The Power of Fermented Foods

If you are worried about your gut health and like the taste of sweet and sour try fermenting some veg and take your stomach back to ancient, paleo, times!

Fermentation has long been part of human history unlike highly processed foods and supermarkets. Food scientists say that it played a vital role in human survival because it allowed people to preserve food in a nutritional and safe way.

Considered to be ‘live’, fermented foods have a natural tart flavour because the sugars and carbohydrates have been broken down and used up during fermentation. With vegetables, they become more digestible than raw ones. And, because they contain living bacteria they help digest other foods in the gut.

Fermented vegetables can even be safer than raw vegetables, thanks to the ability of lactic acid, which forms during fermentation, to kill any harmful bacteria that might be present. For more science and safety tips click here

Chopped or grated with added sea salt

These foods are now labeled as superfoods and it is fantastic that anyone can make them in their own kitchen without any specialist equipment.  And with the appalling state of the nation’s heath should be in great demand once people understand the benefits of regular consumption.

For more listen to the real experts on this great episode from BBC Food Program about fermenting veg. Did Kimchi save him from Aids?

I have been fermenting veg ever since I heard this program and even used some blueberries and rye flour last week to get a sourdough culture started.

I make batch of Kimchi every few months and try to eat some every day in a salad, coleslaw, sandwich filling, curry side dish or added to noodles.  My partner makes Kombucha and may even try some Kefir.

I feel very healthy and am sure my immune system is much stronger as I don’t seem to get ill like my friends.

The final product dated and labelled

So if you are interested in becoming the Kimchi, Kombucha or Kefir supplier for your friends or community have a go. More here

There are lots of recipes and videos online all based on the simple processes.  Chopping veg, adding salt and storing in a jar for Kimchi, feeding a ‘mother’ with tea, and juice for Kombucha and feeding Kefir grains for ‘Kefir yoghurt’ .

If your friends want to join in follow the example of the Korean people who all get together for a Kimchi production line or share their live ‘Kombucha mothers’ and ‘Kefir grains’.

And please don’t be afraid and watch videos to give you confidence. I opened a jar of forgotten Kimchi after 6 months storage recently and there was a ‘pop’ and lots of bubbles fizzing up the side of the jar.

I wondered: Has this gone off and will give me food poisoning? Or is this jar similar to opening a fine bottle of champaign?

It didn’t taste like champaign but was delicious and 100 times better for me!