Repairvite: Fermented Foods Are Good For You!

October 16, 2012

Many of our patients are on the Repairvite diet so we’re dedicating a blog post each week to you! Each week, we’ll post useful information, tips, and articles for Repairvite patients. This information will help you understand how to eat, what to eat, and give some tips for making Repairvite work in a busy lifestyle! Feel free to leave a comment or question about Repairvite and we’ll cover it in one of the articles. This will be an ongoing series, so stay tuned for more Repairvite information!

Be sure to check out other Repairvite articles on the blog:

Replacements For Products While You’re On Repairvite or Clearvite Repairvite: Breakfast Ideas Repairvite: Tips For Traveling Repairvite:  Eating Out

Repairvite: Fermented Foods

  Is fermented foods a foreign category to you? If you’re on Repairvite or have leaky gut issues, then fermented foods should be included in your diet.

What Is Fermentation?

Fermentation is an inconsistent process –almost more of an art than a science — so commercial food processors developed techniques to help standardize more consistent yields. Technically, anything that is “brined” in a salt stock is fermented, but that’s where the similarity ends, as each type of fermented food has specific, unique requirements and production methods. Refrigeration, high-heat pasteurization and vinegar’s acidic pH all slow or halt the fermentation and enzymatic processes. “If you leave a jar of pickles that is still fermenting at room temperature on the kitchen counter, they will continue to ferment and produce CO2, possibly blowing off the lid or exploding the jar,” explains Richard Henschel of Pickle Packers International, which is why, of course, all “shelf-stable” pickles are pasteurized. It’s probably not surprising that our culture has traded many of the benefits of these healthy foods for the convenience of mass-produced pickles and other cultured foods. Some olives, such as most canned California-style black olives, for instance, are not generally fermented, but are simply treated with lye to remove the bitterness, packed in salt and canned. Olive producers can now hold olives in salt-free brines by using an acidic solution of lactic acid, acetic acid, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, a long way off from the old time natural lactic-acid fermenting method of salt alone. Some pickles are simply packed in salt, vinegar and pasteurized. Many yogurts are so laden with sugar that they are little more than puddings. Unfortunately, these modern techniques effectively kill off all the lactic acid producing bacteria and short-circuit their important and traditional contribution to intestinal and overall health. Source:  Dr. Mercola

Why Fermented Foods Are Good For You

There are tons of reasons that fermented foods are good for you.
  • Fermented foods introduce GOOD bacteria into our gut flora, so you can skip taking probiotics, especially if you are consuming an already a clean plant based diet.
  • Fermented foods can help reduce high cholesterol levels in our blood.
  • It strengthens and supports our digestive and immune systems, helping our bodies to fight off and prevent diseases.
  • Good bacteria help our bodies to detoxify.
  • Good bacteria inhibits harmful microorganisms, thus fighting off infections.
  • Fermented products are a great source of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.
  • The process of fermentation increases the amounts of some vitamins,
  • Fermented vegetables are a great source of Vitamin C (in ancient times Sauerkraut was often served as military rations to prevent scurvy).
  • The process of fermentation increases the bioavailability of fermented foods.
  • Humans have consumed fermented vegetables for thousands of years (Kimchi, a fermented spicy cabbage, is a staple food in Korea. Kimchi is very well-studied for its medicinal, antimicrobial, and anti-aging properties. Scientists found that chickens infected with avian flu started to recover after being fed a kimchi extract).
  • Fermented cabbage is actually easier to digest than unfermented cabbage, since some of “digestion” has been started in the fermentation process.
  • Fermenting vegetables provide preservation, nutrition, flora, fiber, ease of digestion and flavor.
Source:  Vega-licious

What Are Examples of Fermented Foods?

Here are some of our favorite fermented foods: Sauerkraut – fermented cabbage and other vegetables such as radishes.  Eat unpasteurized unheated salt-free sauerkraut. Sauerkraut helps to raise stomach acid if it’s too low, and it lowers stomach acid if it is too high. Eating ¼ to ½ cup of sauerkraut with meals is very helpful to the digestive system. Kimchi – fermented cabbage. Mixed Pickle – fermented cucumbers with alot of salt. Pickled Ginger – Pickled ginger is usually served with sushi and is called gari. It’s best to use fresh young ginger (shin shoga) to make gari Kombucha Tea – effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea that is used as a functional food.  Sometimes referred to as a “mushroom”, the kombucha culture is actually a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. You would find most of these items at a specialty store, like Earth Fare, Healthy Home Market, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Some items are sold in the Asian section of the store.

Other Articles About Fermentation

Brew Your Own Kombucha Tea Fermented Foods & Vegetables Video Easy Recipe For Homemade Sauerkraut]]>