Over the last few years, fermented food has been trending across the nation as the benefits of eating it become clear. The science backs it up, and now the big food companies are starting to jump on board and offer more of this kind of food to customers. Plus, the price of this food has been coming down, making it more widely available to the general public.
The most popular fermented food items that have made a comeback include kombucha, pickles, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, natto, and kefir. You may have seen many more of these appearing on the shelves of supermarket stores. They may not be the foods that you’re used to eating, but you should consider adding more of them to your diet. Doing so can really make a difference in how healthy you feel on a daily basis. If you haven’t tried it yet, then give it a go today.
As mentioned above, research into the advantages of adding fermented foods to your diet has increased in recent years. It’s now clear that we shouldn’t be neglecting this part of our diets but rather trying to add as much fermented produce into our daily consumption habits as possible. A growing mound of evidence suggests that there are many health benefits associated with eating these foods. If you’re wondering why you need to consume more of this good stuff, then consider the following benefits of eating fermented foods:
1. Improves Nutrient Availability
The minerals and vitamins found in fermented foods are easier to absorb by the body due to the fermentation process. In addition, fermenting can remove anti-nutrients that can inhibit the absorption of vital minerals such as zinc and iron. It’s no good consuming all the vitamins and minerals you need if you’re not able to absorb them. That’s why you need to pair good nutrition with foods that can increase absorption into the bloodstream. There are other ways to do this, but fermented foods seem to be one of the best.
2. Great Source of Lactic Acid
Fermented foods contain bacteria that provide prebiotics and probiotics to the body and help restore the natural bacterial balance in the gut. This helps relieve digestion problems while supporting and promoting a healthy digestive system.
Every day we swallow bad bacteria, which is kept under control by the good bacteria that we consume. This good bacteria helps reduce the pH level in the intestines, which lowers the potential of survival for the bad bacteria. The good bacteria also contain antimicrobial proteins that help to kill off some of the bad bacteria.
3. Easy to Digest
The fermentation process breaks down naturally-occurring starches and sugars, making the food easier to digest. For example, a person with lactose intolerance, which is naturally found in milk products, may be able to eat kefir without exhibiting any signs of distress. Considering that 65% of the world’s population has some level of lactose intolerance, there’s a good chance that you struggle to et as much dairy as you would otherwise like to. Well, you don’t have to eat traditional dairy foods. You’ll get many of the same health benefits from fermented foods like kefir, meaning that you can consume more of this instead while avoiding stomach aches.
4. May Give a Boost to Mental Health
More research is being done regarding the association between the gut and mental health. Although more studies need to be done, it appears as though fermented foods can positively impact our behavior and mood while improving symptoms of depression and anxiety. Mental health disorders are complicated, and there’s no single quick fix. You may require a combination of prescribed medication and therapy. However, this should always be paired with lifestyle changes. Avoiding caffeine and alcohol, sleeping well, and changing your diet can all radically alter your mood and how you experience the world. If you struggle with any kind of mental health condition, then try consuming more fermented foods and see if it has any impact on your overall well-being.
5. Supports Heart Health
Studies also show that eating fermented foods as an addition to a balanced, healthy diet may reduce the risk of developing heart disease. This is due to an improvement in cholesterol balance and reduced blood pressure. In the modern world, heart conditions and high blood pressure are among the most common and serious conditions that people live with. 21st-century diets simply contain too much saturated fats. Counteract this by cutting out junk food instead of snacking on some delicious fermented food.
There is a lot that we don’t know about the many benefits of fermented food items since a lot more research needs to be done based on anecdotal evidence that has been collected. However, many people that eat these foods have wonderful things to say about them and would never consider giving them up for any reason.
As individuals become better educated about fermented foods, more and more people prepare them at home. They are easy to make, and when you ferment food on your own, you can be certain that the process has been done correctly to give the best results. It doesn’t take long, and the health benefits are amazing.
You don’t have to pay high prices for questionable fermented food or kombucha that has been mass-produced in factories any longer. Instead, find out how to make kombucha on Fermentaholics at home with a recipe that anyone would find easy to follow. If you go ahead and follow that recipe, then you’ll receive many of the health benefits listed above. If you want to live a healthier and happier life, then try finding as many ways as you can to get fermented foods into your body.