Everyday Care Lab

Fermented Foods for Gut Health — Benefits Backed by Science and 10 Years of Personal Experience My grandmother made kimchi every autumn without thinking twice about it. She didn't talk about probiotics or gut microbiome diversity or healthy gut bacteria. She just made kimchi, packed it into ceramic pots, and said it was good for you. I grew up eating it at every single meal without ever questioning why. Then I moved to Europe, and I found out what happened when I stopped. The first few months in Rome, I was eating pasta and bread and genuinely loving every bite. Then around the two-month mark, something felt off. My digestion was sluggish in a way it had never been before. My energy was inconsistent. My skin was breaking out more than usual. I was using the same skincare products and sleeping the same hours. The one thing that had changed was what I was eating. Over ten years living across six countries — Rome, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, the UK, and Amsterdam — I had eno...

  Your Skin Breakouts and Low Mood Might Both Start in Your Gut Have you ever tried every skincare product on the market, only to still wake up with breakouts? That was me for a long time. I'd switch cleansers, try new serums, drink more water — and still see the same stubborn spots every morning. Then one visit to a dermatologist changed everything. She didn't ask me about my skincare routine. She asked, "How's your digestion?" I was confused. I came in for my skin. But the more I looked into it, the more I realized — she was asking exactly the right question. The gut isn't just where food gets processed. It's deeply connected to your skin, your mood, your energy, and your immune system. And when your gut is struggling, your whole body feels it. Why Your Gut Is Called the "Second Brain" Your gut contains approximately 100 million nerve cells — more than the spinal cord. This is why scientists refer to it as the "second brain." ...