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Reasons Why Fermented Foods Are Great

Fermented Foods – Excellent for Your Gut

Fermented foods such as yogurts, kombucha and sauerkraut represent an aspect of various traditional foods worldwide. Many of the fermented food types were first born from practicality and a method of preserving food harvested in the summer time to last well into winter.

Support Wellness With Fermented Foods

Fermentation is a process that imbues food with beneficial bacteria known as probiotics. When ingested this bacteria begins to populate inside the intestinal tract. This bacteria interacts with the human body in a beneficial and positive method and trains the body’s immune system, and keeps bad bacteria at bay.

Fermented food types are generally considered to be a “raw” food type. However, fermented products have the ability to be cooked once they have been fermented such as sourdough bread. Cooking or heating these foods damages probiotics inside fermented foods. Most fermented foods only require time, salt and vegetables. The occasional recipe will require a “starter culture” such as kombucha, milk kefir or water kefir.

Top Rated Fermented Foods

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is a vegetable that has been used for many years for the purpose of boosting the immune system, healer and an effective digestive remedy. Sauerkraut is a fantastic method of preserving food and is extremely simple to make at home.

Kimchi

Kimchi has been regarded as an outstanding source of good probiotics and is extremely similar when compared to sauerkraut with only a few slight differences. Kimchi is typically more spicy than traditional sauerkraut and is known as Korean kraut. Kimchi usually contains various vegetables and peppers and is higher in antioxidants.

Real Pickles

Real pickles which are not the ones found on the shelves of supermarkets, are also similar to sauerkraut, except that they are made with specific spices and cucumbers. Real pickles are typically found in the refrigerated section. The most ideal real pickles would have to be the organic range that includes water, sea salt and cucumbers. Many of the brands offer herbs that include onion, garlic or dill to add more flavors.

Kefir

Kefir is a milk-based beverage that is produced by adding these grains into milk. The grains are colonies of bacteria and yeast that look a bit like rice that has been cooked. The drink needs around 12 hours to develop and provides excellent health benefits, especially the digestive system.

Raw Yogurt

Yogurt is a great cultured food that can be included in promoting digestive health. This is due to the fact that unlike the fermented foods, yogurt is a cultured food which means it remains in a stabilized environment to make sure the correct cultures develop.

Fermented foods provide a wide range of benefits. They support the correct functioning of an immune system, digestive health and systemic wellness. While naturally fermented, probiotic foods play an important role in overall wellness, gut health and immune system functioning, there is so much more to learn about these natural foods that are actually regarded as multifaceted and complex.

Author
Dr. Meaghan Clemens

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