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When you think of fermentation, yogurt and pickles might come to your mind first.
Some may not like the idea of consuming fermented products as historically speaking fermentation technique was alone used to preserve food before refrigerators came into picture.
Like it or not, the benefits of fermentation have been backed by science now. Fermentation has made a solid come back and the benefits of fermented food have been spreading across cultures now.
Table of Contents
What is Fermentation?
According to Healthline, Fermentation is a natural process through which microorganisms like yeast and bacteria convert carbohydrates like sugar and starch into alcohol or acids.
For example, starches and sugars in vegetables and fruits are converted into lactic acid and this acid acts as a natural preservative.
Fermentation can help with enhancing the beneficial bacteria in food. These bacteria are live microorganisms called Probiotics. They help with many health problems mainly related to gut health. If taken insufficient amount, they help in restoring the natural balance of gut bacteria.
Our gut consists of trillions of live microorganisms. An imbalance happens when the bad bacteria is higher than good bacteria which leads to multiple health related problems.
Imbalance can happen due to a variety of reasons such as an underlying illness, medication such as antibiotics, poor diet etc.
Learn more about Antibiotics in this article.
Benefits of Fermentation
1. Improves Digestive Health
Probiotics help to balance the friendly bacteria in our digestive system. Studies have proven that probiotics can help reduce the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
For starters, IBS is a chronic disease that causes abdominal discomfort, flatulence, gas, constipation and diarrhea.
2. Helps with Boosting Immunity
Probiotics help with balancing the gut bacteria by inhibiting the growth of bad bacteria.
A study involving 54 women reported that daily probiotic consumption for 6 months enhanced the clearance of human papillomavirus, which is known to cause cervical cancer.
Probiotics lactobacilli can also help in significantly reducing the risk of antibiotic- associated diarrhea in children and adults.
Consuming Probiotic rich food give you an immune system boost and reduce your risk of getting sick.
3. Aids in good Mental Health
According to a research done by Harvard, it is found that gut and brain are connected . The gut is called the ‘second brain’ because it produces the same neurotransmitters as the brain does.
A small 2013 study reported in the journal Gastroenterology found that women who ate yogurt with a mix of probiotics, twice a day for four weeks, were calmer when exposed to images of angry and frightened faces compared with a control group.
According to Healthline, Probiotics strains namely Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium (L.helveticus and B.longum) are being called as ‘Psychobiotics’ by researchers for their potential therapeutic benefits.
4. Weight Loss
A study was conducted to find out if probiotics helped with weight loss. The experiment was conducted on a special kind of mice which didn’t have any gut bacteria.
Observations:
- No weight change when the mice got gut bacteria from people of average weight
- Weight gain when the gut bacteria came from obese people
Another study conducted on obese women who enrolled in a weightloss program received the strain Lactobacillus. After three months of continuously taking it, they shed a little over 4 pounds. Additionally, the women taking a probiotic supplement continued to lose more weight in the weight-maintenance stage after they finished dieting.
5. Reduce Risk of Many Diseases
Probiotics have many health benefits which include reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and inflammation. Probiotics help in reducing total and low-density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. High LDL means higher cholesterol to tissues which can be injurious to the heart health. Probiotics can supposedly help in reducing this protein although evidence is limited.
Top 5 Fermented Food That Does Wonders To Your Health
1. Yogurt / Indian Curd
This is the most popular fermented foods available. It is the most popular dairy product that’s made by the bacterial fermentation of milk.
Yogurt can be made from all types of milk. Unsweetened Yogurt offer many health benefits.
They contain a lot of calcium, Vitamin B particularly B12 and riboflavin, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.
Yogurt provides almost every nutrient your body needs.
Recipe: How to Make Yogurt at Home
Ingredients:
- 8 cups Milk
- 1/2cup commercial non sweetened Yogurt with live culture
Directions:
- Boil the milk in a pan. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, this heating step is necessary to change the protein structure in the milk so it sets as a solid instead of separating.
- Cool the milk until it is warm enough to touch. Transfer this milk to a vessel. Add the yogurt starter and make sure not to stir.
- Wait for the Yogurt to set. Let the yogurt sit for at least for 4 hours. It again depends on the temperature of the yogurt. In warm temperatures, the yogurt sets faster than cold temperatures.
- After 4 hours, start checking the yogurt to see if it has reached the desired consistency and flavor.
- That’s it. You have made your very own yogurt! You can use this for the next batch of yogurt.
Youtube Video to make your own Yogurt.
2. Fermented Rice/ Pazhaya Soru
Fermented rice is a common traditional breakfast in the South Indian households like Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Surprisingly, not many people know the benefits of this wonder breakfast yet.
What happens during Fermentation?
Good bacteria are generated when left-over rice is soaked overnight in water which produces lactic acid. The lactic acid produced helps in improving the bioavailability of micronutrients and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium by 1000%!
For example, after 12 hours of fermentation of 100g of rice, the availability of iron changed from 3.4mg to 73.91mg!
Unbelievable right?
Another amazing thing about this fermented rice water is that it has the rare B6 and B12 vitamins which are otherwise not easily available in other food supplements.
American Nutrition Association has also rated this South Asian traditional breakfast as one of the best breakfasts in the world.
Recipe: Make your own Fermented Rice
Ingredients :
- Left over rice (Brown/White)
- Water
Directions:
- Soak this rice in water and leave it overnight for around 12-16 hours
- In the morning, add some plain yogurt and salt. That is it! You are good to have it as breakfast!
Youtube Video on how to make Fermented Rice at home.
3. Kombucha
This is the newest beverage that has been trending for a while now. The Chinese call it an ‘Immortal Health Elixir’ as it supposedly helps with longevity. It is a fermented carbonated drink prepared by brewing together sugar, black or green tea, live culture (a mixture of yeast and bacteria called SCOBY).SCOBY is the acronym for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast and is formed after the completion of a unique fermentation process of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), acetic acid bacteria (AAB), and yeast to form several sour foods and beverages such as kombucha.
This drink can many benefits as given below:
- Improving Digestion,
- Improving Diabetes,
- Strengthening Immune system
- Reducing blood pressure
- Detoxification.
All Kombucha drinks contain some ethanol. This varies from beverages with a small amount to those made with a kick. Because of fermentation or the way products are stored, the alcohol content can increase even after they hit the shelves.
Youtube Video on How to Make Kombucha
4. Kimchi
Photo by Portuguese Gravity on Unsplash
It is one of the most popular Korean condiments made out of fermented Napa cabbage. Kimchi has its origins in the 7th century. Kimchi is a red, fermented cabbage dish made with a mix of salt, vinegar, garlic, chile peppers, and other spices.
They have multiple health benefits which are listed below.
- Lowering cholesterol levels
- Vitamin A for clear vision
- Selenium for skin and hair
- Antioxidants for slowing down the aging process
- immunity booster.
- Help reduce inflammation
Recipe: Make your own Vegan Kimchi at Home
Ingredients
- 1 Medium head Napa Cabbage
- Salt as required
- A tablespoon garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 or 2 small white onions
- ½ cup red chili flakes
Vegan Sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Pineapple juice / 4-5 pieces of cut pineapple
- ¼ cup warm water
Directions
- Cut the cabbage into a quarter
- Slice the quarter into about 2 inch pieces. Do not chop it small since cabbage will shrink during fermentation
- Add a little salt to cups of lukewarm water.
- Place the cabbage in a big bowl and slowly pour this salt eater on it. The water level should be such that the whole cabbage is submerged. Let it soak for 12 hours. Soaking cabbage in saltwater helps to speed up the fermentation process.
- Rinse off the cabbage to remove salt.
- Grind ginger, garlic , pineapple and a pinch of sugar to make a sweet and tangy sauce
- Mix the soy sauce, chilli flakes ,cabbage, onion and the above sauce . You can use gloves to mix them .
- Store this in a mason jar. Make sure there is 1 inch gap and the kimchi isn’t filled to the brim for fermentation to take place.
- It takes around 24-36 hours for fermentation to take place.
- After you are satisfied with the taste, store it in the refrigerator.
Tada! Your own home-made Vegan Kimchi is ready!
Youtube Video on how to make your own Home-Made Vegan Kimchi at Home.
5. Tempeh
It is made of fermented soy which is so popular as an alternative to meat. Vegans and vegetarians swear by this. This popular dish originated in Indonesia and has spread across the globe now.
After fermentation, the soybeans are made into a compact cake.
Tempeh has a dry and firm cum chewy texture with a slight nutty taste.
Benefits of Tempeh
- Tempeh is a good source of protein, iron, manganese, Phosphorus, Magnesium, and Calcium. Most importantly, it is low in sodium and carbohydrates.
- Tempeh is rich in prebiotics – they promote the growth of good bacteria in your digestive system.
- It may help reduce cholesterol levels. According to a study conducted on mice, tempeh caused a decrease in both cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
- Due to its high content of calcium, it can help in supporting bone health.
Recipe: How To Make Tempeh at Home
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Dry Soya Beans, hulled
- 2 tbs Vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon Tempeh Starter Culture
Directions
- Soak the soya bean in water overnight.
- Next day, drain the water and dehull the soya bean. You can simply massage the beans between your palms and the casing will be removed.
- Boil the soya bean for 1 hour to cook
- Discard the water and leave it to dry. Break the tempeh.
- Add the vinegar and mix well
- Add the tempeh starter
- For fermentation, tempeh needs to be in a container with little ventilation. You can use a freezer bag with holes.
- Place the beans so that they form a 1-inch layer.
- Place in an incubator. An incubator is a device used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures or cell cultures. A tempeh incubator can be as simple as a gas oven with only the pilot light on. The ideal temperature for fermentation is 88 degrees F /31 degree C for the next 24 to 48 hours. Between 12 and 24 hours, you will start seeing some white mycelium growing on the beans.
Youtube Video on How to make your own Home made Tempeh.
Finally, Fermented food can be a boon to one’s health but if there are any signs of intolerance then please discontinue having it. You might be allergic to eat.
The surroundings play an important role too. If there is any contamination, the bacteria formed during fermentation can be more dangerous so being careful is the key.
Let us know your experience with Fermented foods in the comments below! Do you make your own or buy it from the outside?
Such interesting information
Amazing article…And very helpful
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Very valuable information
Lovely..well written
Saved in my favourites..lot of options ❤️ thank you
Very interesting article love the detailed information
Many new in the list…so happy while reading this… thank you bfor this article.
Hey I’m a huge fan of kombucha..And very nice recipe all of them are good for gut health
This is an amazing post. Love the way you explained each step.
Terrific article
Amazingly done
Grt
This article contains so many and important informations.. I do have fermented rice and now I have to start having curd..my mom keeps on telling m to have curd but I never liked curd
Such detailed information about fermentation and various items that are good for health, thanks, I usually have my own fermented curd , others mentioned here will be tried like u mentioned.
Wow this is really amazing..so many important information u shared
Yes good heath is very important. I have been using probiotics. It help me a lot in my digestion.
Ohh mg I never know that fermented foods are this much healthy and obviously yumm too. I’m happy to read this, I love curd thnx a lot for information dear
So many informations …very interesting .. tnk uh so much
Omg i didn’t know the benefits of fermented food. Its amazing. Thanks for sharing this
Oh God I didn’t knew all of it. I am definitely gonna try these recipes.
These foods definitely are good for gut health as well as overall well. Loved reading the article.
Wow i had no idea that some of the food i eat have such great benefits thats soo good to know. I personally love kambucha and now definitely drinking it regularly
Love it .. how nicely u have explained it dear .. I love curd too
Have heard about fermented foods a lot, but this is the first time I have come across a detailed related article….Thanks for posting such health beneficial articles…Keep up the good work!
I would try all the recipes thanks for sharing such a healthy Read
You have given such information that I never knew about fermentation . Thank you
Enjoyed learning every bit of it. Done a great job
I loved the section of your content where you shared the recipes too
Good article. I know that fermentation is good for health. But you have added a good insight and hence so much to my knowledge. Yogurt and old rice is known to me. Din’t know kimchi is also good for health. Other two were totally new to me. Thanks for sharing this info
Really nice article. I use homemade yogurt a lot to manta in gut health, but didn’t knew about all of the other fermented foods! It’s fantastic to have so much recipes to help with our health! Than you so much for sharing such important information about fermented foods.
Mantain* not manta
Informative information post
Amazing article ❣️..very informative and helpful too thanks for sharing information about fermentation..
Wow, I really enjoyed reading your blog. It is really amazing and so helpful and useful.I really love curd and pickels and other fermented items you shared, will gonna try those.Especislly I wanted to make vegan kimchi for a very long time, now got the recipe too. The blog is really resourceful.
Wonderful blog… prebiotic and probiotics are of great health importance but lesser known. Keep up such blogs.
Wow…never knew so much abt fermented foods….extremely informative blog….tysm for sharin this with us♥
Fermentation also has so many benefits it’s great
It’s a good information you have given
Useful information about fermented food.
Had a basic idea about fermented food. Thanks for sharing the recipes to give these a try. Looking fwd to try these soon
This is really amazing!
Wow your blog is really informative
I never knew that there are so many benefits of fermented foods…those recipes that you have put in I am definitely going to try… thanks for sharing
This is so important and useful..!!
Wow this is really amazing.. thanks for this useful information
Extremely informative blog..thanks for sharing this information
Wow amazing information Thanks for sharing
Amezing your work… Also helpfull for me.. Thanks for sharing
wowww…This is really an interesting blog..Before reading this I only know about fermented rice and curd is healthy…but it seems there are lot more healthy foods too that we can ferment and have. Thanks for the blog… Great experience to know all these new healthy recipes ..
Love to read ur blogs and this one is really surprised me how can fermented foods are beneficial to our health and got clear answer for all doubt BTW kimchi is my fav n thanks for the racipe ❤️
This is a great list, I had no idea about Kimchi benefits although I eat it every time with my Bibimbap!
First of all, thank you very much for penning down such a knowledge article. I liked the way you elaborated about weight loss.
love reading this article, i learnt something new again, thank you for this information – glowwithme_sg
Fermented foods are really helpful.Probiotics one of them. They extremely important for gut health and digestion. Thank you for sharing.
Even our desi paneer, idly, dosa are also good sources of fermented foods 🙂 I include them on a daily basis especially to ease digestion and to improve my immunity 🙂
Very well explained article! Really useful!
This blog is so well written, I often consume fermented foods.
You have done a great job with this post this is really informative
This is so informative and helpful
Yes, I totally agree and amaze how beautifuly you describe about fermented foods . Fermented food is best for our guts. We can have it in any form as you mentioned acar , fermented rice, curd and many more… Top5listicle I rest like your articles
Never knew fermented food had so many health benefits ❤️
My dad used to sayFermented food is best for our guts…and i totally agreeing with u on this point
Very infinformative
and helpful .
You shared such a valuable information and the way you have explained each thing is so perfectly..
Very informative and loved the detailed explanation and also thankyou for these recipes…
My father always say fermnted food is always best for gut…U wrote the blog so well …So much informative
Interesting blog information! Most of it wasn’t new for me, but I enjoyed reading the blog! Personally I make yogurt at home and I love to use yogurt on daily basis with anything I eat, also I love kimchi even though it can be spicy. 🙂 This information is very valuable, thank you for sharing recipes also, because now I can make kimchi at home myself! I loved reading your blog lovely!
Very interesting blog! Most of it wasn’t new for me, because I learned most of these in my Biochem course at the university! I enjoyed reading it, thank you for sharing recipients because I love kimchi and I didn’t know how to make it myself! Personally I always make homemade yogurt myself and I use on daily basis with anything I eat! 🙂 Thank you love for this amazing blog!
I just knew about curd rest all were so new to me thank u for this educational post ,I just love reading your blogs they always interesting
Really important information concerning our nutrition
I swear by curd in the form of curry, buttermilk/lassi, salad etc. This probiotic worked wonders for my skin and body! By the way thanks for introducing other 4 important food items.. will give it a shot ❣️
Farmented foods is so good for gut health too,thanks for sharing
Wow . You explained fermented foods and it’s uses amazingly . Lovely post .
This article is very informative and interesting one… Thanks for sharing
Wow you explained about the fermented food so well.. I wanted to try kimchi at home i love kimchi..
Good information and I know fermentation is good for us but thank you for sharing recipe too
You explained fermented food and it’s uses amazingly just loved reading your blogs ❤
This is such an amazing article. Totally worth reading I love reading your blogs
Wow so many amazing recipes 🙂 and very informative
Always helpful with each post! Your tips help me!
Probiotics help to balance the friendly bacteria in digestive that’s why I am having those tablets but after reading I got idea that I should change my food habits . Thank you system
Heard of yoghurt and fermented rice but other things are knew to me, gonna try to make the recipe you shared , as always informative post.
I really loved the whole article and it’s so helpful and I informative..!!
Such an amazing piece of information here thanks for sharing with us
Such an amazing article and super informative
This is an amazing article, I enjoyed reading. All of this information in the article is very valuable and interesting. I learned most of information in my biochemistry course, but you managed to list more greater information! Thank you dear!
This article is really informative, very well written about the importance of fermented foods, i love having kimchi.
I’m blown away with this article it’s got so much of information that is so useful and recipes too that I will definitely be doing. Thank you for your awesome work .
I am going to start eat healthy and homme food
Wow I love drinking chaas every day. To know it health benefits made me love the drink more.
Oh wow i was not aware avout this thankyou for sharing this article ❤