In this new guest post, Keynote speaker Christine Bailey outlines the role of fermented foods in supporting healthy microbiome.
Every traditional culture, when you look at their traditional diet, include fermented foods. The household and artisanal fermentation of cereals, dairy, fruits, vegetables, fish, seafood and meats were a significant part of ancestral dietary practices. During Roman times, sauerkraut and sourdough bread was eaten because of its health giving properties; in ancient India, it was not uncommon to enjoy a pre-dinner drink of lassi. In fact, the list of fermented foods is extensive: East Asia has natto (fermented soy), tempeh, miso, kimchi (fermented cabbage), soy sauce, fermented fish sauce, Central Asia with kumis (fermented mare milk), kefir, and shubat (fermented camel milk); India and the Middle East with fermented pickles, various yogurts, torshi (mixed vegetables) and Europe with sauerkraut, kefir, and rakfisk (salted, fermented trout); while kombucha is popular in various cultures including the US.
What are Fermented Foods?
Fermented foods are foods which have undertaken a process of lacto-fermentation: this means the natural bacteria feeds on the sugar and starch in the food which creates lactic acid. Fermented foods not only give you a wider variety of beneficial bacteria, they also give you far more of them, so it’s a natural daily way to support your microbiome.
There is now extensive research to demonstrate how the right balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut forms the foundation for physical, mental, and emotional well-being. With an estimated 75-80 percent of your immune system located in your gut. Probiotics play a crucial role in the development and operation of the mucosal immune system in your digestive tract, and aid in the production of antibodies to pathogens.
But fermented foods have many other benefits of course. Their natural acidity can help promote digestion, absorption of nutrients and the reduction in anti-nutrients. The lectins, gluten, and phytates in grains, for example, can be greatly reduced by fermentation. Dairy is another beneficiary of fermentation. The fermentation process breaks down the lactose, which can be a problem for many people.
The fermentation process also makes various nutrients more bioavailable. Natto, a Japanese form of fermented soybeans, is high in Vitamin K2 (MK-7), which is vital for bone, cardiovascular, and dental health. Just half an ounce (15 grams) of natto daily can also provide all the K2 you’ll need. Aged milk cheese and kefir also has ample amounts of K2 while miso is an excellent source of amino acids and B vitamins.
In my new book The Gut Health Diet I provide recipes for a wide range of fermented foods and drinks and I encourage clients to include a variety of these in their diet because each food will inoculate your gut with a mix of different microorganisms. Making your own is by far the best way to consume them – there is of course a big difference between raw fermented foods and commercially processed versions. Many shop bought options will have been pasteurized, which effectively destroys the naturally occurring probiotics.
In my Keynote speech at camexpo, on Sunday 25 September (Feeding our gut microbiota – dietary & nutrition strategies to restore gut health and encourage microbiome diversity), I will discuss the role of these fermented foods together with other foods and drinks in supporting a healthy microbiome and how to implement a programme to restore your gut health for good.
Read Christine Bailey’s post on Colostrum – a potent gut healer: www.camexpo.co.uk/christine-bailey-colostrum-a-potent-gut-healer.
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