Fermentation And Gut Health
There's currently a plethora of social media and TikTok praise on how sauerkraut and kimchi are good for your overall gut health. Yes, those rumors are indeed true; but before you go buying these items in bulk from your nearest wholesale market, note that those brazen statements are not necessarily one-hundred percent accurate.
First thing's first, fermentation is a process in which bacteria and yeast break down sugars.
Not only does it enhance food preservation, but eating fermented foods can also boost the number of probiotics in your gut. Probiotics are scientifically known to be associated with a variety of health benefits, such as improved digestion, better immunity, and even increased weight loss.
Kimchi and Sauerkraut, per social media's case, are both a form of fermented cabbage, using the lacto-fermentation process to be more precise. This specific long-term fermentation process is so critical because it's what gives kimchi, sauerkraut, or any other lacto-fermented item their very distinctive health benefits. But what about the other fermented products like kombucha, are they less healthy?
How Are Fermented Foods Good For Your Gut?
Foods were traditionally fermented to prolong shelf life and keep them safely preserved; for example, delicate wine and vinegar were just a few of the very first items in European culture to be popularly conserved and fermented. However with wine, which is produced by alcoholic fermentation using yeast, and vinegar with acetic-acid-producing bacteria; lacto-fermentation, first identified in milk, contained the sugar lactose, that when broken down formed a large amount of lactic acid and carbon dioxide (Lactobacillus). This would create an acidic, low-oxygen environment that encouraged the growth of good bacteria (probiotics) and prevent the growth of other microorganisms.
Now, the process which was once exclusive to dairy products soon became to include foods such as olives, sauerkraut, kimchi, cucumbers, and other vegetables. The simplest method of lacto-fermentation was to submerge a food item that naturally contained high lactic acid bacteria, such as cabbage or cucumber, into a brine of water and salt. This was a whole new ball game compared to the previously mentioned alcoholic fermentation and acetic-acid-producing fermentation process--the outcome however was still the same, the fermentation process significantly increased levels of probiotics.
The probiotics, in turn, would counteract harmful bacteria in your gut and control internal inflammation. They do this by helping your body digest food properly, keeping bad bacteria from getting out of control and leaking into your bloodstream, creating the necessary vitamins for your body's needs, and a plethora more. However, you don't actually need to be eating fermented foods or taking supplements to "get" probiotics within your system; this naturally occurs in your body all the time. Good bacteria (probiotics) are just a natural part of your body, just as bad bacteria are. Eating a nutrient-rich diet high in fiber is key for maintaining that gut balance of probiotics.
Not All Fermented Items Are The Same
The foods that give your body beneficial probiotics are those fermented using natural processes and containing live probiotics. Read the packaging and look for statements like contains probiotics, contains live cultures, or is naturally fermented. And some foods, like yogurt and kefir, will often list the probiotic strains that they contain on their label. You will typically find these fermented foods in refrigerated/cooling aisles at your local grocery chains. The jars of pickles you can buy off the shelf at the supermarket are sometimes pickled using vinegar and not the natural fermentation process using live organisms, which means they don’t contain any probiotics.
Parker-pope, Tara. “The Dos and Don'ts of Fermented Foods.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Aug. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/article/fermented-foods-dos-facts.html.
“Probiotics: What Is It, Benefits, Side Effects, Food & Types.” Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14598-probiotics#:~:text=The%20extra%20good%20bacteria%20helps,little%20faster%20and%20prevent%20diarrhea.
Mandl, Elise. “What Is Lacto-Fermentation, and Does It Have Health Benefits?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 12 June 2019, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lacto-fermentation#purpose.
Meg, et al. “Lacto-Fermentation Guide: How to Ferment Vegetables (+ Recipe Ideas).” FANNEtastic Food, 7 Oct. 2021, https://www.fannetasticfood.com/how-to-ferment-vegetables/.
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