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Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Fermented Foods Guide – Benefits and How to Eat Them

 

Fermented foods guide – benefits and how to eat them. Adding fermented foods to your diet can be a tasty, easy way to cash in on the wide range of benefits of probiotics. Add several of these to your diet weekly for best results.



Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes



The Easy Guide to Fermented Foods- Benefits and How to Eat Them

Get to know the extraordinary benefits behind fermented foods, and discover the best fermented foods to add to your diet.

What Are Fermented Foods?

The process of fermented foods is pretty simple: they sit or “steep” until bacteria and yeast consume their natural sugars. This creates beneficial acids and “good” bacteria, which benefits your body when you eat it.

The fermentation process was originally used as a way to preserve foods.The lactic and acetic acids created through the process make it difficult for bad bacteria to grow, which makes food last longer without refrigeration.

You’ve probably also noticed that fermented foods taste stronger than many foods, with a pungent or vinegar-like flavor. For example, you can taste the difference between a cup of fresh cabbage versus a bite of sauerkraut (fermented cabbage). This is the bacteria at work, changing the structure of the cabbage down to its flavor.


Benefits of Fermented Foods

The most profound benefit of fermented foods is their impact on the gut and digestion. This is because fermented foods contain an abundant amount of probiotics, which help colonize your gut.

However, recent research shows that the benefits of these cultured foods spans far beyond your stomach. Read on to see what other benefits fermented foods and their probiotics have to offer.

1. Improves Digestive Disorders

If you suffer from digestive issues, a bit of fermented food may go a long way.

Studies show that probiotics help improve symptoms of ulcerative colitis, with one study finding that they were just as effective as prescription drugs at keeping symptoms in check.

Other studies show probiotics may also help improve irritable bowel syndrome and have also been able to reduce the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (a fatal bowel condition in infants) by 50 percent.

2. Prevents Bad Bacteria Buildup

There are many things we do on a daily basis that can throw our gut bacteria out of balance, such as taking antibiotics and consuming artificial sweeteners.  When bad bacteria begins to take over in our guts, we might experience a range of poor digestion symptoms, such as bloating and gas.

Eating more fermented foods can help add more good bacteria to your gut to rebalance your microbiome and keep out bad bugs.

3. Soothes Eczema

Studies show that the probiotics found in fermented foods can also benefit skin conditions like eczema. One study showed that women who took probiotics while pregnant had children who were 83 percent less likely to develop eczema.

Another study found that infants fed probiotic-infused milk experienced an improvement in eczema symptoms, compared to those that were fed milk without probiotics.

4. Sharpens Mental Health

Interestingly, probiotics can also improve mental conditions. A review of studies in both animals and humans found that adding probiotics to participants’ diets can improve depression, autism, memory, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and anxiety. Probiotics can also help lower stress levels.

5. Boosts Heart Health

Fermented foods can also help keep your heart pumping strong. Studies show that the probiotics prevalent in fermented foods help break down bile, which can enter back into your bloodstream as cholesterol when not properly broken down.

Other studies show that probiotics can help increase good cholesterol and even reduce blood pressure.

6. Strengthens Immunity

The probiotics found in fermented foods may also help keep bad bugs away by boosting your immune system.

Our bodies produce natural antibodies and immune cells like killer T cells, which help identify and fight infections. Studies show that probiotics help produce these natural defenses, which may defeat colds and infections before they can catch hold.

7. Aids in Weight Loss

It turns out that eating more fermented foods may actually help you shed a few pounds.

One study showed that women who were dieting and took probiotics lost 50 percent more weight in three months than women who didn’t.  Others show that certain probiotics can also reduce belly fat, even at low doses.


The Best Fermented Foods to Eat

Trust us: There’s more than just sauerkraut out there! Check out these other probiotic-rich fermented foods.

1. Kombucha

Kombucha is a fermented beverage made from black or green tea and sugar. Don’t worry, the sugar feeds the bacteria, not you. When beneficial yeasts and bacteria form in the tea, it creates what is called a SCOBY, or film at the top of the mixture that is rich in probiotics and enzymes (don’t worry, the SCOBY doesn’t normally come at the top of store-bought kombucha).

You can easily find some at your local grocery store, or you can make your own kombucha at home! Try drinking a serving a day for a dose of probiotics.

2. Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage that has traditionally been used in northern European cooking. It has a pungent, sometimes slightly sweet flavor that works great with meat dishes, and even stew.

Try this easy, healthy sauerkraut recipe and add a couple of spoonfuls to your dinner a few times a week.

3. Coconut Water Kefir

Kefir is traditionally a fermented milk beverage (like a drinkable yogurt). However, since we’re avoiding dairy here on the Paleo diet, it helps to know coconut water kefir exists, which is simply fermented coconut water.

Add a couple tablespoons to 1/4 cup of coconut kefir water to your diet a few times a week.

4. Non-Dairy Yogurt

Non-dairy yogurts made from ingredients like almond and coconut are great sources of probiotics and enzymes. Plus, they’re an easy way to get a healthy dose of good fats, and they make a great snack!

Try a non-dairy yogurt for breakfast topped with nuts, or have a cup as a snack. You can also try these homemade coconut yogurt bites!

5. Kimchi

Kimchi is similar to sauerkraut, but also contains other veggies, as well as spices and seasonings like garlic, ginger, pepper, and more.

Try this easy gut-healing kimchi recipe and use it to top a stir-fry or spice up a veggie dish.

Watch this video – The Complete Guide to Fermenting Every Single Vegetable



The Bottom Line

Adding fermented foods to your diet can be a tasty, easy way to cash in on the wide range of benefits of probiotics. Add several of these to your diet weekly for best results.

Written by Megan Patiry

Author Bio:

Megan is an inquisitive nutrition and wellness writer harboring an editorial love affair with the decadent and the nutritious. She is a dedicated researcher in all areas of ancestral health, a certified specialist in fitness nutrition, personal trainer, and professional almond milk latte addict.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook


Healthy Probiotic Breakfast – How to Make Dairy Free Coconut Yogurt

 

Healthy Probiotic Breakfast - How to Make Dairy Free Coconut Yogurt. This dairy-free Coconut Yogurt recipe gives you all the gut-boosting benefits of a fermented yogurt while keeping it 100% Paleo. You’ll only need 3 ingredients – coconut cream, probiotics, and honey.


Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes



Blend up this creamy, dairy-free Coconut Yogurt for a healthy probiotic breakfast or snack!

This dairy-free Coconut Yogurt recipe gives you all the gut-boosting benefits of a fermented yogurt while keeping it 100% Paleo. You’ll only need 3 ingredients – coconut cream, probiotics, and honey.

For the best yogurt, pay special attention to the quality of your ingredients. The coconut cream should be organic and from a BPA-free can. You can also substitute coconut milk with 2 or 3 tablespoons of tapioca flour to thicken, or just use unthickened coconut milk if you prefer a runnier yogurt.

To get the needed gut-friendly bacteria in the coconut yogurt, use a dairy-free, plant-based probiotic with various bacterial strains. The three most important to look for are: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus casei.

This recipe uses honey as a sweetener, but you can also substitute maple syrup, coconut sugar, stevia, or even blended fresh fruit if you prefer. Feel free to adjust the quantity of sweetener to your liking. You really can’t mess it up, and it’s so much better for you than store-bought yogurts!

After the mixture is blended well, transfer the yogurt to a glass jar with a lid, and let it ferment in the oven for a full day. Chill for at least two hours, then grab a spoon and dig in! Enjoy it as is, or try serving it with fresh fruit, raw nuts and seeds, or Paleo granola.

How to Make Dairy Free Coconut Yogurt

Recipe by Megan Olson

Blend up this creamy, dairy-free Coconut Yogurt for a healthy probiotic breakfast or snack!

Tools:

  • Food processor or high-speed blender (sterilized)
  • Sterile glass jar with lid

Ingredients:

  • 2 15 oz. cans organic coconut cream, chilled in the refrigerator 4 hours
  • 2 dairy-free probiotic pills with bacterial strains L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus and L. casei
  • 1 T honey

Instructions:

  1. Open coconut cream and separate the liquid from the cream.
  • In a food processor or high-speed blender, add the cream with the probiotic pills and honey. Process on high for 3 minutes until pills are broken down.
  • Check the consistency of the yogurt. If it’s too thick, add a little of the coconut water and blend.
  • Transfer the yogurt to a glass jar and seal with lid.
  • Preheat the oven to 100°F. Place the glass jar in the oven for 24 hours to ferment.
  • Once fermented, remove from the oven, cool and stir the yogurt. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Watch the video – Dairy Free Coconut Yogurt



Written by Megan Olson

Author Bio:

Megan is the author of the gluten free website, Skinny Fitalicious where she creates easy, low calorie recipes. Megan is also a nutrition practitioner specializing in weight loss. When she’s not in the kitchen or coaching clients, she’s in the gym teaching group fitness. To view more of her work, visit Skinny Fitalicious.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook


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