Fermented foods are a powerful aid to digestion and a protection against disease. These foods can do wonders for the body!
Here are the top 5 reasons I believe they must be part of your daily diet:
1.The process of fermentation breaks down nutrients into more easily digestible forms.
Live, unpastureized fermented foods provide your digestive tract with living cultures that help to break down food and absorb the nutrients. A quintessential example is milk, which is often difficult for many people to digest. But Lactobacilli, a type of bacteria present in fermented dairy products, transforms lactose, the milk sugar that some many humans cannot tolerate, into lactic acid which is much easier to digest. Instead of milk, go for yogurt!
Those living with chronic gastrointestinal disorders should be especially proactive in incorporating these foods into their eating plans. Various research studies have shown the power of fermented foods to heal a number of chronic health problems.
2.The most nutritious foods to eat are those that are alive. In live foods the nutrients are preserved and the bioavailability of minerals is enhanced. Fermenting foods have even been proven to create new nutrients such as B vitamins.
3.Fermentation removes toxins from foods! A great example is phytic acid, which is present in various nuts, seeds, legumes and grains. This acid notoriously blocks absorption of zinc, calcium, iron, magnesium and can lead to deficiencies. Fermenting grains and soaking legumes neutralizes the phytic acid, which makes it much easier to digest and more nutritious. I personally soak all my raw nuts and seeds before roasting (blog posts to follow) and find the digestive load to be markedly lessened compared to when I eat unsoaked nuts.
4.Fermented foods are delicious! Some of our most favorite foods and drinks- bread, cheese, chocolate, coffee, tea and wine- are products of fermentation. It’s important to note that it’s most nutritious to eat live fermented foods such as yogurt, miso and sauerkraut. Not all fermented foods contain live cultures. For example, bread must be baked which kills the living cultures within it.
5. Fermentation is easy! Anyone can do it in their kitchen and any food can be fermented. There are no highly specialized tools necessary. In fact the most common ingredients are sea salt and filtered water.
I will be sharing with you loads of fermentation recipes to hopefully inspire you to create your own live foods, buy them and begin incorporating them into your diet. For those with taste aversions to fermented flavors there are tricks to work them into your diet without making your taste buds suffer.
What fermented foods do you have in your kitchen?
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