Fermented Foods: Health Benefits and How to Start

Hello friends,

This week we made homemade yogurt for the first time.

And I was pleased with the results.

It’s a nice yogurt, not too sweet, but still tangy and flavorful.

(unlike store-bought ones)

This got me thinking about the role of fermentation in a healthy diet.

This week in building health 👇

Why Fermenting Foods is Great For You

Fermentation, originally developed to preserve food, is now used to enhance nutritional value and flavor.

Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that improve digestive health, boost immunity, and aid weight management.

They are also easier to digest and have unique flavors compared to unfermented ones.

Think about kombucha, kefir, cheese, and kimchi - all delicious fermented products with health benefits.

What is Fermentation in a Nutshell

There are two main types of fermentation: alcoholic and lactic acid fermentation.

1. Yeast produces alcohol and carbon dioxide through alcoholic fermentation, resulting in alcoholic drinks or leavened bread.

2. Bacteria perform lactic acid fermentation, which produces lactic acid.

This fermentation is crucial for making dairy products like yogurt and cheese, and fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and kimchi.

The Easiest Way to Start and Experiment

Interested in fermentation?

I have two recommendations for beginners:

One: What do you eat all the time?

Do you love cheese?

It’s not too hard to make cheese at home with whole milk.

Do you eat a lot of bread?

Consider trying a sourdough starter.

Personally, that’s why I wanted to try making yogurt.

Since I have yogurt every morning, improving its quality will have a big impact on my health and diet.

If you pick something you know you’ll eat, you’ll be more motivated to try it out.

Two: What Fermented Foods Exist in Your Culture?

Fermented foods are a staple in traditional diets, from Korean kimchi to German sauerkraut, Japanese miso to Indian idli.

In the Philippines, we have traditional fermented foods like tapuy (rice wine), buro (fermented rice and fish), and bagoong (fermented fish or shrimp paste).

Explore your culture's fermented foods.

You'll be surprised at the variety and unique health benefits.

Including traditional foods in your diet connects you with your cultural heritage and supports your health.

→ Read more on this here

My favorite health things for the week

// one

We Know a Healthy Gut Fights Infection. New Study Reveals How

8 minutes | Christina Szalinski

Here’s a study on how our gut bacteria fend off pathogens.

The research shows a diverse community of gut bacteria starves invaders by outcompeting them for nutrients.

I see it as the "good bacteria" crowding out the competition!

This discovery will revolutionize the treatment of infectious diseases, leading to new microbiome-based treatments.

→ Read more on this here

// two

Fill your gut, then trust it.

8 minutes | Ethan Bond

I found an insightful piece comparing decision-making to foraging.

This analogy shows the balance between exploring new options and leveraging what we know works, in life and health.

Maintaining well-being involves trying new healthy habits and consistently practicing ones that suit our individual needs, similar to foraging for food.

The article reminds us to trust our innate wisdom, fill our minds and bodies with goodness, and then make intuitive wellness choices.

→ Read More About it Here

// three

Food as Medicine

12 minutes | Anthony Vennare

We're making progress toward personalizing nutrition for each person or household.

Imagine a future where meals are tailored to your health needs based on your genetics, microbiome, and lifestyle. That's the promise of food as medicine, and I'm excited to see it happen.

I look forward to a time when we stop talking about "optimal" foods for everyone.

We're all unique, and so are our nutritional needs.

→ Read More About it Here

Until next time

Thanks for reading!

Have a Healthy Weekend