Why Ferment?

Living in the shadow of the covid-19 epidemic, everyone is concerned with not catching the virus that has killed so many. It put us all on standby with work, school, socializing and has changed how we look at our own health. And understandably so!

One community that continues to work and socialize is the one in your belly. There is a society of good bacteria and fungi in your gut called microbiome, also known as gut flora. This microbiome controls how you digest food, deal with illness, as well as affects your mood and your body weight. Many have said it’s like having a second brain. A brain in your gut that is connected to your head brain and influencing the release of hormones in your system. A pretty important job!

So a typical person has tons of these microbes in their belly. Great, right? But as we live our day to day, there are many things that can deplete or kill the good bacteria and fungi in our gut. An over indulgence of alcohol, the use of antibiotics or other medicines and stress or bad eating habits are all factors that can deplete the flora of the microbiome. Not having the right balance of microbes in our guts can lead to allergies, gas, indigestion and even more serious health issues.

One way you can take care of your gut flora is to feed it foods that it needs to live well. These foods that are high in fiber and are considered prebiotic, or food for your gut biome. Here is a great list of prebiotic foods. Apples, unripe bananas, asparagus, dandelion greens, chicory, leeks, garlic, onion and jicama. Most health benefits comes from eating these fruits and veggies raw because the fiber weakens in the heating process. But if you are eating a daily round of prebiotic foods regularly, you will get the most benefit and so with your gut flora.

Another important way to care for your gut flora is by replenishing it with healthy bacteria found in fermented foods. These foods are considered probiotic. Yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and kimchi are a few of the most popular and available probiotic foods, There are many other foods that are also full of the healthy bacteria our bodies need to run properly. Most cultures have their own processes of fermenting food for health and preserving foods.

So this, my friends, is the answer to ‘why ferment?’. There are so many healthy benefits to eating a variety of fermented foods. By making your own, you increase types of fermented foods from what is available in the marketplace. And what you find in the store will be much more expensive than what you can produce on your own. Its also fun to ferment and to be creative what veggies you combine. You can also season to your own taste. I look forward to write about my experiences on fermenting and also on new fermenting adventures.

If you want to know more about the role of your gut flora, prebiotc and probiotic foods, here are a few scholarly articles you can check out:

https://www.eufic.org/en/healthy-living/article/the-role-of-gut-microorganisms-in-human-

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/ccs/gastroenterology/prebiotic/faq

hhttps://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/76/Supplement_1/4/5185609