By John Hand –
People have been chowing down on fermented foods for thousands of years. Good reason too because the process is famous for helping preserve fruits, vegetables, meat and various dairy products. But it also offers sweet benefits from fermented foods, like boosting gut health and adding unique flavors to dishes. In fact, almost anything can be fermented. Just ask the Icelandic people. They even ferment shark meat.
Today, of course, grocery stores are filled with fermented foods and not just because they last long and taste great. Research is increasingly heralding the health benefits of fermentation. The gains start during the process because bacteria and yeast break down sugars and probiotics are created that when consumed improve digestion, increase weight loss and sharpen immune systems.
A healthier gut may seem irrelevant to some, but a growing number consider it to be the body’s second brain. Gut microbiomes begin developing right after birth. As people age, it is important to diversify these microbes because the trillions of microbes inside the small and large intestines produce 80 percent of the body’s immune cells.
A healthy gut microbiome, therefore, improves digestion, metabolism and helps fight inflammation. Conversely, an unhealthy gut can create an array of problems from obesity to diabetes, depression and cardiovascular issues. This is why introducing healthy bacteria to the gut from fermented foods is so important. It prevents bad bacteria from causing health problems.
Science increasingly supports the importance of gut health. A Stanford School of Medicine study, for example, underscored the point when it gave 36 healthy adults a 10-week diet of fermented and high-fiber foods. The research discovered that the diet increased microbial diversity and helped with weight maintenance, decreasing the risk of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
“Microbiota-targeted diets can change immune status, providing a provisions avenue for decreasing inflammation in healthy adults,” reported Dr. Christopher Gardner of the Stanford Prevention Research Center. “This finding was consistent across all participants in the study who were assigned to the higher fermented food group.”
Not surprisingly, some may literally turn their nose at eating fermented foods over fears of woeful tastes and smells. In reality, these foods are flavor-packed. Better still, adding fermented foods is relatively easy given the increasing range of options.
But it is important to note that not all fermented foods provide probiotics. For a fermented food to be a probiotic it must have enough live and active cultures. Yogurt and kefir are two examples of foods that fit this bill.
These are easily accessible and versatile options. Yogurt, for example, can be added to smoothies or mixed in with fruit and oats. Kefir, in turn, is a cultured dairy product that tastes similar to yogurt but contains less lactose than milk which can help reduce inflammation. Kombucha, a popular fermented tea that is packed with probiotics, is yet another probiotic drink alternative.
Other easily attended fermented foods include miso, pickles, sauerkraut and kimchi. When on the hunt for these probiotic options it is essential to look for labels that signify naturally fermented. These foods were fermented with live organisms that produce probiotics rather than vinegar which prevents them.
The rise in demand for fermented goods has grown with the rise in consumption of processed foods, which do not provide enough natural nutrients. Not surprisingly, health-conscious consumers are turning to fermented goods, especially those that provide probiotics. Little wonder then that some estimates suggest the fermented food global market will grow by $533 million over the next few years.
It’s a sour burst that has healthy omens.
