Fermented foods are so healthy!

by Lindsay Atkinson

Our Ancestors have been eating fermented foods for centuries, however, it’s a recent practice that fermented foods are no longer viewed to be only side dishes or toppings. Consequently, items like sauerkraut and kefir, are creeping onto some ‘Super Foods’ lists due to their many benefits.

Some of the benefits of fermented foods include:

1. Improved digestive health. There’s a lot of press around gut health lately, and rightfully so – the GI tract transports and digests food, absorbs nutrients and ejects waste. When we introduce healthy bacteria to our food through things such as fermented foods, it boosts the growth of good bacteria in our intestines, improving our digestion.
2. Improved brain health. When you improve your gut’s bacterial content with the probiotics in fermented food, more serotonin is released into your body. This neurotransmitter is proven to positively impact your mood, memory, sleep, appetite, learning ability and many more things.
3. Extended shelf lives. Fermenting food preserves it so that it can be safely consumed for many months and sometimes years! We’ve all kept sauerkraut in our fridge for many months longer than a cabbage lasts.

Popular fermented foods include:

1. Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage & salt)

2. Kefir (fermented milk)

3. Miso (fermented paste made from barley, rice or soybeans)

4. Tempeh (fermented soybeans).

Here’s a challenge – try introducing at least one fermented food into your diet weekly for this next month and see how you feel. Please let me know your results!