10 Fermented Foods to Boost Your Immune and Digestion

The past two weeks we’ve talked about probiotics and prebiotics. What they are, what they do (and don’t do), and what to look for if you’re buying them in supplement form. If you missed out on those posts, you can read about probiotics here or prebiotics here. But, for those of you who prefer to get probiotics and prebiotics from natural sources, there are plenty of fermented foods out there for you.

Let’s get to it!

Fermented Foods to the Rescue!

In the last two posts on probiotics and prebiotics, we talked about some of the benefits of getting both in your diet. But, most of the benefits talked about were from supplements.

Since supplements are typically living organisms (microbes) in an unnatural environment, the benefits of supplements can’t be said to be the same as eating/drinking these microbes in more natural environments.

This is where fermented foods come into play.

Fermented foods are foods that microbes are added to or the good microbes naturally present are encouraged to grow.

There are many benefits to adding fermented foods and drinks to your diet. These include…

·        Nutrients broken down for easier digestion

·        Microbes can create more nutrients like B vitamins

·        Fermented foods have both probiotics and prebiotics

·        Microbes in fermented foods are the “good guys” that help keep our gut healthy

·        Fermentation of grains breaks down the anti-nutrients that block needed nutrients from being absorbed by our bodies

·        Fermented foods help with digestion and boost  our immune systems

There are several different kinds of fermented foods and drinks available at the local grocery store.  We’ll start with the most commonly known and consumed: yogurt.

Yogurt

Many of us eat yogurt. But did you know that bacteria are added to milk to make yogurt? This makes yogurt a great source of good bacteria.

The strains of bacteria that are mainly used to make yogurt are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles. Yogurt may have other types of Lactobacillus and a few strains of Bifidobacterium as well.

The bacteria in yogurt are known to help with digestion and boost the immune system.

Some brands of yogurt heat the yogurt to temperatures that kill off the bacteria. So, look for the Live and Active Cultures seal (shown below) or a statement that the yogurt has live and active cultures on the container.

 

Kefir

Another type of fermented dairy is kefir.  You can also find coconut water or coconut milk kefir for those who don’t eat dairy.

Kefir is similar to yogurt in that it is made by adding good bacteria to milk. But, there is a greater variety of microbes in kefir than yogurt.

Kefir also is between yogurt’s consistency and milk’s, making it more like a smoothie.

There is a long list of bacteria and yeasts that can be found in kefir. But, pretty much kefir has shown to help with digestion, immunity, strengthening bones, and may also help with allergies and food intolerances.

As with all fermented foods and drinks, the types and amounts of microbes vary in each batch. The types and amounts can also vary in each bottle, so it is difficult to say what’s exactly in each one and the expected results on your body.

Kimchi

Kimchi is a type of Korean fermented food that includes vegetables and spices. The typical vegetables found in this dish are cabbage, green onions, and radishes. But, there are many different versions of Kimchi that you can buy in the store or make yourself.

There can be up to 900 lactic acid bacteria in kimchi. These bacteria are known to help with digestion and immunity, as well as maintaining gut health. (And we know gut health is important for many inflammation-related diseases.)

Miso

Miso is made by fermenting soybeans with fungi, and sometimes it is fermented with grains.  Other types of fermented soybeans include Tempeh and Natto.

Though you can easily find Miso in the form of a paste or Miso soup in the grocery store, it is more difficult to find Tempeh or Natto. You may have to go to a specialty grocery store to find them.

From preventing cancer to decreasing cholesterol, there are many claimed benefits of miso. But, I could not find much research on these benefits except for the common probiotic benefits of digestion and immunity.

Miso, though, has a lot of nutrients in it since it is made from soybeans. It is extremely high in salt, though, so you should limit your daily servings of it.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is similar to Kimchi in that it is fermented cabbage. To make sauerkraut, the natural lactic acid bacteria on the cabbage are encouraged to grow.

Known as a German dish, sauerkraut can be put on hot dogs, used as a condiment, or eaten as a side dish. You can even flavor sauerkraut different ways to mix it up.

A benefit to eating sauerkraut is that, if fermented long enough, there can be trillions of good bacteria in it. Like with kefir, each batch can have different types and amounts of bacteria.

Lactic acid bacteria in sauerkraut are known to help with… Can you guess?

Yes, that’s right, digestion and immunity.

Pickles

As you probably already know, pickles are made using cucumbers.

If the pickles are made with vinegar, the vinegar will kill off the bacteria. But, if the cucumbers are stored in a salt mixture without vinegar, then the lactic acid bacteria will ferment the cucumbers.

I don’t believe there are any fermented pickles in the everyday grocery store. But, if you want to look, then look for pickles that do not have vinegar in the ingredient list.

There are no guarantees that vinegar-less pickles have live and active cultures since the pickles may have been pasteurized. Your best bet to have probiotic-filled pickles is to make your own.

Kombucha Tea

Kombucha tea has been climbing in popularity over the past few decades. It is a tea that has been fermented with SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast).

Warning, if you decide to look up SCOBY, you may be grossed out by what you see. So, be warned that you may never look at Kombucha the same after seeing the SCOBY.

There is a long list of bacteria and yeasts that can make up different brands of Kombucha tea.

These bacteria and yeasts are known to help with digestion and immunity… Surprise, surprise! Also, they help with maintaining a healthy gut and fight infections.

Beer and Wine

Beer is another type of fermented drink in that barley is fermented using lactic acid bacteria. Wine is similar except that lactic acid bacteria are used to ferment grapes.

Because fermentation causes the sour flavor in beer and wine, companies typically stop fermentation after they achieve the flavor they want. That being the case, there are most likely no live or active microbes in beer or wine by the time you drink it.

However, some wines and beers do have low numbers of probiotics, but that number is much smaller compared to the fermented foods and drinks listed above.

Bread

Though there are other fermented foods and drinks not mentioned in this post, the last one we’ll cover today is bread.

Leavened bread is made by using yeast to ferment grains. The yeast is able to break down the nutrients and anti-nutrients in the grains, making easier-to-digest bread.

Sourdough bread is even easier to digest than regular bread (though may not be easier to chew) because the dough is allowed to ferment for 4 hours. The whole process of making sourdough bread can take up to 24 hours to complete.

Once bread is baked, the yeast and bacteria used to ferment the bread are killed off. But, the resulting bread has nutrients that are easier to digest (including that mean ol’ gluten) and absorb.

A potential problem with store-bought bread is that the fermentation process is shortened. This is so bread companies can make more bread in less amount of time. As a result, the nutrients are not as easily digested and the anti-nutrients are likely still present.

Something I have recently heard about is sprouted grains. Supposedly, sprouting grains allows for the anti-nutrients to be broken down. And it supposedly helps our bodies to get the nutrients in grains easier.

You can find sprouted grain flours in health stores. But, they are a lot more expensive because the sprouting process does take more time and effort.

Next Week: DIY Fermented Foods

Of all the fermented foods and drinks talked about, you should be able to find many of them at your local grocery store.

However, when it comes to non-refrigerated foods like sauerkraut or pickles, you may not be able to find ones with live and active cultures. There are online sources you can buy unpasteurized options. But be careful and make sure you are buying from a credible source.

Now that I have covered fermented options, I’ll be spending this next week collecting information for those who rather DIY their fermented foods. So, if this interests you then stay tuned for next week’s post on DIY’ing fermented foods!

After reading about fermented foods, is there anything that surprised you? Or did you already know about all of this? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!