The process of jarring and fermenting vegetables is not a new thing. In fact cultures throughout history have been benefiting from the nutrition of fermentation for centuries. Only recently has our interest in probiotic microbes and digestive enzymes sparked a renewal of this ancient holistic tradition.
Records show fermented foods date as far back as 6000 BC and in some cases this process was critical to preserving harvest during winter months. Fermented foods have been used by Eastern cultures for medicinal purposes and tradition Chinese medicine views raw foods as unfavorable to health.
Why are fermented foods so good for us?
The natural breakdown of fruit and vegetables in a controlled environment can actually be extremely good for you despite our societal tendency to throw away anything over a day old.
Here are 4 reasons you ought to start fermenting:
1. Increase Probiotics
This may be a hard pill to swallow but our bodies contain over 100 trillion bugs. That’s right I said bugs. There are good bugs and there are bad bugs – or what science call bacteria. Fermented foods are full of good bacteria or probiotics. These healthy gut flora encourage digestion, boost immunity, and defend against bad bacteria.
2. Absorb More Nutrients
With better digestion comes better use of the nutrients entering the body. Not only will you benefit from the added boost within the fermented foods themselves, but the digestive enzymes will help your body breakdown the other foods entering your body and will be better equipped to decipher the good from the bad.
3. Save Money
Kombucha is all the rage in health stores for a good reason but with it comes a big price tag. The good news is you can make this delicious and nutritious concoction yourself in the comfort of your home for a fraction of the cost. Fermenting tea and sugar with whey can produce a powerful and healthy live culture drink.
4. Save Food
Traditional canning does not preserve the essential nutrients that we crave from our fresh veggies and fruits, but lucky for us, fermentation can keep produce whole and actually encourage the growth of even more goodness. Buying and fermenting seasonal produce will mean eating a balanced and varietal diet year round as opposed to choosing packaged versions off season that are preserved with chemicals.
Foods you may have always enjoyed should be fermented like saurkraut, yoghurt and chutneys, however current wholesale production has replaced natural fermentation methods with pasteurized and chlorinated processes which sterilize away any of the healthy microflora.
Pickles for example, originally used lacto-fermentation to turn baby cucumbers into crisp and sour pickles, but now the version you buy in store is a washed out imitation.
Jarred in acetic vinegar solutions, mass produced pickles lack any of the beneficial bacteria which they were once good for, and instead contain high levels of sodium and acid.
It’s time to take back the pickle and give fermentation a try!
Sources:
http://www.foodandnutrition.org/Winter-2012/The-History-and-Health-Benefits-of-Fermented-Food/
http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/07/the-benefits-of-fermented-food-lacto-fermented-vegetables/
