The Wingham Farmers’ Market will be held this Saturday, July 1.
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This month’s special guest is Lydia Irving from Internal Instinct.
Lydia will be running a fermentation demonstration station to introduce market goers to the world of probiotic food.
A qualified nutritionist, Lydia is particularly passionate about the health of our gut.
“It’s where everything starts,” she said referring to both our physical and mental health.
In particular, she wants to shed light on the importance of the human microbiome.
“Genetically we are only 10 per cent human, most of the cells in our body are bacteria” she said.
“That’s a really good thing, because unlike human cells, these friendly microbes share genetic information freely. This has the overall impact of making our health more malleable, opening the door to healing some chronic conditions.”
There are a huge variety of species which make up our microbiome, all of them with a role to play in keeping us healthy. For example, Lydia highlights that by far the bulk of them live in our guts where they digest food for us, unlocking many vitamins and minerals that would be otherwise unavailable to us. They also play a huge role in boosting our immune system, and much more, including the production of our feel-good hormone serotonin.
Lydia says that with the scientific understanding we have now of the phenomenal importance of the human microbiome, plus the dramatic reduction in species diversity have been measured in us over the last 50-70 years, looking after our little friends in our guts is no longer negotiable – it is essential for our health.
Lydia will have homemade sourdough, apple cider vinegar, Jun (a sweet drink), and dairy kefir on display at all stages of fermentation, plus taste testers. She is keen to empower people to take back their health through nutrient dense, bioavailable food just like she’s done for herself. She’ll have information to take away, and about her fermentation workshops.
Buy locally made ferments at the markets from Emily of ‘Ginger and Brown,’ with sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha, and Marook Farm biodynamic yoghurts and cheeses. You can also get a probiotic for your plants from Lee of ‘Islands in the Stream Vermiculture,’ because the health of your food starts with the health of your soil, and everything that we say about the importance of the health of the human microbiome applies equally to plants and the soil.
Wingham Farmers’ Market is at Wingham Showground, between 8am and noon. If you have something to sell at the markets new stallholders are always welcome, with site fees waived at your first market. Direct stall holder enquiries to Annette on 6550 7213. Don’t forget if you have any excess produce to sell you can drop it at the community stall to sell on your behalf. There is more information online at www.winghamfarmersmarket.org.au and on Facebook.