Your gut microbes are important for many of your bodily functions. They make vitamins, they help you digest, the regulate your immune system and they impact brain function and mood.
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are well researched and have been linked to better health. If you take a probiotic supplement or eat fermented foods, then you’ve likely seen these names on package labels.
There is another beneficial microbe that has been getting a lot of attention over the last few years called Akkermansia muciniphilia.
The Benefits of Akkermansia
Akkermansia feeds on mucin in the lining of your gut. It does something called cross feeding – it produces propionate and acetate (short-chain fatty acids) that then feed beneficial bacteria (that’s the cross feeding part) that then make butyrate. Butyrate is important for gut and brain health. It is also one of the key substances needed in restoring the gut barrier.
It’s pretty cool how these microbes work together.
Akkermansia indirectly feeds the microbes that produce butyrate, which protects the lining of the gut. A healthy gut means you won’t have undigested food, toxins and microbial metabolites leaking through the lining of your gut.
What Happens When You Don’t Have Enough Akkermansia
A lack of Akkermansia has been correlated to several health conditions:
Obesity (1)
Type 2 diabetes (2)
Crohn’s (3)
Colitis (4)
IBS (5)
Appendicitis (6)
How To Feed You Akkermansia
Making sure you have enough Akkermansia in your gut is important for overall health.
Luckily research has found foods that Akkermansia loves to eat. These foods are all delicious and easy to incorporate into your daily meals and snacks.
Foods that you and your Akkermansia can feast on:
Cranberries (7) (8)
Red grapes (9)
Pomegranate (10)
Green tea (11)
Apples (12)
Berries (13)
Rhubarb (14)
Here are some Akkermansia Loving Recipes:
Pomegranate Mango Smoothie
Serves 1
The tartness of the pomegranate juice compliments the sweetness of the mango in this simple, refreshing smoothie. I usually stay away from fruit juice, because it impacts blood sugar levels, but pomegranate is an exception I make. The MCT oil will help to slow the release of these fruit sugars into the blood stream.
200 g / 1 3/4 cups frozen mango cubes
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon MCT oil
Place all the ingredients in a blender, and blend on high speed until creamy and smooth. Pour into a glass, add a straw and enjoy.
Cranberry Applesauce
Serves 4
It’s important to leave the apple peel in this recipe, as Akkermansia love it. Cranberries lend a sour note to this applesauce, and can also be replaced with rhubarb. Either way, your Akkermansia will thank you.
4 large (about 900 g / 2 lbs) apples
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt
1 teaspoon grated, fresh ginger (optional)
Place quartered, cored apples (but not peeled) into a steamer with the cranberries. Steam for 10-15 minutes until the apples are soft, and the cranberries have popped open.
Move the fruit to a blender and blend with the remaining ingredients. You may need to use a tamper, or scrape down the sides to get everything to blend. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of the steaming water.
Pour into 4 serving dishes. Enjoy warm, or place in the fridge to cool.
Iced Blueberry-Matcha Latte
Serves 1
I was looking for something to match the flavour profile of matcha, and blueberries are the perfect fit. Both of these ingredients will feed your Akkermansia, and are a surprisingly delicious combination. Both are also high in anti-oxidants. Matcha contains caffeine, but unlike coffee it won't give you the jitters.
4 ice cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen & thawed)
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup almond milk or other dairy alternative
1 teaspoon matcha powder
2 tablespoons boiling water
Put ice cubes into a glass.
Put some water on to boil.
Place the blueberries, cold water and honey in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Pour over the ice in the glass.
Add the almond milk to the glass.
Put matcha powder into a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of hot water and whisk. Matcha tends to clump, and will break up better with a side to side whisking motion.
Pour the matcha shot into the glass, add a straw, give a gentle stir, and enjoy your latte.
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do. Which one will you try first?
Happy, Healthy Eating!
Tracey