This is not medical advice, as I am not a medical professional...and it's the internet. Please seek out a trained professional for advice on the best nutritional plan for you, your genetic profile and medical history!
Fermented foods are a part of so many cultures diet on a regular basis, and used to be more prevalent in our culture as well.
I've often wondered why the consumption of fermented foods and offal have gone out of vogue in our society, yet managed to remain a big part of others?
Often, if something like sauerkraut is consumed, it is processed, which has killed the probiotics and we have now lost the most amazing health benefits that fermented foods offer.
This is Grandma Grace and I in about 2010 probably...I remember Grandma telling me how when her kids were young she had a giant crock (maybe like 4 or 5 # bucket as measured by hand gestures;)) and she would fill it with cabbage from the garden and then dump a ridiculous amount of salt in it (I remember being shocked by the amount she said), filling it with water and then placing a plate on top and something heavy to hold it down and just let it sit. Now I don't remember how long she said it would take to ferment, but I also remember thinking this was an incredibly long time to be unrefrigerated, but Grandma assured me it didn't go bad and they were all alive to tell about it.
That was my first introduction to the fermentation process that I remember.
My CrossFit journey started several years after this and I started to learn more about nutrition and health, and the importance of consuming fermented foods on a regular basis started popping up more and more. However, I somehow missed the part about it needing to be fermented, not pickled, which would mean it needs to require refrigeration after the fermenting process in order to keep it from going bad. Fermenting also offers all the probiotics that pickling does not.
Most people in today's world have messed up guts, even if you don't recognize problems, are microbiomes are not as healthy as they could be. I am not against antibiotics and medication when they are warranted, but so many people in our society take them unnecessarily. Not only does that make them not as effective for when you may really need them, it disrupts the bacteria present in our gut.
Then, combine that with all the sugar we consume and it's no wonder gut issues are such a problem in this country. The great thing is, we can begin to heal our guts! It will take time, as they didn't get out of balance over night, they won't be fixed over night either. We must begin to choose our foods with purpose to start to refeed and replenish healthy gut bacteria.
Adding in prebiotic and probiotic rich foods is a great place to start! Prebiotics feed probiotics, so it's great to incorporate both on a daily basis. It just so happens that foods that are rich in prebiotics and probiotics have lots of other health benefits as well!
Another thing to keep in mind is that heat will destroy probiotics, but not prebiotics. So, cook away from the list of prebiotics, but if you want the benefits of the probiotics eat them cold, or add them at the end, right before you eat them, once the temp has dropped on the dish. Studies show they are destroyed at 108-115F
Start to think nutrient density when you are choosing your meals, this takes time to learn and patience, because trust me you'll mess it up. But, practice makes perfect!
Here's a list of prebiotic rich foods:
Chicory root
Dandelion greens
Garlic
Leeks
Jerusalem Artichoke
Onion
Asparagus
Konjac root-shirataki noodles are made of this
Cacao
Burdock root
Yacon root
Flax meal
Jicama root
Seaweed
Himalyan tartary buckwheat
And, a list of probiotic rich foods:
Plain, unsweetened, full fat yogurt
Kefir- if you can have dairy
Sauerkraut- look for only salt added, no vinegar, will be in refrigerator section
Kombucha
Kimchi
Pickles- look for only salt added, no vinegar, will be in refrigerator section
How do we begin to incorporate some of these foods into our diet?
Here are a few ideas:
Add sauerkraut, leeks and flax meal to your salads
Add leeks pretty much anywhere you might like onions, delicious garnish for soups!
Add seaweed to your soups (be careful on amount, it can be overpowering)
Enjoy a cup of tartary buckwheat tea, many of the prebiotics can actually be consumed as a tea
Make this tasty Kimchi Soup!
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