If you are one among the many who are fitness-conscious or health-conscious and are often fascinated by healthy diets, you are in for a treat. Have you ever heard of fermented foods and the many benefits they offer? If not, here is a quickie that tells you what fermented foods are, why they are good for you, and a list of them that are quite common and easy to make.
Caution: Fermented foods are histamine-rich foods and you must stay away from them if you are histamine-intolerant.
Here is a web story listing ten probiotic foods that are natural and popular across the globe.
Fermented Foods, The Process, And The Common Benefits
Fermented foods are not anything new. In fact, they have been a part of several cultures around the world and are believed to exist for centuries. Historically, many foods, including meat, fish, vegetables, soybeans, cereals, and fruits, have undergone fermentation.
And, in this day and age, Yogurt, Kefir, and Kombucha are popular across the globe, Natto is popular in Japan, and Kimchi in Korea.
What Is Fermentation?
Fermented foods are the type of foods that are produced through controlled microbial growth. In this process, natural bacteria feed on the starch and sugar present in the food. The process acts as a preservative for the food and also adds beneficial enzymes such as B-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and other strains of probiotics.
What Benefits Do They Offer?
Probiotic-rich foods have a positive impact on your overall health. Another benefit of the natural fermentation process is that it also preserves nutrients in the food and breaks the food down to a rather digestible form. Hence, along with probiotics, foods that underwent fermentation offer you the beneficial properties that improve digestion.
The Lesser-Known Benefits
Not only do fermented foods taste great, but they have various health benefits when included in your diet for the long haul.
1. Good For Your Gut, And Lessens Severity Of Certain Diseases
To start with, fermented foods and drinks such as Yogurt, Kefir, and Kombucha introduce good bacteria to your digestive system. Probiotics have also shown signs of slowing down or reversing certain diseases such as Gastro-intestinal disorders and inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Besides, the consumption of probiotic-rich fermented foods also helps in improving bowel movement, enhances immunity, and aids digestion.
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2. Better Absorption Of Nutrients
Foods that undergo fermentation have a proper balance between good and bad bacteria. Hence they offer enough digestive enzymes and help absorb more of the nutrients in the foods you eat. Club this with your healthy regular food diet, and you shall absorb more nutrients from the food you eat than ever before.
3. Good For Your Brain
Probiotics are not only beneficial to your gut health, but also have beneficial effects on your brain health. Research studies show that dysbiosis of gut microbiota is associated with anxiety; and, hence, fermented foods rich in probiotics reduce anxiety symptoms and influence cognitive functions.
4. Healthy For Your Skin And Hair
The fermentation process also produces vitamin B12, Biotin, and Folic acid that makes your hair shiny. Also, it makes your skin glow naturally from within.
5. Easy On Your Pocket
Another great advantage of fermented foods is that they don’t make a hole in your pocket. Unlike a few healthy foods that might be quite expensive, fermented foods are rather inexpensive.
Moreover, fermented foods such as Yogurt and Sauerkraut are very easy to prepare and can be made at home for hardly any cost. Yogurt is prepared by fermentation of milk, and Sauerkraut is prepared from shredded cabbage, water and salt. Similarly, you can prepare drinks such as Kombucha and Water Kefir at home quite easily. And, do you know, you can carbonate fermented drinks such as Water Kefir and Kombucha just like soda.
The addition of such items to your daily diet shall also reduce the need for health supplements. And, this further saves your food budget.
6. Your Goto Food On A Tired Day
If you had a rather long day and would like to fix a speedy yet healthy meal, fermented foods will certainly help. Food items such as homemade salsa only last a few days, but fermented homemade salsa will last you months. You can also preserve other foods such as sauerkraut, pickles and beets for long without losing out on nutrients.
The Takeaway
Fermentation process not only adds more nutrients but also enables you to store food for a few months. It also is a treat to your taste buds. Quickly recapping, Yogurt, Kefir, Kombucha, Sauerkraut, and Kimchi are a small list of fermented foods that can be a great inclusion to your regular diet.
So, go ahead and include fermented food to your diet. Eat tastily, and live healthily 🙂
For a good list of fermented food recipes, visit https://ohlardy.com/how-to-make-fermented-foods/
Images from canva.com
