You have a fridge full of fresh organic fruit & veggies at home, so you’re eating healthy right? Well, to be honest, there is a bit more to it and a few more questions that need to be answered. What does your body do to all this goodness once it is consumed? Is your body able to digest & absorb all the nutrients? You see the real quality of our diet depends on the nutrient content and the bioavailability of the nutrients in the food we eat. The efficiency of absorption and utilisation or retention of these nutrients by our body can vary substantially for a number of reasons.
Have you ever considered the following?
- What is the actual nutrient content of the food you are consuming? Take a carrot for example; just to get to get to your shopping basket that carrot has endured modern farming methods (hopefully free from pesticides) as well as transport & storage – these are all things that can affect the nutrient content considerably.
- The state of your gut flora. These are the microorganisms that live in your digestive tract. Gut flora is responsible for important functions such as building immunity, preventing allergy as well as assisting with metabolic function; particularly metabolizing carcinogens, synthesizing vitamins including folate & the absorption of magnesium, iron & calcium. Most importantly gut flora is responsible for aiding in the fermentation & absorption of carbohydrates. Basically any unused energy is broken down by the enzymes in the gut flora that the human body doesn’t otherwise possess. This includes breaking down starches, fiber, sugar & lactose. If you have poorly functioning gut flora, your body may not be able to absorb nutrients.
Fermented Foods – A great addition to any diet, Why?
Fermented Foods, or cultured foods, contain bacteria in the form of microorganisms. They are jam packed with beneficial enzymes and bacteria which assists in efficient digestion by the body because they supply and nourish intestinal bacteria. Fermented food, as it is broken down in the fermenting process produces enzymes, moulds, yeasts & lactic acid bacteria.. These organisms predigest the foods, breaking down the complex proteins, carbohydrates and fats so as that the body can more easily assimilate amino acids, simple sugars & fatty acids for use. The action of the culture organisms makes the minerals in fermented foods more easily available by the body. The bacteria also produces B Vitamins – which we know is great for cell metabolism, immune & nervous system function & energy production!
Fermented vegetables like kale & cabbage are a great source of Vitamin C. Due to the vegetables being fermented, your body is able to absorb the vitamin C which will assist in adrenal & thyroid health! Vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins are crucial to adrenal health. Being water-soluble vitamins, they are easily depleted and may need regular supplementation, making fermented foods a great choice. Vitamin C is stored in high concentrations in the adrenal glands, & as adrenal function assists in regulating hormone balance, it is important to ensure the adrenals are nourished.
Fermented foods are very rich in enzymes that are produced by the culture organisms and take part in the processes of fermentation. This means that eating fermenteded foods assists in the digestion of other foods by building up the enzyme supply. The more good bacteria in the gut, the more easily the body can produce enzymes. There are more than 150,000 different types of enzymes in the human body and all functions of the body require them including neutralising toxins and downgrading hormones in the liver, removing waste products from cells, storing surplus nutrients in the liver and muscles and building minerals into nerves, bones and blood. The proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the food we eat must be broken down into simpler units to enable the body to absorb and utilise it.
Beware though!
Over the years we have seen a change in the types of foods we eat. Modern so called fermented foods such as pickles and sauerkraut is now made with vinegar instead of the traditional method of lacto-fermentation using salt , pastas & breads that were once used with wild yeast (sour dough) is now made with commercial yeast, whilst yoghurts and cheeses are being pasteurized which kills off the good bacteria.
With yoghurt, there is the yoghurt that you buy in the supermarket, then there is real yoghurt – the fermented stuff that still has all the good stuff in it! The yoghurt that you buy in supermarket is nearly always made with milk solids, which raises the lactose levels higher than that of milk & destroys the quality of the yoghurt. Properly cultured yoghurt, often branded as probiotic yoghurt is full of nutrients and is also very easy to digest, even for many people with food intolerances including lactose intolerance. This is because the lactose in the milk used to make the yogurt is largely broken down by the live cultures in the yogurt, making it easy for the body’s digestive enzymes.
Another great way to get your experiment with fermented foods is to consume kefir, kombucha or miso. Kefir is a probiotic cultured milk drink. It can taste tangy and sour, and has a consistency somewhere inbetween milk and yoghurt. It possesses far more good bacteria & enzymes than yoghurt! Kefir is inexpensive to make & the kefir grains will reproduce, meaning once you have a starter kit, you will have kefir for life! Kombucha is a fermented tea laden with enzymes, vitamins and organic acids. It can be can be made at home by fermenting tea using yeast and bacteria as well as organic acids, active enzymes & amino acids. It is said to taste like vinegar. Miso is fermented soy bean paste created with soy beans, grains, sea-salt, water & culture. Miso provides a steady supply of energy to the body. Miso is a concentrated source of complete protein, containing 17 amino acids which enables easy digestion. In addition, the digestion inhibiting enzyme trypsin which is always a problem in raw or under-cooked soy beans is destroyed during fermentation. The B-vitamins-riboflavin, niacin and B12 - are each increased during fermentation of miso.
Here are a sample of the many ways to include fermented foods into your diet - some have been done for years & given the health benefits, for a very good reason!
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