Before I became a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and started eating real foods I had never heard of #Fermentedfoods. Lacto-fermentation, #probiotics, bacteria, enzymes... these words didn't mean anything to me. I now know that eating naturally fermented foods can play a big role when it comes to our #guthealth and so much more!
What are Fermented foods exactly?
Fermentation has been used by many cultures around the world and first started as a means to preserve foods when refrigeration wasn't available.
You've probably heard of Sauerkraut and Yogurt but your may not have heard about Kimchi, Kombucha, Miso Tempeh, Raw Apple Cider Vinegar or Kefir. These are foods that have gone through a fermentation process where natural bacteria feed on the sugars and starches and produce lactic acid bacteria. When a food is fermented it unleashes it's nutritional power! The fermentation process increases certain vitamins, increases enzyme function (the food is more easily digested), makes the food more bio-available (meaning more easily absorbed), and produces friendly bacteria (i.e. probiotics) which assist in keeping the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. Unfortunately, today many of theses naturally fermented foods have been swapped out for pasteurized yogurt and vinegar based pickles and sauerkraut. The pasteurization process destroys these beneficial enzymes, bacteria and nutrients so naturally fermented products are a much better choice as they retain these beneficial qualities.
There is a broad range of health benefits of naturally fermented foods
improvement of inflammatory bowel conditions
reduction of constipation or diarrhea
improved digestive function
improved immune health
antioxidant and detoxifying effects
reduction of allergies
mental health and mood improvements
reduction of diabetes
improvement of skin conditions (i.e. eczema)
weight-loss
Did you know that 85% of your immune system is in your gut?!?!
Your intestinal system (i.e. your gut) is probably one of the most underappreciated body systems and we often go on ignoring it until it really cry's out for help. When symptoms appear, more often then not, damage has already been done. As a holistic nutritionist, I believe 100% that the key to restoring and maintaining health is centered around maintaining or improving the health of our digestive system. Many factors nowadays attribute to an unhealthy digestive tract such as chronic stress, poor diet, smoking, pollution, alcohol, and prescription medications... just to name a few! There are many things that we can do to restore our gut health and eating fermented foods is one of them!!
When the digestive tract is not functioning properly our health suffers and we can develop immune system problems such as allergies and autoimmune disorders. Something called #leakygut can develop and this can cause a whole myriad of health problems. Due to damage to the gut lining undigested particles of food (mainly proteins) can enter the blood stream and wreak havoc on the immune system.
A #holisticnutritionist can help to re-balance the gut bacteria and heal the digestive tract through specific diet and lifestyle programs.
Fiber is a necessary companion to the bacteria in fermented foods as it acts as a pre-biotic, feeding the friendly bacteria in our gut! So increasing fiber content of the diet should go along with increasing fermented foods. If you already have a healthy digestive system then you may want to focus on your fiber intake.
So how do you naturally ferment foods?
The easiest fermented foods to make at home is sauerkraut. I would start with making small batches until you get the hand of it. A great book to read is The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz. Make sure to clean everything you use thoroughly to prevent cross contamination. You will need about a 2 quart size mason jar for this recipe or 2 1-quart mason jars.
Start by shredding or slicing the veggies you have chosen into small strips (for basic Sauerkraut you would use either purple or green cabbage but get creative and use nappa cabbage and other veggies to add flavour and colour). About 1 medium head of cabbage will do for this recipe. Reserve 1 large leaf to use to top off the mason jar.
Add 1 1/2 tablespoons seal salt to the cabbage in a large bowl and mix well, massaging the cabbage until the liquid is released. This process takes about 5-10 minutes and if you'd like to add in anything to flavour it such as caraway seeds then you can add them in now.
Pack the cabbage into the mason jars (making sure to pack it in tightly) and pour the liquid from the massaging process into the jar.
Top the cabbage with 1 leaf and use something heavy to place on top of the cabbage to weight it down. A smaller mason jar will work. You want the cabbage to be submerged beneath the liquid.
Continue to push on the cabbage to keep it submerged over the next 24 hrs. If you notice that it is not submerged you can add 1 tsp sea salt to 1 cup of water and add it to the mason jar until it covers the cabbage.
You can ferment the cabbage for 3-10 day and make sure to keep it out of sunlight and in an environment that is approximately 65-75 degrees (remember heat destroys the good bacteria!
Test the batch after 3 days since it is smaller and won't take as long. Also if you see mold developing on the top you can scoop it out and continue fermenting (this is why it is important to keep the cabbage submerged). But go with your gut feeling... no pun intended ;) if you notice any weird or not so pleasant smells then don't eat it.
Happy Fermenting!!!
Please post comments or if you have a particular recipe you have tried or added something to your recipe that worked really well let me know!
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