My last post focused on soy and why its consumption can be detrimental to our health. What I didn't discuss was the Japanese and Asian diets that are rich in soy. Why do these cultures have such long and healthy lifespans if they are eating so much soy? The answer is fermentation. I talked about Phytic Acid in soy and its anti-nutritive properties but once fermented, it actually has the opposite effect by boosting the nutrients and priobiotics that are naturally present in the soy but need to be "unlocked". Miso is a great example of fermented soy, as is soy sauce. Most of the soy in the American diet is not fermented and thus not good for you. The Japanese have a diet high in fish and fermented vegetables. They pickle many types of vegetables and add them to their meals. You have probably seen fermented vegetables at a sushi restaurant but chose not to eat it because of its outlandish color, texture or super intense flavor but these pickled delights pack a nutrient punch and help boost the immune system as well. The fermentation process is defined in a couple of ways. Pickling (letting a vegetable/meat sit in a salt bath until the enzymes work through the food) is one way. This method creates enzyme rich food as well as helps to preserve it and increase the flavor. Our ancestors pickled vegetables and meats in order to preserve them, but they were also getting the most out of their food as an added bonus. Other fermentation processes such as culturing use fungi and bacteria to predigest the food thus creating, cheese, yogurt or kefir. These foods are alive with active cultures that aid in digestion and boost the immune system. The pasteurization process can kill off a lot of the good bacteria in these products so its best to get raw when you can. Consuming alive bacteria is way more effective than consuming dead bacteria. Here are some of the health benefits that fermenting provides:
1. Unprocessed fermented foods boost the immune system by increasing antibodies that fight infectious disease.
2. The flora in living cultured foods form a "living shield" that covers the small intestine's inner lining and helps inhibit pathogenic organisms including E.coli, salmonella and an unhealthy overgrowth of candida (yeast).
3. Some ferments create antioxidants (glutathione and superoxide dismustase) that scavenge free radicals which are a cancer precursor.
4. Fermenting transforms hard-to-digest lactose from milk to the more easily digested lactic acid. It neutralizes the anti-nutrients found in many foods including the phytic acid found in all grains and the trypsin-inhibitors in soy.
5. Fermentation generates new nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, digestive aids and the trace mineral GTF chromium.
Many processed foods on the shelves of our grocery store claim to be fermented foods. Examples would be olives, pickles, roasted peppers or any anti pasta type food. The problem with these foods is that big business and over processing has once again stripped them of their natural nutritive properties. Some store bought olives are washed with a lye solution to remove bitterness and then packed in salt and canned. These types of olives are not fermented at all but you would not know that and lye is a poison in my book! No matter how you look at it, processed foods are not real, they are not alive and do nothing but take our health away from us.
If you want real fermented olives go to an olive bar in your health food store and see the process happening right before your eyes. Those olives are so delicious! Also, don't buy any of those commercial yogurts that come in 120 different flavors. There probably aren't any active cultures in them and the sugar content is through the roof. They are no different then pudding at this point. Its actually easy to make your own yogurt and then flavor it with your own fresh fruit. You will feel better knowing that what you are eating is real and alive. The flavor will be more potent and your immune system will thank you!
Future posts will be about making your own yogurt and pickling vegetables. I will try it on my own and blog about it so you all can see how easy and tasty it can be. I haven't done it yet because raising twin boys can be a time sucker but I do plan to undertake this experiment and taste the difference in my foods! Stay tuned!
1. Unprocessed fermented foods boost the immune system by increasing antibodies that fight infectious disease.
2. The flora in living cultured foods form a "living shield" that covers the small intestine's inner lining and helps inhibit pathogenic organisms including E.coli, salmonella and an unhealthy overgrowth of candida (yeast).
3. Some ferments create antioxidants (glutathione and superoxide dismustase) that scavenge free radicals which are a cancer precursor.
4. Fermenting transforms hard-to-digest lactose from milk to the more easily digested lactic acid. It neutralizes the anti-nutrients found in many foods including the phytic acid found in all grains and the trypsin-inhibitors in soy.
5. Fermentation generates new nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, digestive aids and the trace mineral GTF chromium.
Many processed foods on the shelves of our grocery store claim to be fermented foods. Examples would be olives, pickles, roasted peppers or any anti pasta type food. The problem with these foods is that big business and over processing has once again stripped them of their natural nutritive properties. Some store bought olives are washed with a lye solution to remove bitterness and then packed in salt and canned. These types of olives are not fermented at all but you would not know that and lye is a poison in my book! No matter how you look at it, processed foods are not real, they are not alive and do nothing but take our health away from us.
If you want real fermented olives go to an olive bar in your health food store and see the process happening right before your eyes. Those olives are so delicious! Also, don't buy any of those commercial yogurts that come in 120 different flavors. There probably aren't any active cultures in them and the sugar content is through the roof. They are no different then pudding at this point. Its actually easy to make your own yogurt and then flavor it with your own fresh fruit. You will feel better knowing that what you are eating is real and alive. The flavor will be more potent and your immune system will thank you!
Future posts will be about making your own yogurt and pickling vegetables. I will try it on my own and blog about it so you all can see how easy and tasty it can be. I haven't done it yet because raising twin boys can be a time sucker but I do plan to undertake this experiment and taste the difference in my foods! Stay tuned!
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