GBiota Responses: Fermentation, Gut Health, and Diabetes FAQs

In this follow-up, I respond to the many replies to my article on gut bacteria and reversing diabetes. A clear theme emerged: people understand gut biology matters, but most prefer a reliable product rather than fermenting at home. I compare “pill thinking” with “food thinking”, explain why many commercial probiotics disappoint in practice, and describe why fermented vegetables can create obvious changes in gut activity. I also outline a broader system—gut biology, minerals, phytonutrients, fasting, and exercise—and the real-world problem of distributing living fermented food.

Colin Austin – 31 March 2017. 

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Why I’m Writing a Group Reply

I received some really eye-opening replies to my last article on gut bacteria and reversing diabetes. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I read all the emails, and I appreciate both the encouragement and the hard questions. It is probably more effective to write one reply that addresses the common issues, rather than send out dozens of separate responses.

What struck me was how many people are genuinely interested in gut biology and how important it is for health. Ten years ago, this topic mostly lived in specialist research. Now it has moved into wider public understanding. I have been a gut enthusiast for some time, and I assumed I was in the “pseudo-freak” category. Apparently not—there are plenty of us out there.

The Big Preference: Buy, Don’t Ferment

The good news is that gut biology is now on people’s radar. The bad news (for my plans) is that very few people showed any interest in fermenting themselves. Most would prefer to buy a product—as long as quality is assured.

There also seemed to be a strong preference for probiotic pills from the local chemist. That reflects the ongoing difference between me and my wife, Xiulan. I am an engineer, so my first question is: “Does it work in practice?” I want results I can measure, even if it is only on myself. Xiulan is a doctor, so she leans toward pills that have been tested in large statistical trials.

Pills Versus Food: Why the Argument Matters

We have both trialled commercially available probiotics (drinks and pills) and could see no tangible evidence of improvement. For us, they just did not seem to work.

There are at least three possible reasons. First, if we already have the “right” biology, adding more may do nothing. Second, most commercial probiotics contain one strain, or at best a few strains, grown in a controlled way. That is not how our guts function; they are an ecosystem with a broad spectrum of organisms that interact. Third, the upper regions of the digestive tract are highly acidic, which can kill introduced organisms before they reach the lower regions where we most need them.

So from both theoretical and practical angles, commercially available probiotics can be underwhelming. That does not mean they are useless for everyone, but it does mean I cannot assume that “a pill solves it” is a reliable pathway for most people.

What Happened When I Ate Fermented Vegetables

Now compare that to eating fermented vegetables. The results, at least for me, were dramatic. Let’s not be too squeamish: I looked for direct physical signs that gut activity had changed. The frequency of bowel motions increased and the volume increased dramatically.

Then there was the gas. Anyone who has fermented vegetables knows the continuous bubbles and the pressure build-up. I saw the same thing in my ferment containers: the lid domes and collapses when pressure is released. Judging by what happened in my own body, it felt like that same “pressure and activity” was happening internally. Let me be euphemistic and say there was solid (and gaseous) evidence of highly active gut biology.

But producing bigger outputs is not the goal. The goal is to be healthier. At first, the results looked very good: I felt more energetic and started getting around to the jobs I had been putting off. Then things became more complicated, because I went too extreme and ate little more than fermented and leafy vegetables. That experiment taught me something important about balance and real-world eating.

A Practical Reality: Food Has to Work in Real Life

After going too “pure” on fermented and leafy vegetables, I found myself paying more attention to my granddaughters’ sweetie jar than normal. I did an unplanned experiment: a bit of candy bar did not satisfy hunger, it made it worse. A carb trial with cake made me even hungrier. For me, carbs seemed to drive hunger. I am not claiming a universal law here—just reporting how my body responded.

I have also been puzzled by exercise and hunger. I can feel hungry at the computer, then go for a walk and the hunger disappears. I cannot fully explain why; it just happens.

At one point I tested how I felt on a more carbohydrate-heavy approach, and it left me tired and less energetic. I switched course and ate something with more fat (in my case, fish). The surprise was how quickly I stopped feeling hungry and felt energetic again. It was not a moral victory for “fat” or “carb”; it was simply a reminder that my body needs solid food and some fat to feel full and energetic.

The Bigger Picture: Steps Toward Reversing Diabetes

Although I am focusing on fermented vegetables as a practical way to improve gut biology, I do not want to lose sight of the broader system. My overall aim is a practical approach to reversing diabetes with minimal reliance on drugs. The key points are: changing gut bacteria, adding minerals and trace elements (chromium, magnesium, vanadium and others), consuming phytonutrients (plant chemicals), intermittent fasting (to allow pancreatic beta cells to recover), and moderate exercise.

Changing gut biology is probably the most important part of the system. It may not reverse diabetes on its own, but unless you sort out the gut biology, it is unlikely diabetes can be reversed. That is the logic behind using fermented vegetables steadily, because they can act as both a pro-biotic and a pre-biotic.

Two Stages: Growing the Right Vegetables, Then Fermenting Them

In my system there are two stages in producing fermented vegetables. The first is producing biologically active vegetables as the raw material. For that I use a flood-and-drain wicking bed approach—an extension of standard wicking beds that I have been playing with for over twenty years.

The flood-and-drain concept (in the version I am working on) uses three containers. One is a water container with a float valve and a small pump. The pump periodically partially floods a growing bed and also a third chamber filled with composting material plus mineral supplements. At the end of the pump cycle, the water drains out of both the growing and composting beds, bringing nutrients and biology with it, ready for the next cycle.

This is mature technology. It suits amateur gardeners and it can be scaled up for commercial production. The replies I received suggest there are people willing to grow the biologically active vegetables—either at home or commercially—so I consider that part of the project largely solvable.

The Hard Part: Fermentation Is a Craft, Not a Factory Line

The real problems arise in the fermentation stage, where there are technical and logistical issues. Fermentation is essential a craft-based process. It works very well when someone experienced is watching over it, but it does not naturally lend itself to large-scale automated production and distribution. Small variations in vegetables, temperature, and starters can subtly change the outcome.

There are large processors that ferment vegetables, but to control the process they typically pasteurise the product to kill the bacteria. There are good reasons for this: if fermentation continues uncontrolled, pressure can build in bottles until they explode. Exploding bottles are not something supermarkets tolerate.

This creates a simple problem for my objective. People can buy fermented vegetables from the supermarket, but they are essentially “dead” and provide no probiotic benefit. That is not what I am after.

So What Now: The Distribution Problem

I was hoping there would be people willing to run small fermentation operations as an income stream, but the feedback suggests very few are interested—especially if it involves commercial sale. The technical challenge is how to create a system where people can buy living fermented vegetables. I do not have the full answer yet, but I do know my next step.

Next Step: Learn From Traditional Fermentation

My wife Xiulan went to China because her blood sugar levels were getting too high, and on a more traditional Chinese diet her levels were dropping. That is another piece of evidence (not proof, but evidence) that diet matters a great deal, and that diabetes may be reversible.

So I planned a trip to rural China to study traditional fermentation. They have been fermenting vegetables for thousands of years, and diabetes was virtually unknown until Western foods appeared. I may not find what I expect, but the logic is simple: if you never go, you never know.

Back Home: Pilot-Scale, Local Production

When we get back to Australia, my plan is to set up a small-scale fermenting operation—basically a pilot plant. If that works, it may provide a model for local fermentation plants. At this stage, my thinking is leaning toward small local production rather than large plants with the added complexity of distributing a living product.

Does It Work: Evidence, Limits, and Common Sense

I cannot run a major statistical trial with thousands of people. I do not have the resources or the time, and even if I did, individual variation makes “one-size-fits-all” answers unreliable. What I can do is test ideas on myself and share what I learn. For me, fermented vegetables produced strong signs of improved gut activity, and I believe that matters.

So it comes down to risks and rewards. On the positive side, if a practical system works, it may help reduce the fear of the classic complications of diabetes and help you live longer and better. On the negative side, it means paying attention to diet and habits. If you are on insulin-producing drugs, you need to be sensible and avoid hypos if your blood sugar drops; that is not drama, it is just caution and good monitoring.

My working position is straightforward. We already know the medical system has many tools for controlling high blood sugar (the symptom). What is controversial is reversing type 2 diabetes by improving insulin resistance and reducing reliance on medication. I am not offering magic numbers or perfect certainty. I am working toward a practical, testable system that ordinary people can apply, adapt, and judge by results.

Closing Note

I know there are important emails I have not replied to individually. I appreciate your patience. I am rethinking my strategy based on the feedback, and the next stage is learning more about how traditional fermentation produces robust, living food that people will actually eat. When I have clearer answers, I will write again and share the practical outcomes—what worked, what failed, and what seems worth adopting.