The Incredible Healing Properties of Fermented Foods

What I am about to tell you make shock you, fermented foods are some of the healthiest foods on the planet. Why you may ask?

They are probiotic powerhouses that significantly boost the good bacteria within your digestive tract, helping to heal a myriad of health condition such as IBS, and leaky gut syndrome whereby large undigested molecules enter the blood stream eliciting an autoimmune allergic reaction that attacks the body. They are even shown to aid in weight loss, improve skin and boost immunity.

They also overcome the adverse consequences of cooking e.g. enzyme destruction, vitamin activity degradation, oxidised fats and denatured proteins, while still benefiting from the enhanced digestibility and assimilation that certain cooking applications can offer.

Scientific confirmation on the benefits of fermented foods for the promotion of health and wellbeing is staggering. Here are just 3 Asian tradition preparations with proven clinical research demonstrating their efficacy.

1. Kimchi is a probiotic strain isolated from fermented cabbage preparation kimchi known as Lactobacillus brevis is capable of degrading organophosphorus pesticides. Another probiotic known as Bacillus pumilus within the fermented food is capable of degrading bisphenol A, a powerful endocrine disruptive chemical.
2. Miso is a fermented soy food shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women by up to 54% (must be consumed regularly). Miso is capable of regressing colon cancer growth in the animal model.
3. Natto is a fermented soybean extract that has been shown to suppress plaque build-up (as measured by the intima media thickness) in the arteries of animal models. Natto is also capable of contributing to nerve regeneration following sciatic nerve crush injury.

This is only a snippet of the remarkable healing properties of fermented foods.

By Megan Maitland

BBioMedSci