The Fermented Food Frenzy

December 15, 2016

Contributors:  The Nutrition Twins

Probiotics, which are the good, “friendly” bacteria that your body needs to crowd out the harmful bacteria that naturally exist in your digestive tract, have been a hot nutritional topic for many years. While you can consume probiotics in pill form, fermented foods are a great, natural food source of these healthy bacteria.

This is also why you’ve probably started seeing kimchi, kombucha, kefir, miso and sauerkraut on your supermarket shelves or local restaurants, and why sourdough bread is back on the “good” list. It’s because these foods are fermented, so they’ve been gaining popularity as the benefits of probiotics are becoming known. If you want a healthy gut—and a healthy body—you’ll want to read on.

Many believe that the key to digestive health is balancing out the good and bad bacteria in your gut. Probiotics may improve your digestive and immune health and alleviate certain digestive woes and accompanying diarrhea by crowding out the harmful bacteria with healthy bacteria. There’s research to support that probiotics may help keep your gut healthy, alleviate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and skin conditions, improve urinary, vaginal health and oral health, prevent allergies and colds, and help to prevent infectious diarrhea (caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites) and antibiotic-related diarrhea. Studies also show that gut bacterial imbalances are also linked with depression, arthritis and other illnesses.

Don't want to take a supplement? Then enjoy fermented foods.

Fermented foods not only contain probiotics, they also feature vitamins and minerals that aren’t found in the same foods that haven’t been fermented. Thanks to the probiotics that “pre-digest” food for you, fermented foods also help you absorb more nutrients. For example, if you’re eating fermented cabbage, also known as sauerkraut, the probiotics in the cabbage are hard at work breaking down the plant cell walls so you can absorb more vitamin C from the cabbage to boost your immunity and improve your skin.

Which foods are fermented?

There are a lot of fermented foods, including tempeh, kimchi, pickled fruits and veggies, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, fermented cheeses, buttermilk, sour cream, soy sauce, cider, vinegar, yogurt and bread, teas like kombucha, and even beer and wine. Here’s the low-down on some of the best probiotic sources:

Tempeh – Award for Best Vegetarian Protein for Probiotics. This excellent vegan source of protein and probiotics is made from naturally fermented soybeans.

Miso – Award for Best Condiment for Probiotics. This fermented paste made from barley, rice or soybeans is no longer just for miso soup. Today, trendy restaurants are featuring this probiotic source on fish, meats and other foods. The flavor is bold, but be aware that it’s also high in sodium.

Sauerkraut and Kimchi –Award for Veggies With the Most Probiotics. No longer just for the Reuben sandwich, sauerkraut, which is fermented cabbage, is very low in calories and a great source of probiotics and fiber. Veggies like kimchi (and sauerkraut) are made from vitamin C- and fiber-rich cabbage and are preserved via natural lacto-fermentation.

Yogurt – Award for Most Versatile Food With Probiotics. Some of the best sources of probiotics are yogurts that contain live and active cultures (check the labels to make sure the one you choose contains active cultures). Always keep yogurt refrigerated as the probiotics in yogurt must be kept cold to survive. Yogurt can be added to smoothies or morning oats or used instead of milk in cereal.

Kefir – Award for Fermented Food With Wide Range of Probiotics.This fermented milk drink tastes a bit like drinkable yogurt and is rich in calcium and probiotics. However, while yogurt is typically fermented with only lactobacillus bacteria, kefir is also fermented with yeasts so it has additional probiotics. Be aware that flavored kefir typically contains added sugars.

Try these kefir popsicles: Fill the popsicle mold halfway with nonfat plain kefir. Add water to the fill line and add two to three drops of liquid stevia. Stir thoroughly and freeze. Once frozen, allow the popsicle to soften for several minutes before enjoying.

Kombucha – Award for the Best Probiotic-containing Tea or Cup of Joe Replacement. This tangy, effervescent tea, which is typically made with black or green tea and flavored with juice and herbs, can have positive benefits on your digestive system. Be aware, however, that store-bought kombucha may be high in sugar (about 8 grams in an 8-ounce serving) and contain about 60 calories a bottle. We typically suggest avoiding beverages that contain calories to help prevent excess calorie consumption, but if you don’t need to watch your weight, this is a good option for getting probiotics.

Note: A small amount of alcohol is sometimes produced during fermentation—usually less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume. However, some kombuchas may contain up to 2 or 3 percent alcohol.

Sourdough Bread – Award for Bread With the Most Probiotics. Sourdough bread is fermented and therefore contains probiotics.

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