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5 Benefits of Fermented Foods

Chances are you’ve heard or read about fermented foods lately. Fermented beverages like kombucha are getting very popular and can now be found in pretty much any health food store. Traditional fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, milk kefir, miso, and tempeh are also making a comeback. But have you ever stopped and wondered what the benefits of fermented foods are?

Fermentation was traditionally used as a way to preserve foods in a time without refrigerators. But even more than just a preservation technique, it was used as a way to support optimal health. Fermentation is so important that almost every traditional culture prepared and regularly consumed at least one type of fermented food. While almost anything can be fermented including beans, grains, dairy, vegetables, fruits, meats, and so on, I’m going to be mainly talking about vegetables here. Think pickles, sauerkraut, green beans, etc.

5 Benefits of Eating Fermented Foods | Kolya Naturals, Canada

Fermentation is made possible by “good” bacteria known as lactobacilli, which are naturally occurring on fruits, vegetables, soil, and other plant matter. These bacteria produce lactic acid when given the right environment, and this is a big part of what preserves the food. Hence the name lactic acid fermentation, or lacto-fermentation. There are many benefits to regularly consuming fermented foods, which we will explore below.

IMPROVED DIGESTIVE HEALTH

Fermented foods give many of the same benefits of a probiotic supplement, but they tend to be even more beneficial because they are a whole food. Much in the same way that taking a multivitamin doesn’t replace a healthy diet, taking a probiotic supplement doesn’t replace eating fermented foods. Most people will benefit from taking an additional supplement, but the food itself is an extremely important addition to the diet. Fermented foods contain numerous strains of probiotics in large quantities, often more than can be found in a capsule.

5 Benefits of Fermentation | Kolya Naturals, Canada

When you submerge vegetables in saltwater brine, it is first the salt that allows the process to get started. The salt prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria and mould, which give the lactobacilli bacteria a chance to establish themselves. These “good” bacteria begin feasting on sugars naturally present in the food, and in turn create lactic acid, vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants. The lactic acid decreases the pH of the brine, and this acidity creates an environment in which pathogenic microorganisms can’t survive.

When we consume fermented foods, the lactic acid helps to rebalance our intestinal pH, which in turn encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria. Good bacteria help to protect the intestinal wall and keep the natural population of pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, and parasites under control by creating an environment in which these things cannot thrive.

Beneficial bacteria in our gut also help to break down some of our food for us and synthesize vitamins such as some B’s & Vitamin K, which we can then absorb. Digestive benefits that people often notice with fermented foods include better digestion, improved bowel function, less bloating and other digestive disturbances, and a reduction in food sensitivities. Many people who are lactose-intolerant can even handle milk kefir because the bacteria have consumed almost all of the lactose.

5 Benefits of Eating Fermented Foods | Kolya Naturals, Canada

IMPROVED OVERALL HEALTH

This topic could easily be broken down into several separate categories, but I’m going to keep things simple here.

The health of one’s digestive system is intricately linked with the health of the entire body. It is said that all disease begins in the gut. Somewhere around 2/3 of our neurotransmitters are made in the gut, including serotonin, and it is also the home to about 85% of our immune system. So it only makes sense that when our digestive systems are healthy (or unhealthy), this impacts the entire body. We are only now beginning to extensively research what has been termed the microbiome and how it impacts our overall health.

Balancing and healing the digestive system with probiotics have incredible benefits that can be seen anywhere in the body. They have been shown to help modulate the immune system, improve skin health, maintain a healthy weight, reduce inflammation, improve mood and mental function, reduce allergies and asthma, improve joint health, improve cardiovascular health, and assist mineral and nutrient absorption. I challenge you to name one disease or condition that isn’t affected in some way by gut health!

SAVE MONEY

One downside to buying fermented foods is that they can be quite expensive, especially if you aim to consume ¼ cup each day, which is what I typically recommend. Luckily, it is actually very easy and inexpensive to ferment your own vegetables at home! While a single 500ml jar of sauerkraut can cost you up to $10 at a store, you can easily produce a couple of litres at home for that same cost.

All you need is mineral salt and water, and you can have delicious, nutritious, fermented foods year-round. A starter culture, or even just a few tablespoons of brine from your last ferment, can be used to ensure the bacteria become established faster, but it is not necessary.

5 Benefits of Fermented Foods | Kolya Naturals, Canada
5 Benefits of Fermentation | Kolya Naturals, Canada

MORE NUTRITIONAL BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!

Not only do lactobacilli bacteria produce beneficial substances during the fermentation process, but they also bring about some amazing transformations to the food itself. Like I mentioned above, the bacteria feed on the sugars in the vegetable. During this process, they begin to break down the tough cellulose found in plant cell walls. By doing this, the bacteria essentially pre-digest our food for us.

When cellulose is already broken down for us, we can assimilate the nutrients inside much more efficiently. Amino acids, Vitamins A and C, antioxidants, and other phytonutrients become more bioavailable. It has actually been shown that fermented cabbage has on average 20 times more Vitamin C than raw cabbage does! On top of that, fermenting cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage also increases the amount of glucosinolates, a type of antioxidant that is believed to fight cancer. Just imagine the benefits and antioxidants we haven’t yet studied!

Just like the bacteria in our guts synthesize vitamins, the bacteria in the ferment are also synthesizing vitamins. These are vitamins that weren’t even originally in the plant cell to begin with. Essentially by fermenting your food, you are making it even more nutritious than before! And you thought vegetables couldn’t get any healthier…

PRESERVE THE HARVEST

If you have a garden, fermenting is a great way to preserve your harvest. Other preservation options include dehydrating, freezing, and canning, but only fermentation will give you all the health benefits we have talked about today. But you also don’t need to have a garden in order to ferment. Buy vegetables from your farmers market when they are in season, as this is when they are abundant, cheap, and most nutritionally dense.

Once fermented, you can enjoy seasonal vegetables all year long. The process of lacto-fermentation preserves food without the need for refrigeration, however.

I do recommend refrigerating your ferment once it reaches a flavour you enjoy. The fermentation process will continue even while refrigerated, just very slowly. The flavour even improves over time.

Fermentation is a fun experiment. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked just like me! I first started out with 2 jars of sauerkraut, and now my fridge is packed with nutritious fermented foods. Right now I have asparagus, green tomatoes, and curried carrots bubbling away on my countertop.

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If you are interested in trying your hand at fermentation, visit my website at http://www.newleafnutritionconsulting.com/category/diy/cultured/ for recipes and instructions. Keep an eye out; I regularly add recipes.

Wondering what else you can do to improve your digestive health? To determine which foods and supplements are right for you, call 780-433-1090 ext. 2 to book an appointment with a consultant.

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