Fermented Foods
Build Health

Fermented foods are traditional foods. We think of the Bulgarians and their healthy yogurt, living to a ripe old age, but all cultures have fermented foods.

Europeans eat sauerkraut, sourdough bread, wine and pickles. Asians eat miso, tempeh, natto and kimchi. India has its yogurt and fruit and herb chutneys. And many condiments were fermented in the past, like salsa, corn relish and ketchup. Fermentation was used to preserve food before refrigeration was common.

And there are fermented drinks, too. Beer and wine are fermented. Health food stores sometimes carry kombucha tea, a fermented tea originally from China. Scandinavians drink beet kvass. And dairy can be cultured into buttermilk or kefir.

WHAT MAKES FERMENTATION SPECIAL?

It's the microflora that are developed during fermentation. These are the same friendly bacteria that you can buy in supplements as probiotics to strengthen the intestines and digestion. But supplements are costly, and food is more delicious way to get your probiotics.

Fermentation is food alchemy. Things grow, open up and transform with the bacteria or with a starter. If you have ever made sourdough bread, you have seen how the dough rises with the live starter and that the starter must be kept under certain conditions to stay alive. Fermentation is a living process.

HEALTHY FERMENTED FOODS:

--Contain lactic acid, which fights infections and pathogentic bacteria in the intestines

--Support immunity. 80% of our immunity is located in the intestines

--Increase B vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and minerals

--Support brain function. healthy intestines make serotonin, which then goes to the brain and raises our mood

--Neutralize phytic acid and digestive inhibitors from soy, grains and beans

--Support the enteric nervous system, our "second brain" in the gut

--Protect against salmonella, e.coli and other infections

IN THE KITCHEN

What I like about fermented foods it the great variety to choose from, with different tastes and textures. If you don't like one, you can try another. Kefir is very different from saurkraut or natto!

What about pickles and saurkraut in the stores? Most of the brands are pasteurized and don't contain the healthy microflora.

There is one brand that is unpasteurized: Rejuvenative Foods. If you are lucky enough to find this brand, try the vegetables! They are tangy without the vinegar. Look for these in the refrigerated case at the grocer.

You may also be able to find a local cottage business that makes traditionally fermented foods, like kimchi, kombucha tea or kefir. Just be sure the product is not pasteurized so that you get the good microflora.

return from fermented foods to home page Here's a recipe for cultured vegetables, it's easy to make!