The Amazing Health Benefits of Fermented & Cultured Beverages & Foods

Photo Credit: Agriculture Society


'In modern society, one of the things we don’t do much of is eat real cultured and fermented foods. These foods have been staples of the human diet all over the world for thousands of years. Since the Industrial Revolution, the advent of packaging, processing, and convenience foods have seen the disappearance of these highly beneficial, nutrient-dense foods.

Throughout time, cultures all over the world have created cultured foods and beverages out of necessity. When a dairy cow produced a surplus of milk and all of it could not be consumed at once before spoilage, fermentation was born. Fermentation allowed the food to be preserved so it could be consumed later, and it was done simply by using the naturally-occurring healthy bacteria in the food.'


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Probiotics – Recipes to Make Sure the Bugs Inside Your Body Are Good For You

'Stomach aches, pain, gas, bloating, discomfort, or worse?  Is there a way to settle things down and avoid the problems associated with the digestive system?

With more than 25 years’ experience as a Board Certified Gastroenterologist, Dr. Shekhar Challa has written a new book, Probiotics for Dummies, which takes the mystery out of the way bacteria behaves in the body and describes exactly what you need to do to exert a positive control over your digestive system and everything else that depends on it.

Probiotics are beneficial, live microorganisms (in most cases, bacteria) that are similar to those found naturally in the human intestine. Also known as “friendly” or “good” bacteria, probiotics are the cornerstone of any successful health program because they restore a healthy balance between friendly and bad bacteria in the intestinal tract, a balance that is critical for the health of the entire body. Probiotics are associated with treating everything from IBS to certain forms of cancer, allergies, eczema, and even the effects of aging.

Here are some of the recipes he recommends for people who want to restore the levels of probiotic bacteria in their systems naturally.'

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The Amazing Healing Properties of Fermented Foods

 
Photo Credit:http://drbenkim.com/how-make-kim-chi.htm

 'Between the hard and fast dichotomies of cooked and raw, dead and alive, is this beautiful thing called fermented. A place where many of the digestive challenges associated with raw foods (e.g. enzyme inhibitors, antinutrients, lectins) are overcome in favor of not just preserving their benefits (e.g. enzyme activity, vitamin content, life energy), but amplifying them. 

Also overcome are the adverse consequences of cooking, e.g. enzyme destruction, vitamin activity degradation, oxidized fats, denatured proteins, etc., while still benefiting from the enhanced digestibility and assimilation that certain cooking applications offer. Fermented food is in many ways the complementary union of cooked and raw, as well as their transcendence – an image, not unlike the Tai Chi, comes to mind.'

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The Food that Helps You to Detox Pesticides

'Optimizing your gut flora is one of the most powerful nutritional interventions you can implement to stay healthy. That is one of the reasons why removing sugar and processed foods from your diet help you so much in that they improve your gut flora. '

Ideally it is best to use fermented foods to help you repopulate the good bacteria into your bowel. Kimchi is a fermented food that can help you improve your gut health. I don’t happen to enjoy it but many do. It is a traditional Korean dish made from fermented vegetables and a spicy blend of chili peppers, garlic, scallions and other spices. 

It’s common to find kimchi at almost every Korean meal, where it is served alone as a side dish, mixed with rice or noodles, or used as an ingredient in soups or stews.' 


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How to Make Kim Chi

 

 By Dr. Ben Kim
DrBenKim.com


'Of the countless varieties of kim chi that are made in Korea, by far the most common and celebrated version is made with Napa cabbage. Kim chi that's made with cabbage is loaded with indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a compound that is well recognized as a powerful cancer-fighting compound. 

Numerous studies indicate that I3C can offer protection against many different types of cancer and may even stop the growth of existing tumors. You could hop on over to a local Korean market to buy a bottle of kim chi, but it may not be as healthy as you'd like, since most commercially prepared varieties are made with white sugar and shrimp. To make healthy kim chi that still has lots of flavor and health-promoting compounds, start with a whole head of fresh Napa cabbage:'


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