One of the easiest and BEST ways to improve your digestion and overall health is to consume fermented foods daily. I recommend eating fermented foods to all of my clients. Depending on what you’ve got going on digestively, you may have trouble with them at first. If this is the case for you, let’s work together to see what is going on and get you to a place where you can tolerate and enjoy these magical superfoods. If you are not currently consuming them, I recommend starting small and slow. Eating them once or twice a day (just a spoonful of sauerkraut or kimchi or a few sips of Kombucha) and working up to a quarter or half cup a day.
Humans have prepared fermented foods and vegetables for many years, long before modern preservation methods like refrigeration came about. We know that fermented foods were a part of most, if not all native diets. While many cultures today still incorporate these foods into their diets regularly, in some parts of the world preparing ferments has become a lost practice.
Ways to eat more fermented foods
Here are some ways and ideas for you to incorporate them into your diet:
Eat sauerkraut or kimchi atop your eggs in the morning (or on the side)
Add kraut or kimchi to your lunch-time salad or sandwich
Drink 4 ounces of kombucha (not the whole bottle!) with a meal or make a Kombucha cocktail
Top your stir fry and Asian dishes with kimchi
Add sauerkraut to your hamburger or as a condiment to other meals
Make a parfait with dairy or non-dairy yogurt (if tolerated)
Use yogurt as a condiment
Try cultured cottage cheese (Good Culture is my favorite!)
Eat a spoonful or two of sauerkraut or a pickle as a snack
Fermenting may seem daunting but it is actually really easy. If you are buying fermented foods regularly, you can save quite a bit of money by making them yourself. See my easy sauerkraut recipe here and my easy fermented recipe round-up here. It is completely ok to buy ferments too. I don’t always have the time to make my own.
Favorite fermented food brands
Here are some of my favorite national brands, but you can likely find many local options at your health foods stores:
Farmhouse Saurkraut
Wild Brine Saurkraut
Sonoma Brinery Saurkraut
Bubbies Saurkraut
Bubbies Pickles
Grillo’s Pickles
Health-Ade Kombucha
Lionheart Kombucha
Humm Kombucha
Benefits of fermented foods
If you have yet to introduce fermented foods into your diet, what are you waiting for? Most of them taste really great (albeit a bit tangy!). There may be some amazing health benefits to eating a diet rich in fermented foods:
They can aid in digestion, jumpstarting the digestion process
They are loaded with beneficial enzymes, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and gut-friendly probiotics
They are immune-supportive
They may help to curb sugar cravings
They can promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut
They can increase the flavor of foods
They contain anti-cancer compounds (especially sauerkraut!)
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fermentation
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-sauerkraut