Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

1. A diverse and plentiful population of digestive flora is essential for staying healthy.

2. The proper balance of microbe strains protects against the overgrowth of pathogenic organisms.

3. Most manufactured probiotics (bottled bacteria) do not survive transit through stomach acid because they lack natural protection present in fermented foods.

4. Our gut houses 30 trillion microbes including bacteria, yeast, and parasites, so more than a few billion are required to make any significant changes.

1. Many diseases, including autoimmune conditions, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and others have been associated with an imbalance of gut flora (dysbiosis). Eating fermented foods is the best strategy to reestablish a healthy balance of gut flora, which helps to contain, crowd out, and fight off pathogenic invasions.

2. Microbes are also important for detoxification, as they attack, quarantine, and neutralize toxins from our food, environment, and pathogenic organisms.

3. The microorganisms in fermented foods help us make and absorb vitamins and nutrients, especially the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

4. Friendly microbes protect the integrity of our intestinal walls, which is essential for a balanced immune system, 80% of which resides in the gut.

5. Fermented foods are packed with enzymes, help to balance pH, and increase/improve bowel transit time.

Taking probiotic supplements is great, but the benefits of fermented foods are even better. Fermented foods save money as they are more potent – just one teaspoon of fermented foods can contain trillions of microbes, the equivalent to an entire bottle of probiotics.

Fermented foods are also fairly inexpensive to make at home. All you need are organic vegetables, filtered water, mineralized sea salt, and proper air-tight containers. The containers are very important and are the biggest investment, but it is a onetime purchase, and it is well worth it.

There has been a lot of interest lately on Paleolithic diets, but one thing that many people seem to miss is that archeological evidence shows that lacto-fermented foods have been part of our diet since 1.5 million years BC. The “lacto” in “lacto-fermentation” comes from “lactobacillus,” a species of microbe.

Lacto-fermented foods have been around since prehistoric times and were consumed by early humanoids before fire was tamed and pottery was invented! Homo sapiens did not appear until 200,000 years BC. Just from this information alone, we can conclude what an important part of our diet beneficial microbes are, as we have evolved to eat them on a daily basis.

Going back to our foundations and feeding ourselves with our symbiotic friends like we have been since prehistoric times can help us effectively treat and prevent many common ailments and diseases. We do not need to resort to pharmaceuticals or think that this is just the way we are. The benefits of fermented foods are a natural way to achieve a healthy gut and support the immune system.

For those with sensitive or overreactive immune systems, the use of a proper airtight container is necessary to avoid mold development. The container not only needs to be free of oxygen but also needs to be able to allow the release of carbon dioxide, a byproduct of the microbes. This can be done with the use of an air lock. Burping an airtight container is a common method but this allows oxygen to flow into the container.

To learn how to ferment all kinds of healthy foods, join one of our fermentation workshops

Hormones and ideal body weight pag e

Food Tip: To balance thyroid, eat foods rich in iodine such as sea kelp or cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale) daily.

Estrogen dominance is a commonly undiagnosed cause for midsection/abdominal weight gain. Food Tip:to balance estrogen, eat two to three servings of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kale) daily.

Hint: To balance cortisol, undergo light aerobic exercise and avoid post-workout crashes. For example, a few minutes daily of swimming, jogging, bicycling, or walking; strength training with professional guidance; stress reduction and relaxation techniques; yoga; and gentle breathing exercises. There are any number of supplement protocols to support adrenal function (after testing is completed) tailored to each individual patient’s need.

We tend to be respectful of nature’s decision to reduce hormones with age, but sometimes this is an especially important consideration when an individual is suffering severe hormone-related symptoms.

Undiagnosed Diabetes, Prediabetes, or Insulin Resistance (on same page)

Standard normal = 65 – 99 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) is far too generalized

Functional Medicine Interpretation

• Optimal: 76-81 mg/dL
• Normal: 82-85 mg/dL
• At-risk: 86-99 mg/dL
• Prediabetes: 100-125 mg/dL
• Diabetes: 126 mg/dL and above

Not commonly looked at by most conventional physicians, but can provide useful additional information

Standard normal = 6-35 microunits per milliliter (mcU/mL) is far too generalized

Functional Medicine Interpretation

• Optimal: 6 mcU/mL or less
• At-risk: 8-10 mcU/mL
• Prediabetic: 11-25 mcU/mL
• Dangerous: Above 25 mcU/mL

2-HOUR ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST

Looks at the body’s dynamic insulin response to glycemic/sugar stress

Interpretation

• Normal: less than 140 mg/dL
• Prediabetic: 140-159 mg/dL, or an increase in glucose of 50 mg/ dL or more within
• Dangerous: 160 mg/dL

Quantifies glycation (sugar damage) to red blood cell proteins and provides indication of blood sugar levels over the last 3 months

Interpretation

• Normal: 4.5% – 4.9%
• At-risk: 5.0% to 5.6%
• Prediabetic: 5.7% to 6.9%
• Diabetic: 7.0% or higher