Discover the health benefits of fermented foods

If you’re like most Americans, you don’t eat a lot of fermented foods. Fermented foods are most popular in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese culture, where fermented soy products like tempeh and kimchee are a staple. In fact, the only exposure many Americans have to fermented foods is when they eat a container of yogurt with active cultures, but that is changing rapidly.

Fermented products are gaining popularity, including fermented drinks like kombucha, a drink made from fermented mushrooms, and kefir, a fermented dairy drink. Most natural food stores are selling fermented foods and beverages because of the health benefits they offer.

What are the health benefits of fermented foods?

One of the reasons fermented foods and drinks are good for you is because of the natural probiotics they contain. Probiotics are “good bacteria” that keep disease-causing bacteria at bay by competing for the same resources. There is only a limit to how much space is available in your gut for bacteria and when the good guys move out, they flush out the bad guys. Unfortunately, most people who eat westernized diets don’t get a lot of natural probiotics in their diet. That is changing as yogurt and other fermented foods grow in popularity.

Not only do probiotic bacteria keep bad bacteria at bay, they also help “tune up” your immune system. You may not know it, but 70% of your immune system is in your gut, so nurturing your gut immunity with probiotic bacteria keeps your intestinal tract healthy.

Some studies also show that these friendly bacteria offer additional resistance against infection. In addition, they offer potential benefits for treating irritable bowel syndrome, some types of diarrhea, and for preventing vaginal yeast infections. If you have gas and bloating after meals, probiotics can help with these symptoms because fermented foods are a natural source of gut-friendly bacteria.

Fermentation of foods reduces anti-nutrients

Another benefit of fermenting foods, especially soybeans, is that it inactivates antinutrients that block mineral absorption from the foods you eat. Soy contains phytates, compounds that reduce the absorption of minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium in the intestine. Fermentation of soy inactivates phytates, making it a healthier way to consume it.

Examples of fermented soy foods that you can buy at most health food markets are miso and tempeh. You may have enjoyed a cup of miso soup at a Japanese restaurant and didn’t realize you were doing good things for your intestines. Trust me, your intestines would appreciate it if they could.

Other examples of foods rich in probiotics are sauerkraut, kimchi (fermented cabbage), fermented cheeses, and soy sauce. Just as there are fermented foods, you can nourish your intestines with probiotic drinks like kefir and kombucha.

Fermented drinks: another source of probiotics

Kefir is a probiotic-rich drink that has the consistency of diluted yogurt and is available in various flavors in health food markets. It has a slightly acidic taste like yogurt, but you can mix it with fresh fruit for a sweeter flavor. You can even make your own kefir at home.

Kombucha is fizzy and tastes quite sour. Some companies that make it like Synergy add flavors like lemon, strawberry, and blueberry to give it a more general appeal. Being an acquired taste, some people don’t like it when they first taste it, but after drinking it several times, its fizzy fizz becomes addictive for some.

How to Enjoy the Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

You can enjoy the benefits of probiotic bacteria by simply eating a container of yogurt with active cultures every day. If you are a bit more adventurous, try kefir or kombucha. There are ways to make eating kefir more fun. Try to make a perfect kefir by adding nuts, seeds, fresh fruits, and spices to the kefir. It is a healthy way to start the morning. Drink a bottle of flavored kombucha as a healthy substitute for soda.

Why not make your own sauerkraut? You’ll get the benefits of cabbage’s probiotic bacteria and anticancer compounds at the same time. The sauerkraut you buy in cans at the grocery store does not contain live probiotics. Here is a video to show you how:

When buying cheese, skip the packaged cheese at the grocery store and buy cheese cured with natural probiotics. Fermented soybeans are rich in isoflavones, natural compounds that can reduce the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer. You can buy miso at most health food markets and use it to make soups, sauces, and salad dressings. You can also add it to soups and stews for added health benefits.

You should avoid using high temperatures as it can destroy probiotic bacteria. Try tempeh, another fermented soy product, as a substitute for meat. It’s a good option for meatless Mondays. If you scour the web, you will find a number of tasty recipes with tempeh.

Next time you’re at your local health food market, buy some kimchi. It is a popular vegetable garnish in Korea made from fermented cabbage and other fermented vegetables. It has a spicy flavor that is as tingly as it is healthy on the tongue. In fact, you can close your own veggies at home using a starter culture that you buy at health food stores or online.

The bottom line?

Enjoy the health benefits of fermented foods and beverages. You may find that you enjoy the taste as much as the health benefits.

References:

British Journal of Nutrition / Volume 107 / Number 06 / March 2012, pp. 876-884.

Eden Foundation. “Fermented Foods: Safer to Eat”