Fermented Food: The Foods You Probably Aren’t Eating Enough Of

Fermented food like sauerkraut and yogurt provide a lot of health benefits. They do this by increasing the number of healthy bacteria in your stomach.

As far back as the 5th century BC, Greek philosopher Hippocrates knew that you needed to keep your gut healthy to enjoy maximum health and wellness. Eating fermented foods will help you do this.

And Hippocrates did not become known as the father of modern medicine by handing out shoddy advice about staying healthy. He was famous for saying, “All disease begins in the gut.”

Indeed, not all human disease has its origins in an unhealthy gut profile. However, nutritionists and medical professionals will tell you that many health problems begin in the gut. That’s because there are not enough good bacteria in the gut, and there are too many harmful bacteria living there.

Bacteria: Is it Good or Bad?

When you hear the word bacteria, you probably immediately think of negative connotations. We are taught from a very young age that bacteria is bad. When we get a cold or flu or develop some other type of sickness, we go to the doctor. We learn that sometimes this is because of bacteria that we have somehow come into contact with.

While it may be true, we get the impression that all bacteria are harmful to us.

The fact is, several bacteria exist in your gut, bacteria that are necessary for you to survive. These are the types of bacteria that fermented food promotes and creates.

Consuming kimchi and sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha, miso, tempeh, and yogurt is a simple way to increase the number of healthy bacteria in your gut. These bacteria lead to a healthy digestive process that promotes both mental and physical health.

You  now understand the importance of maintaining a healthy gut. Let’s move on and discuss how a healthy gut can help with weight loss.

Eating Fermented Food Can Help You Lose Weight

How does eating fermented food help you lose weight? The bacteria profile in many fermented foods feeds on sugar and starch, leading to weight loss.

Fermented foods are usually rich in dietary fiber. When you eat fermented whole foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi, your body takes longer to process them. This process makes you feel full long after you have eaten.

Additionally, fermented foods are rich in probiotics. Your body needs probiotics and prebiotics in your gut for a healthy digestive process. Your digestive process is highly influential where your overall well-being is concerned.

Once your digestion stops working correctly, you don’t rid your body of toxins and waste material as you should. Not doing so can cause several internal processes to go haywire, and your immune system immediately takes a hit.

When your natural immunity to disease and infection is compromised, you run a greater risk of becoming sick from any cause.

And that’s not all to the benefits of eating fermented whole foods. There are other diseases they help to prevent.

Fermented Food to Fight Cancer and other Diseases

Fermented foods are whole foods that can reduce your risk of developing cancers and other diseases. A healthy gut also helps to reduce inflammation in your body, another cause of disease and illness.

Keep your gut and digestive system healthy by regularly eating fermented foods. Studies show you will live longer on average than people who do not eat fermented foods.

If you don’t like the taste or texture of fermented food like sauerkraut, try drinking kombucha, a fermented sweet tea. Kefir is fermented milk you can drink to benefit from the health-boosting powers of fermented foods.

There are approximately 100 trillion microorganisms in your gut. When this environment (called your gut biome) is healthy, you boost your immune system. You lower your risk of developing diseases, improve your digestive process, and help regulate healthy body weight.

Eating fermented foods does this. They contribute to physical and mental health in so many ways. All you have to do to benefit from whole fermented foods is to try to eat them regularly.

This doesn’t mean you need to be scarfing down a 32-ounce jar of sauerkraut every day. Just start adding fermented foods to your diet slowly if these are not your favorite types of food.

Do Your Gut a Favor

Start with a small amount of fermented food 3 to 5 times a week. That is plenty to begin creating the right environment in your gut for significant health rewards.

Over time you will slowly start to promote a healthy gut biome, and you may see yourself benefiting from some improved health conditions.

Learn more about fermented foods here. This article will further explain the health benefits of adding fermented foods to your meal plan.