Five great reasons to include Lacto-fermented foods in your diet

• Tamara
• January 12, 2021
• Lacto Fermentation
• 4
• 1964

Long ago when people were growing and harvesting food there simply wasn’t the technology we have today to preserve it. Food preservation through fermentation has been around since at least 10,000 BCE. It has been speculated that it originally was just a happy accident. An individual left food out and the food fermented. Later when it was eaten, individuals discovered that they did not get sick. The flavor of the food also changed and the food did not rot quite as quickly as it normally would. Individuals were not consuming the Lacto-fermented foods in their diet because of health benefits. It was just a handy way of preserving food for just a bit longer.

Scientists recognize beneficial yeasts and bacteria

It wasn’t until Louis Pasteur discovered in the mid 1800’s that there are yeasts present that assist in fermentation. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that it was discovered that fermented foods were useful in promoting good health and wellness.

Elie Metchnikoff, a Russian bacteriologist, recognized that Bulgarians lived an unusually long average lifespan during that time of 87 years. During his research, he concluded that the fermented milk products they drank must be what was extending their good health.

Science moving forward gut health and lacto-fermented foods in diet

As of the past 20-30 years, fermented foods have become somewhat of a health craze. They are commonly referred to as “probiotics”. Ever since early 2000 web searches for “probiotics” have trended upwards. It is only as of recently that nutritionists, scientists, and doctors are now recognizing that there is a bit more going on in the gut than they first realized. New information is constantly being discovered so the science on this is far from being settled. There is separate research on how fermentation changes the bioavailability of nutrients in the food.

Adding Lacto-fermented foods to your diet

So why should you include Lacto-fermented vegetables in your diet? Below are five reasons why you should consider eating or drinking more fermented beverages.

1. They are very rich in probiotic bacteria. When you consume fermented foods, you add beneficial bacteria and enzymes to the gut. This increases the health of your gut microbiome and digestive system. The more you increase the good bacteria, the less chance you will get sick from bad bacteria. (McMillen, 2017)
2. Fermented foods potentially unlock nutrients that would otherwise be unavailable if eaten in their un-fermented form. Some studies have found that iron, zinc, folate, Vitamin K, and GABA are more available for absorption. (Melini, Melini, Luziatelli, Ficca, & Ruzzi, 2019)
3. Consumption of fermented foods may help reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and cardiovascular disease. This is most likely due to the anti-inflammatory benefits of fermented foods. (Azcarate-Peril, 2020)
4. They help alleviate digestive issues, may help prevent viral infections, and can assist in decreasing anxiety and stress levels. Science is just discovering more about how the health of the gut affects mood and immune system health. (Wu & Wu, 2012)
5. Due to the fermentation process, compounds known as biologically active peptides become available for absorption in the body. These peptides then have a blood pressure-lowering effect. (Azcarate-Peril, 2020)

What are Lacto-fermented foods anyway?

Okay so with all this great evidence of these tasty foods you might be asking “How do I go about getting this? How do I try it?” Currently, most grocery stores do carry many varieties of fermented food products in their health food aisles. Some examples of common fermented foods are:

1. Yogurt
2. Kefir
3. Kombucha
4. Natto
5. Kimchi
6. Sauerkraut
7. Sourdough
8. Pickles

How to make Lacto-fermented foods at home

Oh boy, here is the super fun part. I have been experimenting now for some time with Lacto-fermented foods. Since 2013 I usually have at least a jar or two of some sort of veggie fermenting on my counter. Later when it hits the flavor and effervescence that I’m looking for, I move the jar into the fridge where the flavors will deepen and become more complex. Just like a fine wine, Lacto-fermented foods really do become even more amazing the longer they sit.

I find that the cold-hardy plants do best with Lacto-fermentation. The softer veggies tend to become mushy and I like some crunch in my veggies. That being said there are some recipes I have recently tried that really are amazing! I’ve made sure to leave links to all of the yummy lacto-fermented foods below.

Sauerkraut

My all-time favorite is traditional sauerkraut. I’ve linked to my recipe here. I prefer traditional with this one. It goes wonderful either just on its own or with some bratwurst and even potentially some Spätzle. I grew up eating a lot of German-based foods since my father’s side of the family is from the Balkans.

Recently I changed up my traditional recipe and created a zesty lemon-garlic sauerkraut that just turned out amazing. Please click here for that amazing recipe. The lemon and garlic combined add a bit of heat that was a bit unexpected. It packs a very refreshing and spicy punch!

Carrots

Carrots do super well with Lacto-fermentation and I find I really love Ginger Shredded carrots. They add a nice zest to either a salad or even a Buddha bowl.

Radishes

Radishes hold up very well to Lacto-fermentation. Since radishes already have a nice bite to them I tend to gravitate away from using garlic. I do use ginger which just like the carrots, gives them a nice zesty flavor addition to my salads. Plus the color is amazing when they’ve gone through a short time of Lacto-fermenting! It looks gorgeous in salads! Here’s a link for some great recipe ideas!

Kimchi

Every year I’ve made Kimchi but this year I finally got the missing ingredient! It definitely changes the flavor (for the good!). Click here for that recipe. I love a spicy bowl of Kimchi along with maybe a hot steaming bowl of Miso soup and some fragrant Jasmine tea. What a mixture of cultures there I know! Korea, Japan, and China. Still, the flavors just all go so well together (in my opinion). On a cold winter day here in Interior Alaska, these three are a favorite of ours!

Salsa Verde

This year since our tomatillos did produce some fruit I managed to make some salsa verde. I did not have enough to can in preserving however I had just enough to make a quart-sized jar with all the other ingredients combined. If you’re interested in this recipe please click here.

Celery

I had a couple of experiments this year! No I did not grow celery because honestly, its not exactly my favorite vegetable. I’ll eat it in a tuna fish sandwich because I enjoy the crunch but I do not enjoy the taste. This has been kind of sad too because celery does grow relatively well in our climate here. This year I came across an idea for lacto-fermented mint celery. I will say now that I’m disappointed I did not discover this earlier! I did not add the scallions that the original author added but it still turned out amazing! Next year I WILL be growing celery and a lot of it! This adds such a wonderful, refreshing flavor to everything I add. You can find the original recipe here. My own take on this delightful new way to preserve this vegetable is here.

Siracha

My husband is a huge fan of siracha sauce! This is a huge joke in our family that if he could he’d put it on just about anything so, of course, I had to try out my own homemade siracha sauce. Sometimes I have very good years with different types of chili, jalepeno or hot peppers so I figured since I was creating all sorts of lacto-fermented yumminess now would be the time to try out something new! If you’re interested in trying this out click here!

References

Şanlier N, Gökcen BB, Sezgin AC. Health benefits of fermented foods. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(3):506-527. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2017.1383355. Epub 2017 Oct 20. PMID: 28945458.

McMillen, M. (2017, February 13). Could Fermented Foods Boost Your Health? Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20170213/could-fermented-foods-boost-your-health

Melini, F., Melini, V., Luziatelli, F., Ficca, A., & Ruzzi, M. (2019, May 27). Health-Promoting Components in Fermented Foods: An Up-to-Date Systematic Review. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6567126/

Wu, H., & Wu, E. (2012). The role of gut microbiota in immune homeostasis and autoimmunity. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3337124/