Eat Traditionally Fermented Foods To Get Probiotics

By Author: Kelly Anderson
Total Articles: 1
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Some of the oldest and healthiest foods, like grass-fed cheese, kefir, miso, natto, olives, pickles, sauerkraut, tempeh, and yogurt, have undergone fermentation. The fermentation process – a traditional food preparation and preservation technique that involves using bacteria, molds, and yeast to process carbs and proteins – may not be appealing for some people, but the foods it produces is actually delicious. Fermentation creates functional foods that contain health-promoting microorganisms known as probiotics.

Traditionally fermented foods contain probiotics, which help support your digestion, boost your levels of B vitamins, digestive enzymes, lactase, lactic acid, and omega-3 fats, and support your overall nutrition. Nancy Lee Bentley, an expert in holistic health, says that commercial food producers created ways to improve the fermentation method because the traditional fermentation often produces inconsistent yield. Bentley says that anything soaked in salt is technically fermented, but each type of traditionally fermented food is produced differently and has different characteristics.

People are often ...
... content with eating pickles and other commercial food products that are marketed as fermented because they don’t know that they are poor in nutrients. Canned California black olives, for example, are not really fermented and are just treated with lye to neutralize the bitterness. Food producers typically dump the olives in acidic solutions, instead of using salt and giving them time to ferment. Pickles nowadays are pasteurized after being soaked in salt and vinegar. Inferior yogurt can be likened to mere pudding because of the use of artificial sweeteners and the high sugar content.

High-heat pasteurization, refrigeration, and the acidity of vinegar can destroy the probiotics found in fermented foods – they impair and stop the enzymatic and fermentation cycle. The good news is that there are still foods that are fermented using the traditional way. Do-it-yourself fermentation cultures can provide you with a supply of probiotics. You can optimize your diet, have fun, and save money by producing home-made kefir.