The Top 7 Reasons Fermented Foods May Be the Healthiest, Most Affordable and Easiest to Make Superfoods on the Planet
"Healthiest," "most affordable" and "easiest to make" are all bold claims...
In this article, my attempt is to show you just exactly why I think it's true.
I discovered fermented (or cultured foods) when I needed them most.
For me, they assisted in rebuilding my digestion that was wrecked after taking 21 days of antibiotics - necessary for the treatment of Lyme disease after I was bit by a tick and found a erythema migrans (EM) rash on my leg.
After the 3 weeks of medication, I started to notice that my stomach didn't feel right. I was gassy, bloated, and would have a mix of diarrhea and constipation. My skin started to break out in pimples like I used to have in high school. I took some tests and found out that I had a very significant yeast infection.
To eliminate this infection I tried switching up my diet to include no sugar, took herbal supplements in an attempt to kill the yeast, and I also used all type of natural topical solutions to get rid of the acne that had developed - it was embarrassing and uncomfortable to be in public looking like I did!
Thankfully, this was right around the time I met Donna Gates, the creator of the Body Ecology Diet and one of the world's foremost authorities on intestinal health and the healing effects of fermented foods.
Like I said before to prevent my problems, I had tried eliminating sugar from my diet and took a bounty of herbal concoctions, but it was finally Donna's diet - rich in restorative fermented foods - that healed my gut and everything else in the process.
I wasn't just back to normal; I was better than ever before.
Up until then, I hadn't paid too much attention to what I heard about fermented foods, but now I was intrigued. I would soon discover countless people with stories similar to mine, and several new studies began to emerge about the link between compromised digestive health and various conditions and diseases. Like many other things before in my life, fermentation became a burning new interest of mine as it helped me just when I couldn't figure out what was going wrong. It got me back on the right track.
So now, I'm sharing what I learned with you...
In these 7 tips, you'll discover why fermented foods may just be one of the most powerful categories on superfoods on the planet. You'll also find out their many health benefits beyond just repairing the gut, like...
- Increasing your energy levels.
- Detoxifying and cleansing your system from harmful pollutants and chemicals.
- Boosting your immune system to prevent colds, infection and disease.
- Eliminating gas, bloating and poor digestion.
- Improving your mood with nutrients created during the fermentation process.
- And more!
Here they more details on how they can help...
1. Fermented foods have amazing health benefits.
Something pretty amazing happens when you let foods ferment. They turn themselves into superfoods. Fermented foods contain many more healthy compounds such as enzymes and B vitamins that aren't in the initial medium (what you started with!)
The health benefits are many and include boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation, better digestion, better skin, decrease or elimination of acne, elimination of gas and bloating, improving mood, improving allergy symptoms and more. As you can see, this is why I consider them possibly one of the best superfood categories on the planet.
Adding these types of foods - there are many, so take your pick - into your diet daily may be on of the most powerful thing you can do for your diet.
2. Anyone can make them.
If I can make fermented foods, so can you.
The only foods I'm proficient at preparing are salads, smoothies, and fermented foods. This may give you a good idea of how simple fermented foods are to make.
My favorite part is that you don't have to stand around and actively "make" them. The healthy bacteria contained in them do all the work!
The preparation is the work you need to do, which is generally pretty easy as well...
3. They take minutes to prepare.
Most fermented food recipes literally take minutes to make. Usually, the extent of making them requires just a little chopping, a quick blend (if you're making a brine) and adding a culture starter (some don't even require that!)
The rest of the work is done by the bacteria. Imagine having a team of trillions of little chefs to prepare your meals every day. (Well, maybe a trillion would be too much for your kitchen.)
4. Fermented foods help rebuild your digestion.
One of the major benefits of eating fermented foods is that they have been shown to improve digestion. If you have stress, have taken antibiotics, drink tap water (now or in your past), or taken many other medications (over-the-counter or prescription) chances are your digestion is impaired.
Fermented foods can boost the number of healthy bacteria in your gut which will help you digest your food better, reduce gas and bloating, and help you get more nutrition from you food.
5. They taste amazing
While I like to stress the health benefits of foods, let's take a step back and look at the most basic of all things when it comes to fermented foods.
They taste great!
Sauerkrauts and cultured vegetables are savory and delicious. Fermented drinks like kefirs, chichas and kombucha are refreshing and nutritious. Gluten-free breads like injera and idli are filling and hearty.
Each cultured food has it's own distinct taste, so it's up to you to experiment and find which ones you enjoy best.
6. Cultures have used them for thousands of years.
For thousands of years, cultures have been using fermented foods as a way to preserve fresh food. One thing they learned over time is that through this process, the food also had added benefits. So when you eat fermented foods you're not only tapping into thousands of years of food history, you're also tapping into the ancient wisdom that has been passed along with the creation of these foods.
7. Reduces inflammation and disease.
Ultimately, we all want to live as long as possible as healthy as possible. One of the biggest markers of disease is inflammation. Inflammation is something that even the stiffest of medical professionals can understand as being a factor in the cause of disease.
When you can eliminate or reduce inflammation in the body, your chance of getting sick decrease dramatically.
Eating fermented foods and healthy bacteria has been shown to reduce this disease causing inflammation - in turn keeping you healthier for longer.
With all these reasons and literally dozens more, it's easy to understand why fermented foods will work for you and your schedule.
But where do you start if you've never made a fermented food before, or if you're tired of the recipes you've been making?
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