Italian Zucchini and baked salmon may not be the first examples that cross your mind when you think of healthy foods. However, an increasing body of research shows that a diet that includes fermented foods can offer you health benefits. Fermentation is a technique that has been used throughout time as a means of preserving food. Recently, the practice has exploded in popularity. As of 2018, fermented food consumption was up by 149% in restaurants. More people are now adding these foods to their homes and stocking them in their kitchens. So, are these foods worth the hype? Yes. This guide gives you reasons why you should start incorporating fermented foods into your diet.
1. Learn New Recipes and Techniques
Dealing with fermented foods forces you to become closer to your subject. You have to understand the fermenting stages, the flavor outline, and the various textures that foods undergo during the fermenting process. Once you start appreciating fermented foods, the team at https://gutsyferments.com.au/ says you will begin to learn new techniques for dealing with all the foods you want to eat. Your meal preparation ritual will change and improve as you introduce these foods to your diet.
2. Your Gut Health Improves
Gut health is essential to your overall health. Fermented foods can restore good gut bacteria. When you eat these foods, you introduce multiple strains of beneficial bacteria into your digestive system. These bacteria take up residence in your intestines, where they provide vitamins and strengthen your immune system. They also help weed out pathogenic or disease-promoting bacteria, which helps balance your gut flora.
3. Improved Mood and Behavior
Your brain and the gut are linked through the HPA (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal) axis. Commonly referred to as the enteric nervous system, the gut is lined with neurons that can influence your feelings and emotions. Serotonin – a hormone that stabilizes mood – is made in the gut. A growing body of research shows that since probiotic bacteria contribute to a healthy gut, it's also linked to a healthy mind.
4. Easier Digestion of Food
The process of fermentation helps break down nutrients in food. This means they're easier to digest than their unfermented foods. For instance, lactose – the sugar present in milk – is broken down during fermentation into simple sugars. This means if you have lactose intolerance, you're fine consuming fermented dairies like yogurt and kefir. Additionally, fermentation helps break down and destroys antinutrients such as lectins and phytates.
5. May Reduce the Risk of Developing Colon Cancer
"The research we've conducted leads us to believe that consuming a diet rich in fermented foods can reduce chances of developing colon cancer," says Dr Andrea Azcarate-Peril, PhD, director of Microbiome Core Facility and an expert on the gut microbiome. The consumption of fermented foods results in increased butyrate. Butyrate is a fatty acid that's essential in feeding the cells that line your digestive tract. It also hinders toxins from harming your colon and helps your system remove those toxins.
There you have it! All the reasons you need to start consuming fermented foods. You can now say hello to popular fermented foods such as tempeh, kombucha, kimchi, or yogurt. These meals are easy to prepare and may lower heart disease risk and aid indigestion. Finally, you also learn new techniques and food preparation methods you can wow your friends with. Over to you!
