The Incredible Health Benefits of Fermented Foods | VR Healthy Ageing

The Incredible Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

Fermentation is a process by which sugar is broken down by being used as food for the bacteria or fungus or mould which live on it. Traditionally, for thousands of years, some dating back to nearly 10,000 years (based on evidence from Egypt) we have been fermenting food. And for good reason. There were no refrigerators and fermentation was a natural process. It was used even for storing food. So what we now know as prebiotics are actually the food that probiotics ferment and then produce post biotics. Interestingly, fermentation also removes lectins from foods that contain them like beans. It is because of the same reason. The bacteria actually feed on the lectins. Soaking beans in water overnight or even more, serves to ferment them and remove the lectins. The white froth that appears on top of the water is a product of the fermentation process.

What then is so beneficial about the fermentation process that lets civilisations like those in the blue zones (the countries with the most long living population) to live a longer and a healthier life? The answer is in their gut health. Fermented foods make your gut happy and a happy as well as healthy gut is the secret to overall good health and longevity.

What then are these fermented foods which are so beneficial and how do they benefit us? Well, fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and carrots, kefir, yoghurt and vinegar are all fermented foods. I will make a special mention about Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother) which has propionic acid and acetic acid both of which are essential ingredients for the manufacture of butyrate Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid that plays a crucial role in various biological processes, particularly in the digestive system. Interestingly though, just eating fibre is not sufficient for producing butyrate in the colon. It needs the acetic acid or the propionic acid to complete the process. And that is where Apple Cider Vinegar comes to the rescue. So ACV will benefit in various ways like uncoupling mitochondria and thereby letting people lose weight. Just make sure you get a good quality Vinegar with the mother. Balsamic Vinegar is also very good. And as for the fermented foods, we must be careful about the yoghurt. Because we do not want milk or yoghurt with Casein A1 which most of the high yielding varieties of cows give. Casein A2 milk is beneficial for Yoghurt, Cheese and particularly raw milk cheese as the pasteurisation process kills many beneficial bacteria as well.  For your information, all Goat, Sheep and Water Buffalo milk is naturally Casein A2.

There we have it then. Keep your gut healthy and you will have a better immune system, less inflammation, better weight control and a longer, healthier life. 

Vibhuti Misra  

Holistic Health Specialist

+91 813 088 2160