Before I started eating real foods, things like sauerkraut, plain yogurt, kombucha and strong aged cheese were not even on my radar. These fermented foods tasted and smelled too strong to me and I had no interest in eating them. I preferred my bland carbohydrates, thank you very much!
Fast forward a couple years, and I noticed that I started to enjoy these foods and even wanted them from time to time. I was always afraid to try making them myself, but as I read more and more about their health benefits (check out this post about the importance of traditional foods), I was eventually brave enough to try it.
Now that I have, I will never go back!
What Are Fermented Foods?
Fermented foods are foods that have been through a process of lactofermentation in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food creating lactic acid. This process preserves the food, and creates beneficial enzymes, b-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and various strains of probiotics.
Natural fermentation of foods has also been shown to preserve nutrients in food and break the food down to a more digestible form. This, along with the bevy of probiotics created during the fermentation process, could explain the link between consumption of fermented foods and improved digestion.
Cultures around the world have been eating fermented foods for years, from Sauerkraut in Germany to Kimichi in Korea and everywhere in between. Studies have even shown the link between probiotic rich foods and overall health. Sadly, with the advances in technology and food preparation, these time-honored traditional foods have been largely lost in our society.
Where Have All the Fermented Foods Gone?
The amount of probiotics and enzymes available in the average diet has declined sharply over the last few decades as pasteurized milk has replaced raw, pasteurized yogurt has replaced homemade, vinegar based pickels and sauerkraut have replaced traditional lacto-fermented versions…the list goes on.
Even the much dreaded grains were safer to eat in earlier times since their preparation included soaking, sprouting and fermenting, which largely reduces the anti-nutrient content and makes them less harmful (I still didn’t say good!).
Instead of the nutrient rich foods full of enzymes and probiotics that our grandparents probably ate, the average diet today consists mainly of sugar laden, lab created dead foods.
Why Eat Fermented Foods?
Besides the fact that they taste great and really grow on you, there are several great reasons to start making and eating fermented foods:
- Probiotics– Eating fermented foods and drinking fermented drinks like Kefir and Kombucha will introduce beneficial bacteria into your digestive system and help the balance of bacteria in your digestive system. Probiotics have also been shown to help slow or reverse some diseases, improve bowel health, aid digestion, and improve immunity!
- Absorb Food Better– Having the proper balance of gut bacteria and enough digestive enzymes helps you absorb more of the nutrients in the foods you eat. Pair this with your healthy real food diet, and you will absorb many more nutrients from the foods you eat. You won’t need as many supplements and vitamins, and you’ll be absorbing more of the live nutrients in your foods.
- Budget Friendly– Incorporating healthy foods into your diet can get expensive, but not so with fermented foods. You can make your own whey at home for a couple of dollars, and using that and sea salt, ferment many foods very inexpensively. Drinks like Water Kefir and Kombucha can be made at home also and cost only pennies per serving. Adding these things to your diet can also cut down on the number of supplements you need, helping the budget further.
- Preserves Food Easily– Homemade salsa only lasts a few days in the fridge- Fermented homemade salsa lasts months! The same goes for sauerkraut, pickles, beets and other garden foods. Lacto-fermentation allows you to store these foods for longer periods of time without losing the nutrients like you would with traditional canning.
Bring on the Bacteria! How to Incorporate Fermented Foods Into Your Diet
I’ll be delving into this more in the next few weeks and providing some recipes, but adding fermented foods to your diet can be an easy process (and can save you money on probiotics and digestive enzyme supplements!)
On a basic level, you can make foods like sauerkraut with just cabbage, water and salt on your counter (that recipe can be adjusted down to make 1 head of cabbage worth in a quart size jar).
You can also incorporate fermented drinks like water kefir and Kombucha which are inexpensive to make and can be carbonated like soda!
Are you a fan of fermented foods or are you still unsure? If you already eat fermented foods, please share your favorites!
Grain-Free Eggs Benedict
I’ve read conflicting information and wonder if you can clarify the question of what type of yeast is in kefir (both water and milk kefir). I’ve read that if you are sensitive to candida then kefir may not be good for you and may not be good for children. On the other hand I’ve read that the yeast in kefir is different to candida and will actually cannibalize (i.e. destroy) candida yeast. I have not been able to find a reliable reference on this question. Does Wellness Mama have any information to clarify this? Love your site. Thanks
I’ve seen mixed research on this and also mixed reactions with clients. I think that there is an individual component that depends on the person’s gut flora, which can vary a lot even with those how have Candida. I usually suggest sticking with water kefir (or just Kombucha) and gauging reaction to see if a person is sensitive…
It shouldn’t be harmful, good luck I am also suffering from the candida and the best thing you can do is avoid sugar at all costs!! I feel much better when I take my probotics and herbal supplements and watch what I eat. I don’t eat as many carbs and eliminated dairy other than plain yogurt with acidophilus. Also drinking apple cider vinegar is great just water it down or add it to a drink mix.
Take care,
Sally
You’re really generating my thoughts lately. Still mulling yesterday’s post and now this! 🙂
Hi Katie, I’m staying off dairy at the moment as part my mission to heal my gut. I can still tolerate foods cooked in home-made organic ghee but have been warned to stay off my own home-made yoghurt which I make with raw milk. That said, does whey count as dairy as far as leaky gut goes? Or do all the milk solids and proteins stay in the strained yoghurt?
Thanks heaps 🙂
Jodi
There can still be some milk proteins in the whey. I’d avoid it if you are off dairy completely. You can make most things with sea salt without even needing the whey, they will just take longer to ferment.
Thanks so much for replying, I suspected as much… I’m about to embark on a huge fermented foods making spree this week to help my healthy bacteria grow: Kombucha, Kimchi, Kefir and Sauerkraut here I come 🙂 Thanks again, other than the real bible, your website is my health bible x
You can also make yogurt from almond milk.
I’ve read over and over again how beneficial fermented foods are for the gut. I’ve been gluten free for 5 years, dairy free for a couple, I take a probiotic daily, and just started the paleo diet a couple weeks ago. Problem is, I’m kind of scared of fermented foods. Years ago, I stopped eating cabbage, since I seemed to react to most cruciferous veggies (bloating/cramping). I also am nervous to do the kefir/whey due to my reactions to dairy. Any suggestions on easing into this stuff?
start with Kombucha and Water kefir… they are dairy free drinks
that have a ton of probiotics, are easy to make, and taste great!
I am celiac and have been off gluten for about 5 years now. I tried kefir before my celiac diagnosis and it was the most helpful thing I had tried in an effort to solve my digestive issues. Recently, after a round of antibiotics I started drinking kefir again. I saw results almost overnight. We are now trying other cultured foods. I’m a believer in this rediscovered food.
An excellent reference on fermenting your own foods is Wild Fermentation and Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz. He says that when fermenting your own foods there is one rule of thumb: if it smells bad don’t eat it. If smells good it is safe.
I make coconut water kefir every day, using milk kefir grains. The secret is to feed them a little sugar to give them something to munch on. When I put the fermented coconut water in my morning smoothy, I then add a big dollop of coconut cream, to thicken it up. I tried mixing coconut water with coconut cream, to keep in the fridge, but it kept going off.
what percentage of food intake should be fermented foods and can you take in too much fermented food?
I’d say just to try to consume some form of fermented food each day,
though I don’t think one could consume too much without eating huge
amounts.
Hi Katie! Do you make your own yogurt? Or can you recommend a yogurt starter? I have a six month old on the GAPS diet, and it’s time to begin introducing yogurt whey, but I am not sure what’s legit.
Thanks! Analise
You can make yogurt at home very easily. First bring the milk (anykind )boil .then let it cool slightly or warm.then add 1 spoon of yoghurt of ur choice in it .then cover it properly and put in warm place.if u make it at night then until morning it will be ready.
(1 ltr.milk ______1 spoon yoghurt. )
hi, go to CULTURES.com a lot there,and videos.
We made our first big batch of sauerkraut last fall and are still enjoying it (well, my husband enjoys it, and I choke it down because it’s good for me). I try to eat about a tablespoon with every dinner, and I mask it with the food I’m eating so I can’t taste it as much. I’m hoping to develop a taste for it, but as for now it’s still nasty to me. But I do notice it helps my digestion a lot. I also try to drink some homemade goat milk kefir every morning, but I’m still experimenting with the culturing of it to get it to my liking. This summer when beets come to my farmers market I’ll be making beet kvass, and I have some yogurt starter to try my hand at yogurt soon.
Put some homemade applesauce on your sauerkraut – makes it delicious!
Apple sauce in sauerkraut? I love sauerkraut, and definitely will try it with apple sauce! Good idea! Thanx
This is brand new to me and I’m anxious to try some recipes. Thanks for all you do.
SO Love this! I have been on this big fermented food kick for the past month! 🙂 You are amazing!
I love fermented foods. Like you, I had to wean down off of sugar and fake foods when I first started a clean diet before I could accept the stronger flavors. Now I crave them.