By Vivienne Beard (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: October 2, 2013
The first image that comes to mind when I hear the words “fermented food” is of a barely recognizable mouldy sandwich. Shoved deep into the corner of my high school locker, a forgotten liver paste sandwich once became the breeding ground of the worst kind of fermentation. The pungent smell escaped my locker and drifted down the hallway, disturbing a few of my fellow students.
After that experience I believed all fermented foods fell in the same category as mouldy sandwiches and should never be eaten. However, my experience with the sandwich was a poor example of what fermented foods have to offer our bodies.
When a food has fermented, its carbohydrate and sugar molecules have been turned into alcohols and beneficial acids. This small yet meaningful change is surprisingly helpful when it comes to digestion. Fermented milk products like yogurt and sour cream provide enzymes necessary to our bodies’ digestion and nutrient absorption. You may have just eaten a nutrient-rich salad, but those nutrients are useless unless your body is able to absorb them. The addition of these helpful enzymes decreases the load on the body, placing less strain on the pancreas to produce enzymes. Fermented food not only aids in the digestive process, it can also benefit other areas of our bodies. When food ferments, its vitamin content actually increases. When dairy products undergo fermentation, levels of folic acid, vitamin B, and other key vitamins increase.
Not fully convinced? A study in the Clinical Microbiology Journal found that probiotics in fermented foods could help lower the risk of colon cancer and reduce intestinal problems. Overflowing with digestion-aiding enzymes, creamy and delicious full-fat yogurt is also said to reduce the activity of brain cells linked to anxiety. And if that doesn’t get your attention, a healthy digestive system is also linked to a thriving immune system, enabling our bodies to fight harmful viruses.
If the idea of eating fermented food seems unpleasant, an easy way to incorporate fermented food into your diet is with a bowl of Greek yogurt. Top it with strawberries or blueberries and you have a breakfast that will provide probiotics to help your body digest the day’s meals. Not a dairy fan? The next time a sandwich craving hits, try using sourdough bread and a little sauerkraut. Both sourdough and sauerkraut offer the healthy benefits of fermented food. Once you’ve mastered the baby steps or are feeling particularly adventurous, grab a friend and head out to a Korean restaurant for a flavour-packed lunch of kimchi (fermented cabbage) and miso soup.
Fermented foods were once at the bottom of the list of things I wanted to put in my belly. However, the digestive and overall health benefits that accompany them have quickly changed my view, and have caused me to rearrange that list. After all, delicious Greek yogurt and sourdough sandwiches are much more tempting than a mouldy liver-paste-filled mistake.
