Laughter is a universal language that transcends cultural boundaries. It’s a joyous expression that can transform a dull day into a vibrant one. But did you know that laughter isn’t just about having a good time? Science has uncovered a trove of health benefits hidden within those hearty chuckles. Join us as we delve into ten amazing benefits of laughter backed by science.

Related: 10 Ridiculous Health Myths (Science Says Are Actually True)

10 Laugh Your Way to a Good Night’s Sleep

The quest for a good night’s sleep can feel like a never-ending battle. But what if I told you that laughter could be your companion on this journey? When you laugh, your body releases a cascade of melatonin, those natural chemicals that induce sleepiness and relaxation. As the melatonin surges through your system, it paves the way for restful slumber.

The relationship between laughter and sleep is not merely anecdotal; it’s grounded in scientific research. The release of melatonin during laughter reduces stress and promotes muscle relaxation. Consequently, your body is better prepared to embrace sleep.

Instead of tossing and turning, consider watching a funny video or reminiscing about a hilarious memory before bedtime. These simple acts can trigger laughter, ushering in a peaceful, uninterrupted night of rest.

Joke: What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fsh!

9 The Fertility Factor

Conception is a complex process influenced by various factors, including hormonal balance. Stress, particularly the release of cortisol, can interfere with reproduction. Enter laughter, your stress-busting ally. When you engage in hearty laughter, your body releases endorphins, which promote relaxation and help lower stress levels.

Reducing stress levels can create a more hospitable environment for conception. So if you and your partner are trying to expand your family, consider incorporating humor into your lives. Watch a comedy together, share funny stories, or indulge in playful banter. These moments of laughter can help alleviate stress and, in turn, improve your chances of conceiving.

While laughter alone won’t guarantee pregnancy, it can be a valuable addition to your fertility toolkit. You’re taking steps toward a healthier and more enjoyable fertility journey by embracing humor and reducing stress.

Joke: Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field!

8 Heartfelt Chuckles

Your heart does more than pump blood; your emotional well-being also influences it. Laughter can be a heart-healthy habit that improves cardiovascular function.

When you engage in laughter, your body responds by increasing blood flow and circulation. This boost in circulation promotes a healthier heart by reducing the risk of blood clots and improving cardiovascular health.

Additionally, laughter can reduce inflammation in the arteries, a critical factor in heart disease. By decreasing inflammation, laughter helps to maintain the flexibility and health of your blood vessels, ensuring that your heart can pump blood efficiently. Think of laughter as a delightful workout for your cardiovascular system without running shoes or a gym membership. The more you laugh, the more you give your heart a mini-aerobic exercise session.

Joke: How do you organize a space party? You “planet”!

7 The Healing Power of Humor

They say laughter is the best medicine, and that saying holds when it comes to pain relief. The connection between laughter and pain relief is in releasing endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers.

Endorphins are like little superheroes swooping in to save the day. When your brain releases endorphins, they bind to receptors in your body, reducing your perception of pain. It’s like having an army of pain-fighting warriors ready to battle discomfort.

While laughter may not provide a permanent solution to chronic pain, it can offer temporary respite and improve overall well-being. So, the next time you grapple with a headache, aching muscles, or discomfort, consider a good laugh. Whether it’s a hilarious comedy show or sharing jokes with friends, laughter can be a natural and enjoyable pain management strategy.

Joke: What’s orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot!

6 Laugh in the Face of Stress

Stress is a common adversary in our lives, but laughter can be a formidable ally in the battle against it. When you laugh, your body releases a powerful cocktail of hormones that counteract the effects of stress.

Endorphins, those feel-good chemicals, flood your system during laughter. They enhance your mood, promote relaxation, and reduce stress and anxiety. Also, laughter stimulates other beneficial hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin, which are crucial in regulating mood.

Think of laughter as a natural way to cope with stress without side effects. A hearty laugh can help you face adversity with a smile and maintain your inner calm, even in the stormiest of times.

Joke: Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired!

5 From Giggles to Friends

Laughter isn’t just a solitary pleasure; it’s a social glue that bonds people together. Sharing a laugh with someone creates a sense of camaraderie and strengthens social connections in ways you might not have imagined.

Consider the moments when you’ve shared a hearty laugh with friends, family, or strangers. In those instances, laughter served as a universal language, breaking down barriers and fostering togetherness. Whether you’re swapping jokes, reminiscing about funny memories, or enjoying a comedy show together, laughter creates shared experiences.

These shared moments of laughter are not just fleeting; they contribute to building deeper, more meaningful relationships. Laughter builds a bridge between people, making connecting, empathizing, and building trust easier. So the next time you want to strengthen your bonds with others, remember that laughter is a powerful tool. It’s the glue that holds relationships together and keeps them strong.

Joke: Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts!

4 Laugh for a Healthy Cold and Flu Season

Your immune system is your body’s defense against illness, and laughter can be a potent weapon. Scientific studies have revealed that laughter can impact the immune system, bolstering its ability to prevent infections and diseases.

When you laugh, your body produces more immune cells and antibodies, which are essential for fighting viruses and bacteria. This increased production of immune warriors equips your body with a more robust defense system. Which in turn keeps you healthy for longer.

Think of laughter as a natural booster shot for your immune system. It’s like sending reinforcements to protect your body from invaders, ensuring you stay healthier and resilient in challenges and potential health threats. So laugh freely and let your immune system work its magic.

Joke: Did you hear about the cheese factory that exploded? There was nothing left but de-brie!

3 Lightening the Load

High blood pressure, often dubbed the “silent killer,” is a significant health concern for many people. However, laughter can be a powerful ally in the battle against hypertension.

When you engage in hearty laughter, your blood vessels relax, allowing blood to flow more freely. This relaxation of blood vessels helps lower your blood pressure and reduces the strain on your cardiovascular system. In essence, laughter can act as a natural blood pressure medication without needing pills or medical procedures. The impact of laughter on blood pressure isn’t merely anecdotal but backed by scientific research. Studies have shown that regular laughter can contribute to sustained lower blood pressure levels, reducing the risk of heart-related issues.

Joke: What do you get when you cross a snowman and a dog? Frostbite!

2 Mindful Chuckles

Your brain, the command center of your body, benefits from laughter just as much as your emotions do. When you laugh, your brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward.

Dopamine plays a pivotal role in cognitive function. It enhances your ability to think creatively, solve problems, and maintain a positive outlook. Laughter is like a mental workout for your brain, stimulating various areas responsible for processing emotions, language, and decision-making.

So if you’re facing a mental block, trying to brainstorm ideas, or simply seeking to improve your cognitive abilities, take a laughter break. Your brain will thank you for the surge of dopamine and endorphins, making you feel sharper, wittier, and more mentally agile.

Joke: Why did the golfer bring two pairs of pants? In case he got a hole-in-one!

1 From Gloom to Grin

Laughter is an instant mood-lifter, a natural remedy for when life feels gray. When you laugh, your brain releases endorphins. As we have said before, endorphins are those feel-good chemicals that can help combat sadness and depression. Endorphins work their magic by binding to receptors in your brain, triggering a positive feeling similar to the effects of morphine. This natural high promotes well-being and happiness, temporarily banishing the clouds of gloom.

Think of laughter as your secret weapon against the blues. Whether you’re facing a challenging day, a bout of sadness, or life’s ordinary ups and downs, laughter can provide an emotional boost. It’s a simple yet powerful way to elevate your mood and embrace the brighter side of life.

Joke: What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear!

What are benefits of laughter? Laughter is a part of human behavior regulated by brain. Helping humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and providing an emotional context to conversations. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group — it signals acceptance and positive interactions with others.

Laughing is a celebration of the good, and it’s also how we deal with the bad. Laughing, like crying, is a good way of eliminating toxins from the body. Since the mind and body are connected, you use an amazing amount of muscles when you laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. We’re always being told that. But, there’s actually more to a good giggle than just raising our spirits for a couple of minutes.

In fact, laughter is a big deal. And has been shown to have many beneficial effects on human body in different ways. Just check out these 10 impressive health benefits of laughter.

10. Live longer

According to some recent research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Elderly optimistic people, those who expected good things to happen (rather than bad things), were less likely to die than pessimists. In fact, among the 65-85 year-old study participants, those who were most optimistic were 55 percent less likely to die from all causes than the most pessimistic people.

9. Boosts Your Immune System

Researchers have found that laughter actually boosts the immune system, increasing the number of antibody-producing T cells. This then makes us less likely to get coughs and colds. It also lowers the levels of at least four hormones that are associated with stress. So, after a good giggle you should be far less tense and anxious.

8. Relieves Pain

A good chortle has been found to reduce pain. Not only does it distract you from aches, but it releases feelgood endorphin into your system that are more powerful than the same amount of morphine.

A British study shows how just 15 minutes of laughter can increase pain tolerance by around 10 percent as a result of endorphins being released in the brain. These endorphins cause something akin to a natural “high”, leading to pleasant feelings of calm, as well as temporary pain-relief.

7. Reduces Depression

Laughter has long been known to help people who are suffering from the either SAD or full-blown depression. Laughing reduces tension and stress, and lowers anxiety and irritation, which are all major factors that contribute to the blues. In a study published in Geriatrics and Gerontology International, it was found that laughter therapy reduced depression in elderly patients by inducing an feeling of well-being and improving their social interactions.

6. Boosts Your Relationship

If you’re looking to find a new partner, then laughter will help you find a new mate. Men love women who laugh in their presence and women actually laugh 125% more than men.

And if you’re already with someone, then a shared sense of humour is an important factor in keeping your relationship running smoothly.

5. Social Benefits of laughter

Laughter is contagious. So, if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you laugh more. By elevating the mood of those around you, you can diminish their stress levels, and possibly improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them. In addition, reducing your stress level even more!

The more you laugh with others, the more likely you are to be remembered for the positive energy and feelings you bring. Even intimate relationships improve with laughter, leading to more happiness and joyful relations.

4. Internal Workout

Have you had a good belly laugh lately? A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart. Laughing 100 times is the equivalent to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike.

3. Improves Your Breathing

Laugh more and more, because laughter empties your lungs of more air than it takes in resulting in a cleansing effect – similar to deep breathing. This is especially helpful for people who are suffering from respiratory ailments, such as asthma.

2. Laughter Helps You Lose Weight

Laughter is a very good physical exercise too. Burning off calories by laughing might not sound as if it has much use, but a hearty chuckle raises the heart rate and speeds up the metabolism. If you’re dieting, think about adding laughter to your exercise regime. A good sitcom might easily keep you laughing for 20 minutes or more.

1. Protects the Heart

People who laugh a lot on a regular basis have lower blood pressure than the average person. When people have a good laugh, the blood pressure increases at first, but then it decreases to levels below normal.

Your heart is a muscle and, like any muscle in your body, it gets stronger and functions better when exercised. Regular laughter is like getting a gym membership for your heart. Laughter has been found to benefit the way blood flows around the body, reducing the likelihood of heart disease. The research said that 15 minutes of laughter a day is as important for your heart as 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week.

With its roots in ancient traditions, meditation has become a widespread tool for managing stress, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. But popular opinion is still pretty torn between whether this is snake oil or the real deal. So what does the science say about the effectiveness of meditation?

Psychological research has demonstrated several scientifically proven benefits to daily meditation. From reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety to improving focus and cognitive function, the evidence suggests that it can be a powerful tool for improving mental health and overall well-being.

Let’s explore ten key benefits of meditation and how this ancient practice can help us live happier, healthier lives.

Related: 10 Ridiculous Health Myths (Science Says Are Actually True)

10 Reduce Stress

When you experience stress, your body produces a hormone called cortisol. This hormone can harm your physical and mental health, but meditation has been shown to lower cortisol levels. By taking just a few minutes each day to meditate, you can reduce the amount of cortisol in your body and feel more relaxed.

Even meditation beginners can reduce their cortisol levels; the more you practice meditation techniques, the faster your stress will disappear.

When stressed, your sympathetic nervous system is activated, which can cause your heart rate to increase and your muscles to tense up. Meditation can counteract these effects and help you feel more relaxed. This is part of your nervous system responsible for the “rest and digest” response.

9 Improve Your Focus

Since meditation is a practice centered around training your mind to be present, you can work to minimize distractions and amplify your ability to concentrate. Deep breathing, visualization, or mindfulness techniques are standard practices, but there are a lot of meditation styles you can customize to fit what feels good for you.

The beauty of meditation is that it has benefits no matter how your brain works. Consistent meditation can alter the brain’s structure, leading to heightened attention and focus. Even individuals with ADHD see improvements; there’s a reason why many experts suggest this practice to mitigate symptoms.

A University of Wisconsin-Madison study found that participants who completed an eight-week meditation program exhibited increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, the brain region associated with attention and decision-making.

But you don’t have to be a monk or a yogi to reap the benefits of meditation. Even just a few minutes of daily practice can improve your focus and concentration.

8 Reduce Anxiety

Anxiety afflicts millions worldwide, functioning like an unyielding monster that fills your mind with negative thoughts, leaving you overwhelmed, stressed, and fearful.

A potential saving grace? Meditation.

Meditation has the power to significantly reduce anxiety. Studies show that regular meditation can help alleviate anxiety by decreasing activity in the amygdala, the brain’s fear and stress-processing center. Moreover, meditation can boost activity in the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for emotion regulation, decision-making, and attention. This heightened activity empowers you to manage your emotions better and lowers the chance that anxious thoughts and feelings will hijack your mind.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that mindfulness-based stress reduction, a form of meditation, can help alleviate anxiety symptoms. If this resonates with you, find a quiet space, sit down, and take a few deep breaths. Through consistent practice, you’ll experience reduced anxiety and gain mastery over your thoughts.

7 Achieve Better Sleep

Forget your sleep number—if you long to consistently drift into a peaceful slumber and wake up feeling revitalized, meditation might be the key. It helps dissolve stress and anxiety, two major factors often depriving us of a good night’s rest.

By centering your mind on the present and releasing worrisome thoughts, you can train your brain to enter a state of deep relaxation, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.

Regular meditation elevates the quality of your sleep and prolongs the time spent in the deep, restorative sleep stages crucial for your physical and mental health. Meditation’s capacity to improve sleep quality is supported by a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. So, if you grapple with insomnia, incorporating just a few minutes of meditation into your daily routine can make a significant difference.

6 Manage or Reduce Your Depression

When you fight chronic depression, you know that every little step helps. Meditation positively impacts depression symptoms, such as low mood, lack of motivation, and feelings of hopelessness.

Because it encourages you to be present and aware of your thoughts and emotions without judgment, you can foster self-awareness, acceptance, and self-compassion. This practice helps you manage difficult emotions and thoughts more constructively, reducing the likelihood of depression. One study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, a form of meditation, has been shown to reduce depression symptoms.

And since meditation increases activity in the prefrontal cortex, which regulates your emotions, it equips you to regulate negative emotions like sadness or anger, which can contribute to chronic depression. Even just a few minutes a day can brighten your mood.

5 Soothe Physical Pains

Okay, we’re not downplaying real pain by saying, “It’s all in your head.” Physical pain is usually caused by a legitimate problem. But your brain is a powerful thing, and meditation can help you to manage the pain you’re feeling.

Regular meditation can change the brain’s pain-processing mechanisms, decreasing the intensity and unpleasantness of physical pain. Meditation’s pain-reducing potential is evidenced by a study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research. Another study showed that mindfulness meditation was more effective than traditional pain management techniques in reducing chronic lower back pain.

So if you’re looking for a natural and effective way to reduce pain, try turning on a guided meditation like this one. A few minutes of mindfulness practice a day could help you feel more comfortable and relaxed, even in the face of physical discomfort.

4 Strengthen Your Immune System

Having just come down from a global pandemic, you know why a robust immune system is crucial to fend off illnesses and bounce back from infections. Along with its myriad health benefits, meditation positively impacts our immune system. Regularly practicing it can bolster your body’s natural defenses and cultivate better overall health.

A study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences supports meditation’s role in enhancing immune function. Studies show that meditation enhances immune function in several ways, including:

1. It reduces stress and anxiety, which are known culprits in weakening your immune system.

2. It increases natural killer cell activity—an integral part of your immune defense—and raises antibody levels, proteins that neutralize harmful invaders.

3. It supports better sleep, allowing your body to fight infections more effectively and recover faster from illnesses.

So if you want to boost your immune system, consistent daily meditation is a great place to start! Whether you’re just getting started or have been practicing for years, taking a few minutes each day to quiet your mind and focus on your breath can help keep you from catching that flu.

3 Regulate Blood Pressure

Unless you’re like Dwight Shrute, who claims, “Through concentration, I can raise and lower my blood pressure at will,” you might want to listen up.

Did you know that blood pressure is the force exerted by blood on the walls of arteries as it flows? A consistently high flow of blood pressure can lead to serious health problems like heart disease and stroke. But regular meditation can help lower that pressure, so you can keep it within a healthy range.

By calming the mind and body, meditation reduces stress and anxiety—two villains behind high blood pressure. As your body enters a relaxed state during meditation, your heart rate and breathing slow down, blood vessels widen, and blood flows more smoothly, resulting in decreased pressure on arterial walls.

A meta-analysis published in the Journal of Hypertension found that meditation can help lower blood pressure in individuals with hypertension. Incorporating meditation into your daily routine, even for just a few minutes, can significantly reduce blood pressure.

2 Boost Cognitive Abilities

Want to be the next Einstein? It might be time to put down those flash cards and start working on your deep breathing.

Regular meditation can lead to brain structure and function changes, resulting in improved cognitive abilities. One of these changes involves strengthening the prefrontal cortex, which plays a crucial role in cognitive processes like attention, decision-making, and impulse control. Meditation also enlarges the hippocampus, the brain area responsible for learning and memory.

Beyond structural changes, meditation has enhanced cognitive performance across various tasks. It can improve working memory, attention, and cognitive flexibility.

1 Ease PTSD Symptoms

Meditation has proven to be a powerful tool for alleviating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is no joke. It can be incredibly challenging, affecting many people who have experienced traumatic events.

A study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that meditation was associated with reduced PTSD symptoms, such as intrusive thoughts, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Meditation aids PTSD by lowering anxiety and stress levels. Individuals with PTSD often feel on edge and have heightened alertness. Meditation can calm the nervous system, mitigating anxiety and stress.

It can also help with emotional regulation when you struggle with intense emotions. Practicing mindfulness meditation gives you a chance to observe your own thoughts and emotions without becoming overwhelmed.

Fermented foods have been around for a long time and are enjoyed by people worldwide. These foods are made by letting natural sugars and starches ferment, which creates good bacteria and other probiotics. The idea of bacteria living in your intestines may sound like a bad thing (or even alarming), but actually, your body requires these bacteria for digestion, among other reasons. The good bacteria in fermented foods can even help prevent you from getting sick from other bacteria!

Some fermented foods that people commonly eat include miso, kimchi, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, yogurt, and sourdough bread.

In today’s busy world, it’s important to make healthy choices, and adding fermented foods to your diet can be a simple (and tasty) way to do that. So let’s get the facts straight by taking a closer look at ten health benefits of eating fermented foods. Before you know it, you may eat yogurt for breakfast and sauerkraut for a snack!

10 Improve Your Gut Health

The first way fermented foods can benefit your health is through your gut! Your “gut” is a common term for your gastrointestinal tract (GI), including your mouth, esophagus, intestines, stomach, and rectum. Your GI tract is interconnected with many other systems within your body, so it’s important that it functions efficiently.

The beneficial bacteria in fermented foods, such as probiotics, can help improve gut health by promoting a healthy balance of gut microbiota. This can help support your gut’s ability to absorb nutrients and protect against harmful bacteria.

Gut health is crucial to your overall health and ties into several other health benefits.

9 Protect Your Heart Health

Fermented foods have been linked to improved heart health, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This may be due to fermented foods’ anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which can help reduce oxidative stress and lower the risk of heart disease.

The probiotics in fermented foods have been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol levels, which are often associated with heart disease. Blood pressure, another risk factor for heart disease, can be improved by adding fermented foods to your diet.

Remember that fermented foods can’t do it all on their own; they must be part of a healthy diet and lifestyle to provide heart health benefits.

8 Improve Your Nutrient Absorption

When we eat fermented foods, the probiotics in those foods help maintain an important balance of bacteria. When that balance is disrupted, it can sometimes lead to gut dysbiosis. This condition causes a decreased number of healthy bacteria, making it difficult for our bodies to absorb necessary nutrients from food.

Fermented foods can improve nutrient absorption by breaking down the nutrients into more easily digestible forms. For example, fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and kefir, contain lactase, which helps break down lactose (the sugar in milk) into simpler sugars that are easier for the body to absorb. When milk is fermented to make yogurt, the yogurt’s bacteria break down the milk’s lactose. This can make it easier for people who are lactose intolerant to digest and absorb essential nutrients in the milk.

Another example of fermented food that increases your nutrient absorption is sauerkraut. When sauerkraut ferments, the cabbage breaks down, increasing the vitamin C and providing our bodies with far more nutrients than raw cabbage. And it tastes delicious!

7 Try Weight Loss or Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Fermented foods are low in calories and high in fiber, making them a good choice for weight management. Additionally, the beneficial bacteria in fermented foods can help regulate metabolism and control hunger, leading to weight loss.

For example, probiotics have been shown to reduce the production of the hunger hormone ghrelin and increase the production of the hormone peptide YY, which signals fullness. In other words, you may not feel quite so hungry, and you may feel fuller than you normally would.

It is essential to talk with a doctor or health professional to make a responsible and well-thought-out decision before making any drastic dietary shifts to lose weight.

6 Reduce Your Inflammation

Fermented foods have anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce chronic inflammation. Inflammation is a natural response of your body to injury or infection. Still, when it happens chronically, it can lead to heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and several other serious health issues.

Along with probiotics, fermented foods are typically full of antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect cells by neutralizing free radicals (unstable molecules that can lead to oxidative stress and increased inflammation).

According to a study by Stanford University in 2021, eating a diet full of fermented foods is much better for inflammation than high-fiber foods that are typically thought of as healthy, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts.

5 Improve Your Overall Digestion

Fermented foods can help improve digestion by reducing symptoms of bloating, constipation, and abdominal pain. This is because the beneficial bacteria in fermented foods can help regulate bowel movements and support the gut’s ability to absorb water—the bacteria, such as lactic acid, help to maintain your gut balance.

Another benefit relates to your body’s production of digestive enzymes. Eating fermented foods can increase the production of these enzymes, allowing you to break down food more effectively and reduce bloating. Increased production of digestive enzymes can also keep your bowel movements regular and reduce constipation.

While these effects may not occur overnight, and everyone’s digestive system is different, incorporating fermented foods as a part of your diet is a good step toward improved digestion.

4 Improve Your Bone Health

Fermented foods are a good source of calcium and other minerals important for bone health. For example, kefir is a fermented food with two crucial nutrients for bone health—vitamin K and calcium. Another fermented food that can improve your bone health is yogurt. Yogurt is rich in calcium and phosphorus, both key to good bone health. And all fermented foods have probiotics that promote your body’s absorption of calcium.

Fermented foods can contain all the following nutrients that improve overall bone health:

• Dietary fiber
• Vitamin K2
• Manganese
• Phosphorus
• Magnesium
• Calcium

As a part of a balanced diet with regular exercise, fermented foods can improve your bone health in a big way.

3 Boost Your Immune System

The next benefit on our list may seem a little counterintuitive. Bacteria are bad for us, right? After all, we wash our hands with antibacterial soap and take antibiotics when sick. Well, bacteria are not always bad for us; sometimes, it’s actually the opposite.

Fermented foods contain beneficial bacteria that can help boost the immune system by strengthening the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). The GALT is an important part of the immune system, and you want it to be as healthy as possible. The probiotics in fermented foods can also help stimulate your body’s production of antibodies and other immune cells, which can help fight off infections and diseases.

By including fermented foods such as yogurt in your diet, you may get sick less often, can recover more quickly when you do, and have improved overall health. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat a bowl of kimchi!

2 Get Glowing Skin

Fermented foods can improve skin health in a few different ways. They contain probiotics and antioxidants, which can:

• Protect against oxidative stress
• Maintain your skin’s natural barrier function
• Reduce inflammation in your skin

One example is kombucha. Okay, it’s technically a drink, but it is fermented! Kombucha contains organic acids as well as antioxidants that neutralize free radicals. Another fermented food with skin health benefits is sauerkraut, which contains vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts collagen production, keeping your skin looking youthful and less wrinkled.

Miso is a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans, salt, and koji (think miso soup). This mixture is fermented for months (and sometimes years). Besides being delicious, miso is highly concentrated with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, all of which can help protect your skin from UV rays and, ultimately, sun damage.

1 Positively Impact Your Mental Health

There are a few different ways that fermented foods can improve not just your physical health but your mental health as well. Fermented foods have been linked to improved mental health, including reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. This may be due to the role of gut bacteria in producing neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which play a role in regulating mood.

Other connections include some of the health benefits we have already mentioned. After all, who wouldn’t feel happier with less inflammation, constipation, and illness? Fermented foods can also help regulate the gut-brain axis, the connection between the gut and the brain. The live bacteria in fermented foods (probiotics) have been proven to regulate your mood and reduce anxiety symptoms.

And that’s not all; probiotics in fermented food may be able to regulate your neurotransmitter levels as well. Finally, with regulated stress and reduced inflammation, fermented foods can actually help you sleep better. Improved sleep can have a huge impact on your mental health and your well-being overall.