that the anaerobic digestion of the ingredients are just starting to ferment, making this a lighter, easier to enjoy, easier to make fermented food.
The recipe below has recommendations for the veggies to use, of course – the combination of which are absolutely delicious and worth seeking out in this peak of bounty. But, if you have a bushel of summer squash, or so many bunches of carrots, lots of radishes and the like, by all means go for it and use them here.
The only thing to know is that true fermentation is a process that requires a good bit of information and knowledge about how to grow “the good bugs” and not “the bad ones.” Don’t leave your quick kimchi out on the counter for longer than the recommended amount of time to be sure that you don’t discover any of the latter!
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