Reasons Why You Should Add More

Fermented Foods to Your Diet

5

From sauerkraut to kefir to kimchi, more and more fermented

foods are cropping up at your local farmer’s market and grocery store’s refrigerator

section. Here are just a handful of reasons

to give them a try.

2 The good bacteria fight the bad – and usually win! Every day, you swallow pathogenic, or disease- causing, bacteria. But you don’t (always) get sick from it because your tiny microscopic helpers take

care of it through various victory strategies.

Did you know? Good bacteria create acidic fermentation by-products – which lower your intestine’s pH, decreasing the chance for bacteria to survive. They also compete for food supply and squatting rights on your intestinal lining. Plus, they secrete antimicrobial proteins that kill off bad bacteria.

1 You can’t digest your food alone. Good bacteria help break down what your body can’t. This fermenting and metabolizing results in other substances that are beneficial.

Did you know? Insoluble fiber (found in whole grains) is good for you — but it’s not easily fermented. So it doesn’t really contribute to diversity of your gut microbiota, or good bacteria. For a diverse gut microbiota, you need plenty of soluble fiber (think: dried beans, oats, oranges).

3 Your body needs help making certain vitamins. Good bacteria are to thank for synthesizing, or pro-ducing, many fat-soluble vitamins.

Did you know? The list of vitamins you have to thank pro-biotic bacteria for includes vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, & K.

4 A healthy body needs balance. It’s true. Tiny bacteria living in your intestines that you can’t see with your naked eye can have a full-body effect. Research shows a less diverse gut microbiota is

associated with many chronic diseases.

Did you know? Obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are all linked to having fewer good bacte-ria in your gut. Research is still ongoing into exactly why.

5Help restore your gut health after taking antibiotics. Ever had diarrhea or other intestinal problems while taking antibiotics? That’s because – while some-times necessary – antibiotics destroy not only bad

bacteria, they also wipe out the good bacteria that keep us healthy.

Did you know? Eating fermented foods (or taking probiotic supplements) will help restore your gut health to normal within a week or so after finishing treatment. Just be sure to eat a diet high in fiber and plant-based foods, which gut microbes flourish on.

Go for variety! Mix and match for optimal gut health:

KOMBUCHA – A slightly fizzy, fermented tea that’s a good alternative to soda. Find in health or grocery store refrigerated sections. Or brew your own using just tea, water, sugar and a “mother” or symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) in 7-30 days.

PICKLES – Shelf-stable pickles are made with vin-egar and heated. Pick up yours from the grocery or ethnic store’s refrigerated section. Better yet, make your own lacto-fermented pickles with brine (cooled sea salt solution), dill, mustard and coriander seeds, and peppercorns in 3 days flat!

SAUERKRAUT – Find live versions of this traditional Eastern European staple, which literally translates to “sour cabbage,” in the refrigerated meat case or at local ethnic stores. If you don’t mind chopping, make your own artisan batches.

KIMCHI – There are hundreds of varieties of this traditional Korean fermented side dish, common-ly made from a base of napa cabbage, radish and scallions — and highly spiced. Find your favorite version at Asian markets or larger grocery stores, or experiment with flavors at home.

YOGURT – Likely the most top-of-mind fermented food, yogurt is made by fermenting milk (whether cow’s or non-dairy) with a starter culture of bacte-ria. Some add extra bacteria in versions marketed specifically to help irritable bowel or prevent antibi-otic-associated diarrhea.

KEFIR – Originating in the Caucasus Mountains in Eastern Europe, this fermented dairy drink is made using kefir grains (a combination of bacteria and yeast). The end result? A slightly fizzy, tangy drink that’s thinner than yogurt. Find it in the dairy case or at your European grocer.

SOURCESncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3859987/

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24456350

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