Fermentation Recipes for Optimal Health
“To ferment your own food is to lodge a small but eloquent protest – on behalf of the senses and the microbes – against the homogenization of flavors and food experiences now rolling like a great, undifferentiated lawn across the globe.” ― Michael Pollan, Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.
Fermented food has many forms. It’s pickling, making yogurt, sour cream, and cheese, making wine and brewing beer, and many more! Most likely, you already enjoy fermented foods on a daily basis. If not, I certainly encourage you to start as soon as possible. Begin with a small amount and gradually build your intake, variety, and diversity.
I also highly recommend making your own ferments. It’s a fun and straightforward process! Also, most commercially produced fermented foods are pasteurized to increase shelf life. Pasteurization destroys live bacteria and their health benefits. Please read my article on the health benefits of fermentation to learn about the health benefits of fermented foods.
I am not really a fan of fermented foods. However, when I knew of how these foods supply our body with healthy bacteria, I started to look at these foods positively. I started with kimchi and yogurt. When there are times that I do not have the luxury to buy these in the market, I make sure that I have probiotic supplements in store to provide me with the probiotics I need.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your comment. Did you know that “2 ounces of home fermented sauerkraut had more probiotics than a bottle of 100 count probiotic capsules” (http://nourishingplot.com/2014/06/21/sauerkraut-test-divulges-shocking-probiotic-count/). I encourage you to try making your own fermented food, it’s really not that hard.
Olga