The application of food processing is uniquely human, and we have historically used various methodologies to get the most out of the foods available to us. One of the major problems we faced in the past was making foods last after a harvest season, especially in seasonal climates where farming was impossible during winter months and also in more temperate climates before refrigeration was available.
And so, humans experimented and found various effective strategies to make foods go the distance. One of these strategies we call fermentation, or lacto-fermentation. Foods prepared this way, by fermentation, became extremely valuable and an integral part of human nutrition. Studies of isolated groups of people, such as Weston A. Price's studies in the 1930's found that most all traditional cultures utilized some form of fermented foods, and thrived. On the same journey, he documented that the same groups of people began rapidly running into health problems when these foods (amongst others) began being swapped out for what he called "displacing foods of modern commerce" which included refined and "over-processed" products such as white flour, sugar, and pasteurized dairy. (1)
So what exactly is lacto-fermentation?
Fermentation is the process of using lactic acid (and often salt) to keep various foods safely consumable. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying "bad bacteria". The lactic acid is naturally produced by a variety of "good bacteria" (probiotics) as they consume and digest the starches and sugars found in the food being fermented.
Alongside preserving the foods, we now know that there are numerous additional benefits that accompany the consumption of fermented foods!
Fermented Foods Become More Nutritious
Certain nutrients are created as a byproduct of the fermentation process. These can include Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin K2, various B Vitamins and remember, these will be in addition to nutrients already available within the food being fermented!
Fermented Foods Become More Easily Digestible
Alongside these nutrients various enzymes are produced and present in the now LIVE fermented probiotic food (unless it has been pasteurized). These enzymes aid in the digestion of the fermented food, and take some of the workload off of our pancreas. The food, you can say has been pre-digested by the bacteria, making it easier on our digestive tract altogether.
The late Dr. Edward Howell, a noted pioneer in the field of enzyme research, believed that a diet composed exclusively of cooked (or Pasteurized) food puts a severe strain on the pancreas, drawing down its reserves, so to speak. He believed that if the pancreas is constantly overstimulated to produce enzymes that ought to be in foods, the result over time will be inhibited function. (2)
Fermented Foods Contain Pre-Biotics
Most fermentable foods contain prebiotic fiber, types of carbohydrates that can only be broken down and digested by various bacteria that live in our digestive tract. So while we are inoculating our gut with new beneficial bacteria we are also feeding various other forms of beneficial bacteria that are already living there, and encouraging them to stick around!
Remember, the more good bacteria we have in our gut, the less room there is for the "bad guys" and the more difficult it will be for them to thrive!
Fermented Foods Boost The Immune System
It is now recognized that approximately 80% of the human immune system originates within the gut, and there is an emerging body of evidence linking our gut microbiome (the variety of bacteria inhabiting our digestive tract) to our health in many ways!
So what are the best ways to start incorporating fermented foods into your lifestyle?
Start At The Grocery Store!
Many fermented foods are becoming increasingly available as we learn more about the amazing benefits of incorporating them into our diets. Here are some of my personal favorites that you can easily start using today!
Fermented Dairy Products
Yogurt, kefir, skyr and cheeses are all excellent options to start with when it comes to fermented foods. The bacteria associated with each of these foods break down the sugars in milk (lactose) to form new dairy products. These cultured dairy products become much more easily digestible and packed full of probiotic bacteria!
Fermented Vegetables
Sauerkraut, kim-chi, pickles, pickled beats, and many more fermented veggie options are readily available at your local health food and grocery stores. These are excellent foods to start incorporating into your diet regularly. My favorite thing about these fermented vegetables is that they don't need to be cooked or prepared to eat them! It is so convenient and delicious to add these foods to dishes like sandwiches, tacos, pizzas or even simply served as a side dish with any meal.
Fermented Beverages
Kombucha is an extremely popular fermented tea beverage that has really boomed onto the scene in recent years. It is by far the most accessible on-the-go fermented food that we can all easily incorporate into our diet.
Make Your Own!
Many fermented products can be easily made at home for a fraction of the price. For example a head of cabbage is less than a dollar, and will easily fill a large glass quart or two once it has been processed. What is really exciting is that you only need three ingredients to make sauerkraut - salt, cabbage and time!
This method does require some time an effort, especially if it is your first time fermenting foods at home. It is important to be very careful and diligent in ensuring no "bad bacteria" are contaminating your fermenting foods. Once this age-old traditional food processing method has been practiced however, it is a simple and effective strategy to ensure you always have quality nutrition within an arms reach.
Sally Fallon has written one of my favorite cook books called "Nourishing Traditions" (3) outlining how to make all sorts of fermented foods using ancestral and traditional methodologies. It is a great starting point and contains an excellent variety of recipes, nutritional science and my personal favorite - ancestral anecdotes (stories) describing how we interacted with our food and environment throughout history and in different parts of the world.
Written By Zach Finney
Sources:
(1) Price, Weston Andrew. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Price-Pottenger, 2016.
(2) Howell, Edward, and Maynard Murray. Enzyme Nutrition: the Food Enzyme Concept. Avery Pub. Group, 1985.
(3) Fallon, Sally, et al. Nourishing Traditions: the Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. NewTrends Publishing, Inc., 2005.
(4) https://www.eatright.org/
(5) https://articles.mercola.com/fermented-foods.aspx
(6) https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/food-features/lacto-fermentation/
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