A few weeks ago our students toured the Pacific Works factory and canned their own cucumbers and other veggies. This was a great reminder of just how simple it is to add some nutritious and tasty treats into our diet. As we head into the fall and the autumn sun begins to turn south, the growing season for fruits and vegetables moves into its dormancy. Over the course of human history one of the oldest methods of food storage, fermentation was widely used most often this time of year. We also know that in modern times, this process of fermentation doubles as a superfood powerhouse with exceptional benefits to our health. Fermenting foods can not only offer a tasty flavor but more importantly provide some unique nutrition that is second to none. From the live probiotics that these foods contain to their delicious taste, it makes sense why these foods are getting their time in the spotlight.
What Are Fermented Foods?
When you bite into a hot dog that is topped with crunchy sauerkraut or you sip on a tangy glass of kefir, you are giving your body a boost of fermented foods. These foods are produced using certain bacteria, yeast, or other probiotic-containing organisms to break down sugars, facilitating a process called fermentation. Once used primarily as a way to preserve foods, fermentation is now a common culinary practice to create certain flavors as well as potential health-promoting foods. One example of a food that leans on fermentation to enhance its taste and texture is olives. Olives would be too bitter to eat right off the tree thanks to a plant compound called oleuropein. People ferment olives to convert oleuropein into non-bitter products, making them more enjoyable for consumers.
Examples of fermented foods include:
Kefir, Kombucha, Sauerkraut Tempeh, Natto, Miso, Kimchi, Sourdough bread
Health Benefits of Fermented Foods
Fermented foods have been a part of a wide variety of cuisines from almost every culture worldwide. In the West, fermented food interest has increased in recent years, thanks to the potential health benefits linked to consuming them. One of the main reasons why fermented foods are so beneficial for human health is because they contain live organisms that offer a health benefit, also known as probiotics. When it comes to your health, probiotics may be able to:
-Displace pathogenic, or “bad,” bacteria
-Play a role in supporting immune health
-Produce by-products and metabolites that support cardiovascular, immune, and metabolic health
- Fermentation also helps enhance the bioavailability of certain nutrients, allowing the body to absorb more of them to reap the benefits.
