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 Times, Wired, Gourmet, Popular Science, Prevention, ESPN The Magazine, as well as numerous websites including NationalGeographic.com,  Time.com, Oprah.com, NPR.org, FastCompany.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 https://www.amazon.com.au/Cultured-Ancient-Foods-Feed-Microbiome-ebook/dp/B015BCX0IA 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:   https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/collections/beginner-recommendations-start-here     Allele Microbiome- Gut Microbiome Testing   10% off Gut Explorer Pro using code: gutlove   https://www.allele.com.au/collections/frontpage/products/gut-microbiome-analysi