7 Benefits of Fermented Foods

Do you eat fermented foods? You should!

Fermentation is a traditional form of preservation dating back thousands of years. Essentially, the bacteria naturally present on food begins breaking down sugars and starches in food. This produces lactic acid which halts the growth of ‘bad’ bacteria, so the food is preserved not rotted.

Not only is the food preserved but it is made more healthful and nourishing than it was before!

There are many benefits of fermented foods to your diet.

1. Makes food more digestible.

Because the bacteria predigests the food, the resulting product is easier to digest. If you have trouble digesting raw fruits and vegetables, fermentation may be helpful for you!

2. Fermented foods have more nutrients.

The bacteria in fermented foods produce more vitamins and nutrients as they digest the starches and sugars. They particularly produce B vitamins and vitamin K2.

3. Chock full of good bacteria (probiotics).

Some experts say that each small 1/2 cup serving of fermented foods can contain up to 10 trillion probiotic organisms. Dr. Mercola states the following in an article on his website…

“It's worth noting that each mouthful of fermented food can provide trillions of beneficial bacteria—far more than you can get from a probiotics supplement, which will typically provide you with colony-forming units in the billions. I thought this would be a good analysis, so I tested fermented vegetables produced with our probiotic starter culture to determine their probiotic potency and was astounded to discover they had 10 trillion colony-forming units of bacteria. Literally, one serving of vegetables was equal to an entire bottle of a high potency probiotic!”

4. Helps keep your immune system healthy.

80% of your immune system resides in your gut. A healthy gut = a healthy immune system.

Adding fermented foods to your diet will help ensure a healthy gut!

5. Helps curb sugar cravings.

By adding fermented foods to your diet, you can limit, if not completely stop, your sugar cravings! How? By regulating your microbiome and also helping your taste buds adjust to a more bitter/sour flavor.

6. Lactic acid promotes growth of healthy bacteria in the gut.

The lactic acid produced during fermentation helps healthy bacteria already present in your gut to proliferate. This leads to better gut health!

7. Increases flavor of foods.

Fermentation adds a new depth of flavor to fermented foods. They are delicious!

Making fermented foods at home is easy! We have numerous recipes on our site for you to start your process.

Does the topic of fermenting baffle you? We created a Fermenting eCourse just for you and when you sign up, we will send you a Quick Start Guide! Grab the eCourse and the guide here!