Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Health Benefits of Fermented foods

Have you tried fermented foods? If you're not sure you probably have without knowing it.
Today there are a lot of popular drinks and pills like "Kombucha" and "probiotics" and we've all heard that yoghurt is good for our digestion but when you start talking about billions of lactobacillus even I get a bit lost.
But fermenting foods is nothing new, our ancestors have been doing this form of food preservation for centuries, think miso and sauerkraut.
Science is just finding out how healthy these foods are for us, also how they help our bodies digest and absorb nutrients, add essential vitamins, nutrients, and amino acids to foods while removing toxins.
                                   

"The fermentation doesn't just preserve the foods they make them rich in healthy microbes"


I used to have a lot of problems with my digestion before understanding and noticing the link between what I'm putting into my body and how my body is reacting. I knew little about food allergies, sensitivities and healthy gut flora.

Gut flora might sound kinda weird but really they are the tiny microbes living in our stomach lining and digestive tract, they are considered the "healthy" bacteria. This healthy bacteria is essential for a balanced hormone production, healthy immune function, and can even help prevent depression. 
  
The balance of "good" bacteria to "bad" bacteria ratio is very important and should be in the range of about 80% "good" to 20% "bad" but sadly in our North American diets is is often the opposite!
This unbalance is also due to our Health Care culture of over-prescribing antibiotics, which kill all bacteria, the good, the bad and the ugly!
For more information on healthy gut flora click here fermented and cultured


If you suffer from regular heartburn and indigestion you may want to start doing some research into how fermented foods can help.
Water Kefir Grains

I started using water kefir grains a few years ago and noticed the health and digestion benefits soon after; less indigestion, gas and bloating, more energy and even better complexion!
Making your own kefir grain drinks is very simple and since they grow when you use them you can give the surplus away and get all your friends to try it too. You can also get milk kefir grains but use the water grains if you are lactose intolerant like me.
 There might be an online site near you where you can get kefir grains for free locally. Here is a free site for the San Francisco/Bay Area  Kefir Grains

And if you're really interested in trying to make your own fermented foods 
check out this site Wild Fermentation
They have tonnes of recipes and information to get you started.

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This super easy to make elixer aids digestion and is good to use where there is gas, bloating, and discomfort after eating. 
Mix equal parts honey with apple cider vinegar in a container with a tight fitting lid, keep refrigerated or it will ferment and turn to alcohol.
 Take one tablespoon of elixer before meals, make sure to shake mixture before taking each time as it may separate.

This powerful "Oxymel", it's called, helps digest fats, 
carbs and protein and helps revitalize the metabolism.

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Another great way to get healthy fermented food into your diet is with a
sourdough bread starter, and yes you can make them gluten free!
Sourdough starters can be used to make your own pancakes, 
bread, muffins and add some air and spring to your baked goods. 
This recipe for a gluten free started uses a mixture of gf flours but you can make a starter with any one of these flours, you don't have to use them all.

Now you have some information on healthy flora and hopefully some inspiration on making your own fermentations or at least working some more fermented foods into your life.

When you use less energy digesting you can use more energy thinking and creating!

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