Fermented Foods

Just in case you didn’t know already, the Standard American Diet is SAD. Quite literally as well. It’s filled with dead foods. Ever notice how everything in the produce section dies so quickly and packaged foods last forever it seems? It’s because those foods are alive. Do you want to keep putting DEAD foods in your body? Because eventually we all become what we eat. I don’t know about you, but I want to be alive and incredibly vibrant. That’s why when I grocery shop now, I spend the majority of my time/my budget in the produce section. I used to shop every two weeks because I thought I was saving money, but I quickly realized in my young 20’s that buying a small amount of fresh produce every week is the way to go. I get nutrients that are the most fresh and alive.

Speaking of alive, ever heard of live cultures? I mean what is that? Live cultures are micro-organisms that we can get from food, and when consumed can help repopulate the micro biome in our gut with beneficial bacteria. We should all be striving for a well populated gut. These little babies help break down our food well and help the nutrients in our food absorb into the body. Probiotics supplements can provide temporary relief for an imbalanced micro biome, and can help improve our digestive/immune system. However, we all have a unique balance of micro-organisms in our gut, and these probiotics may only provide a tiny portion of this. 

My favorite way to bring more live cultures into my diet is through fermented foods. These foods have naturally occurring bacteria and when consumed every day can provide a larger variety of live cultures than just taking a probiotic. Throughout history, different cultures around the world have had at least one fermented food in their diet. Why have we fallen out of this tradition? 

These are just a few of the fermented foods from around the world. I only listed the ones that I have consumed in my lifetime. I think when we can eat/drink at least 1 serving of anything fermented per day, our body will thank us for it. They will help digest our food better, increase our metabolism, ward off sickness with a strong immune system, keep our skin and eyes clear and vibrant, and many more benefits. The digestive system is where ALL disease starts. When we can take control, stop taking antibiotics and repopulate with fermented foods and probiotics, we can take hold of our own health.