We're all eating microplastics (whether we like it or not)

Let's start with the slightly uncomfortable bit.

Microplastics - and their even tinier cousins, nanoplastics - are now turning up in our food, our water, and yes, inside us. They're little particles formed as plastic breaks down, small enough to slip through our digestive system and quietly stick around.

Not the loveliest thing to think about, we know.

We're not going to be able to dodge them entirely - not in the world we live in. But it does raise an interesting question:

Could our gut actually help do something about them?

Your gut does more than you think

Your gut isn't just there to digest your food.

It's busy all day, every day, interacting with everything you eat - breaking it down, transforming it, helping move things along. Including a few things you'd rather not hold on to.

So… where does kimchi come in?

This is where it gets interesting.

There's a bacteria called Leuconostoc mesenteroides that's commonly found in fermented foods like kimchi. And recent research suggests it may be quietly helpful when it comes to microplastics.

Early findings suggest this bacteria can:

• Bind to micro and nanoplastic particles in the gut
• Carry them through the digestive system
• Help the body move some of them on their way

You can read more about it here.

In simple terms - some of the friendly bacteria in fermented foods may help your body deal with some of the microplastics you're exposed to every day.

Now here's the part that genuinely excited us

We recently sent our kimchi off to be independently tested - to see exactly which bacteria are present.

And Leuconostoc mesenteroides - that very same bacteria the researchers are looking at - came back as the No.3 most abundant bacteria in our jars.

We didn't add it. We couldn't add it. That's just fermentation doing its thing.

It's a naturally occurring bacteria that develops as the veg ferments - part of what makes a proper, living kimchi a proper, living kimchi. And it just so happens to be the same bacteria now being studied for how it interacts with microplastics in the gut.

That connection feels rather powerful to us.

What's actually in our kimchi

Loving Foods Kimchi is made of:

• Live lactic acid bacteria (including Leuconostoc mesenteroides)
• Organic vegetables + Celtic Sea Salt
• No artificial ingredients
• No added sugar
• No fish sauce or fillers

Why that matters:

• It's a living food, full of active, friendly bacteria
• It supports a diverse and resilient gut
• It contains the very bacteria scientists are now studying for how they interact with environmental particles

Which brings us to why we use glass

Here's something most people don't think about - but we do, quite a lot.

Kimchi and sauerkraut are naturally acidic. And when acidic foods sit in plastic packaging, there's potential for compounds from the plastic to migrate into the food - especially over time, or with heat.

That's one of the main reasons we only ever use glass:

• It's non-reactive
• It doesn't interact with acidic foods
• It keeps what's inside exactly as it should be

In a world where microplastic exposure is heading in only one direction, choices like this matter more than ever.

If you'd like to go deeper into this, we've written more about it here.

What we know so far

This area of research is still developing - but the early signs are promising.

Certain friendly bacteria in fermented foods can interact with micro and nanoplastics, helping bind to them and move them through the digestive system. At the same time, everyone's gut is different, and research in humans is still ongoing.

What is becoming clear: your gut is constantly engaging with what you eat - and the bacteria you feed it can influence how that whole process works.

The bottom line

We're not going to eliminate microplastics overnight.

But we can support how our body responds to them. And that starts, as ever, with the gut.

Fermented foods have always been part of that picture. What's exciting is that we're finally starting to understand more about why.

And sometimes it really is the simplest habits - a forkful of kimchi alongside your dinner - that make the biggest difference over time.

An easy place to start

Don't overthink it.

A small forkful of our kimchi alongside your meals is enough to start feeding your gut live, friendly bacteria on a regular basis.

It's simple, it's quick, and it fits right into what you're already eating.

If you'd like to make it part of your routine:

Have a browse of our raw, living kimchi and other fermented foods

Made in Manchester, fermented for a minimum of three weeks, always raw and organic.