Katherine Courage on How Ancient Foods Can Feed our Microbiome

Katherine Courage on How Ancient Foods Can Feed our Microbiome

Author: Kriben Govender June 10, 2019 Duration: 53:23
Kriben Govender (Honours Degree in Food Science and Technology) has a fascinating conversation with journalist, Katherine Courage author of the book: Cultured: How Ancient Foods can feed our Microbiome.
 
We discuss the important discovery of the microbiome and how to nurture our microbiome for optimal health through diet and fermented foods. Katherine takes us on a journey around the world as we explore fermented foods from countries like Korea, Japan, Switzerland and Greece.
 
Bio:
 
Katherine Harmon Courage is an award-winning freelance journalist, editor, and author.
She has written for The New York TimesWiredGourmetPopular SciencePreventionESPN The Magazine, as well as numerous websites including NationalGeographic.com,  Time.comOprah.comNPR.orgFastCompany.com, and Nature.com. Her work ranges from breaking science news to features about food. And she has dabbled in podcasts and video along the way. Prior to becoming an independent journalist, she worked as a reporter and editor at Scientific American.
Her second book, Cultured: How Ancient Foods Can Feed Our Microbiome is out now from Penguin Random House. She is also the author of Octopus! The Most Mysterious Creature In the Sea. And her work was featured in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2013.
 
 
Courage has been a Media Fellow at Harvard University Medical School, a National Institutes of Health Medicine in the Media Fellow at Dartmouth College, and a Health Journalism Fellow at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her work has received a Mark of Excellence for In-Depth Reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists, National Finalist commendation for Outstanding Student Reporting from the Society of Environmental Journalists, and Best Story about the Outdoors award from the Missouri Press Association.
She has spoken across the U.S. and abroad and appeared on national and international radio, television, and podcasts.
She lives in Longmont, Colorado, with her husband and their daughter. In her spare time, she runs marathons and competes in triathlons–and is turning her yard into a fruit and vegetable garden. She holds a master's degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and a bachelor's in English from Vassar College.
Follow her on Twitter at @KHCourage and on Facebook for more about health, science, microbes, and, of course, octopuses.
 
 
 
 
Topics discussed:
  
  • Explanatory journalism in a world full of new information
  • New Science of the Microbiome
  • The Ecology of the body
  • The Human Microbiome Project
  • Definition of the Microbiome
  • Microbiome and Disease
  • How do we acquire our Microbiome?
  • Understanding the Microbiome, Family Planning, and Preparation for Child Birth
  • Tips for New Mums
  • Fermented Foods and the Microbiome
  • The transient nature of probiotics and fermented foods
  • Captain Cook and Sauerkraut
  • Korean Ferments
  • Eating ferments through the fermentation process to improve diversity
  • Raw Milk Alpine Cheeses from Switzerland
  • The Microbiome of Fermentation Equipment 
  • Yoghurt Making in Greece
  • Fermented Table Olives
  • Prebiotics and Fibre Rich Foods
  • Wild Foraged Foods 
  • Small and diverse meals in Japan
  • Japanese Ferments
  • Fostering a balanced microbiome by lowering meat consumption
  • Seafood and the Microbiome
  • Cultured Foods: How Ancient Foods can feed our Microbiome
  • Katherine's favourite fermented foods: Sauerkraut and Kefir
  • Prebiotic Raw Cacao as a gut health hack
  • Katherine's Top Tip for Gut Health
 
Brought to you by:
 
Nourishme Organics your Gut Health Store

Get your free gut health guide here:
 
 
 

Microbiome Stool Testing, Deuterium Testing and Nutritional Consulting

https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/collections/nutritionist-consultation

 
 
Connect with Katherine Courage
 
 
 
 
 
 
Connect with Kriben Govender: 
 
Gut Health Gurus Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nourishmeorganics/
Mito Wellness Support Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/347845406055631/
 
Download links
 
Listen on Apple Podcasts
 
 
 
Watch on Youtube
 
 
 
 
If you enjoyed this episode and would like to show your support:
 
1) Please subscribe on Itunes and leave a positive review
 
 
Instructions:
 
- Click this link 
 
- Click "View in Itunes" button on the left-hand side
- This will open the Itunes app
- Click the "Subscribe" button
- Click on "Ratings and Reviews" tab
- Click on "Write a Review" button
 
Non-Itunes users can leave a Google Review here:
 
 
2) Subscribe, like and leave a positive comment on Youtube
 
 
3) Share your favourite episode on Facebook, Instagram, and Stories
4) Let your friends and family know about this Podcast by email, text, messenger etc
 
 
 
Thank you so much for your support. It means the world to us.

Kriben Govender's journey is a testament to how personal crisis can lead to profound discovery. After a period where his life unraveled through professional bullying, personal loss, and deep isolation, he found a lifeline not in abstract concepts, but in the very real science of the microbiome. As a Food Scientist and founder of Nourishme Organics, Kriben now channels that hard-won perspective into The Gut Health Gurus Podcast. Here, conversations move beyond dry dietary advice to explore the tangible connections between our digestive system and everything from mental resilience to physical fitness. Each episode feels like a candid discussion, unpacking how nurturing gut health can fundamentally alter one's wellbeing. You'll hear from a range of voices-scientists, practitioners, and people with lived experience-all grounded in Kriben's own understanding that true health often starts from within. This isn't about quick fixes; it's about building a sustainable, informed relationship with your body. Tune in for a podcast that blends evidence-based nutrition with the very human stories behind the science, offering a compassionate and practical guide to taking control of your health from the inside out.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 70

The Gut Health Gurus Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Kiran Krishnan on How to Build a Resilient Microbiome [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:33
Food Scientist and Registered Nutritionist, Kriben Govender (Honours Degree in Food Science & Technology) has an insightful conversation with Chief Scientific Officer of Microbiome Labs, Kiran Krishnan on How to build a…
Dr Jarrod Goldin on Sustainable Cricket Protein for Gut Health [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:56
Kriben Govender (Honours Degree in Food Science & Technology) has a chat with the co-founder of Entomo Farms, Dr Jarrod Goldin on the gut health and sustainability benefits of edible insects like crickets. Bio: Dr Goldin…
Nathan Walz on How to Optimise your Mitochondrial Health [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:05
Kriben Govender (Honours Degree in Food Science and Technology) has a heartfelt conversation with mitochondrial health guru Nathan Walz on lessons from Dr Jack Kruse, Mitochondrial Health, Cold Thermogenesis, Red Light T…
Dr Gabor Somlyai on Deuterium and Cancer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:10
Kriben Govender (Honours Degree in Food Science and Technology) and James Shadrach (Honours Degree in Psychology) have a groundbreaking discussion with Dr Gabor Somlyai on the role that the hydrogen isotope, deuterium pl…
Dr Laszlo Boros on Deuterium Depletion for Optimal Health [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:09
Kriben Govender (Honours Degree in Food Science and Technology) has a mind-blowing conversation with Dr Laszlo Boros from The Deuterium Depletion Centre on the dangers of excess deuterium and strategies to naturally depl…
Jasmina Aganovic on Probiotics for the Skin Microbiome [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:21
Kriben Govender (Honours Degree in Food Science and Technology) and James Shadrach (Honours Degree in Psychology) chat with The President of Skincare company Mother Dirt on the Skin Microbiome, factors impacting the deve…
Jason Bawden Smith on Light, Water and Magnetism Simplified [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:53
Kriben Govender (Honours Degree in Food Science and Technology) and James Shadrach (Honours Degree in Psychology) chat with Environmental Scientist, Jason Bawden Smith on Light, Water and Magnetism Simplified. We talk ab…