At Cocos Organic we carefully add a special blend of live vegan cultures to our products including bifidobacterium species, lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, lactobacillus paracasei and streptococcus thermophilus, before leaving to ferment overnight in small batches in our boutique factory based in Kent. This helps add a subtle tang to our products and ensures they contain billions of live vegan cultures that are rich in gut-loving goodness for a healthy and happy microbiome. As we never heat treat products here at Cocos Organic, this means the live cultures are never compromised when they make their way to your fridge.

It’s this process of fermentation that is SO vital to us as a company, as we believe that the gut is the building block to overall health and wellbeing. We are on a mission to ensure that everyone gets the gut-loving benefits of traditional yoghurt while enjoying a dairy free and plant-based diet.

The human gut contains roughly 100 trillion microbes; this weighs approximately 2 kilograms, with everyone’s gut flora being totally unique and individual like a fingerprint. The topic of gut health has grown tremendously over the past ten years, and research shows a healthy gut can also influence improved digestion (including reduced bloating, constipation and diarrhoea), lower levels of depression and low moods, better sleep and more energy, effective immune function, improved heart health, weight management and even the prevention of autoimmune diseases.

Signs of an unhealthy gut include IBS and digestive issues, inflammation, bloating, interrupted sleep, low mood and irritability and skin issues to name a few. This is why it’s so important to ensure you provide your internal flora with the correct conditions to flourish. Our top tips for improving gut health and wellbeing include:

• More sleep (minimum 7-8hrs a night depending on the individual)
• Reduce stress
• Add movement to your daily routine (anything from a long walk to yoga)
• Stay hydrated (it is recommended that you drink 8 glasses of water a day)
• Eat a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables (think more colours, more variety and more fibre, the more plants the better as the gut loves diversity and fibre!)
• Include foods with live vegan cultures and active bacteria (this includes tempeh, sauerkraut, kombucha and our range of yoghurt alternatives and kefir drinks
• Reduce alcohol, nicotine and caffeine intake

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @cocosorganic_ to keep up to date with all things gut-health related and for some deliciously gut-friendly recipes to help keep your gut happy and balanced!