Your gut is a highly complex part of your body containing 300 to 500 different kinds of living bacteria. In order to feel your best, it’s important to treat your gut right and maintain a healthy balance of these bacteria by feeding your body with the right foods. Fermentation of foods is an ancient technique of preserving and enhancing food and has been used in many different cultures. Not only have the techniques been used throughout the years to create great tasting food and drink, but fermented foods are also seen as a medicine to aid and promote healing in the body.
What is fermentation?
Fermentation is the chemical reaction that takes place when microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast or fungi are used to convert organic compounds such as starches and sugars. The organic compounds are then converted into acids or alcohol. While this may sound like something you don’t want to eat, fermentation is actually an integral process for food and drink such as sourdough, bread and beer.
How does this help my gut?
Poor gut health has been linked to sickness and diseases such as autoimmune disorders, depression, diabetes, fatigue and bloating. So it’s smart to make sure your gut is happy. Fermented foods are loaded with probiotics, known to strengthen your microbiome. Choosing foods that contain live cultures will help aid digestion, reduce bloating, increase nutrient absorption and help your skin glow.
Fermented foods to try
While you may have tried wine, sourdough and yoghurt, there’s a huge variety of fermented foods you can experiment with and add to your meals. Here are some of our favourites:
Sauerkraut: A simple cabbage dish that you can make at home. It involves cabbage, sea salt, caraway seeds and water and is commonly found in German cuisine teamed up with a bratwurst. It’s also a good source of iron, manganese, copper, sodium, magnesium and calcium.
Kimchi: A traditional Korean dish that originated over 3,000 years ago. It has a more complex range of ingredients but also uses cabbage along with other vegetables and spices. It was originally a way of storing vegetables over the cold winter months when many Koreans died of starvation. It contains vitamins A, B1, B2 and C and minerals such as iron, calcium and selenium.
Kombucha: A fizzy beverage that is actually good for you! Kombucha is a fermented black tea drink made from yeast, turning sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, and a bacteria called acetobacter converting the alcohol into acetic acid. You can make Kombucha yourself at home and add any flavouring of fruits to supply the sugar.
If you’re trying to incorporate a healthier lifestyle to benefit both your body and your mind, POW Food is a healthy meal delivery service offering tasty and nutritious food to provide a convenient and high-end meal solution. We can deliver to you at your home, as well as catering for your office, so
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