Food for Thought: Fermentation
Wondering how certain foods affect your body
do you know what ingredients can help support your health?
looking for new creative recipes?
Welcome to our Food for Thought blog series that will aim to answer these questions and more every month! Tune in to get nutritional advice from experts Masha Fox-Rabinovich , outpatient dietitian and diabetes educator at Washington Adventist Hospital, and kitchen savvy techniques Randall Smith , executive chef for Adventist HealthCare.
Masha Rabinovich Fox
many different cultures around the world have been fermenting foods for thousands of years to improve its value nutritional, taste, and prolong life. Indeed, fermentation discourages the growth of bacteria that cause food spoilage. It also packs more nutritional benefits than food in its natural form that is if the pickling process is done by natural fermentation. This takes place with the addition of good bacteria or live cultures called probiotics
In addition to pickles, which are fermented cucumbers and many other vegetables can be pickled as well, including :.
- chou
- Beets
- Cauliflower
- Garlic
- Fungi
d other fermented foods that offer many health benefits include:
- fermented milk products
- Yogurt
- kefir
- fermented soy foods
- tempeh
- Miso
Our intestines contain trillions (that is 12 zeros! ) bacteria, and the vast majority of them are good. However, according to our plans and our way of life, some of us have an imbalance between bad bacteria and good bacteria. Foods containing live bacteria healthy (probiotics) help balance the intestinal microbiota, and are considered functional foods. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics defines functional foods as a food that provides additional health benefits that can reduce the risk of disease and / or promote good health. Probiotic foods have been associated with better function of the immune system and digestive health, among other benefits.
Fermentation increases the nutrient content of foods. The nutrients in food are digested by these good bacteria, breaking the cell walls of vegetables and allowing some of the nutrients to become more bioavailable, which is more easily absorbed by our bodies.
In addition, fermented foods to improve the functioning of the nervous system. The intestine or the small intestine, acts as second nervous system of the body. It produces neurotransmitters as the brain does. Probiotics help the intestines to function properly. A research review of fermented foods, published earlier this year in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, argues that consumption of traditional fermented foods is associated with positive mental health.
Unfortunately, most pickles, we see in grocery stores are only canned cucumbers in vinegar. Ditto for sauerkraut and other traditionally fermented vegetables. This is not the fermentation and does not provide the same health benefits as the real pickled / fermented foods offer. To increase your intake of healthy foods, probiotic rich, look for foods that contain live active cultures such as those in yogurt, kefir (a yogurt drink like), miso, tempeh, and kim chi, or make your own!
What foods you want to know? We would like to hear from you. Please share your questions in the comments section below.
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