So, I ferment my roots. And I activate my nuts.
And my guts love me for it. If there is one kooky, “witchy” thing you should try right now, it’s fermenting, or pickling. I’ve been playing around for a few months, making sauerkraut, pickled daikon, and the most lush beetroot relish. I eat a tablespoon or two with as many meals as I can…see some of my suggestions below…and I’ve noticed a tangible benefit with my digestion. Which, for those of you who are interested to know, is crap.
Anyone with auto immune issues, IBS, bloating, sugar cravings or any kind of digestive or allergy issue should truly try fermenting.
Before you start: you might like to make whey. Why whey? It really makes the best fermented veggies. Trust me. It’s simple, too. Just make my homemade cream cheese. It produces whey on the side, which you can freeze until you’re ready to use.
What is fermenting?
Lacto-fermentation has been around for eons as a health trick – all cultures have a history of fermenting veggies, dairy, nuts, grains etc for medicinal and digestion purposes. The nerdy stuff: it’s a biological process by which sugars – glucose, fructose, and sucrose – are converted into cellular energy and a metabolic byproduct – lactic acid. When the acidity rises due to lactic acid-fermenting organisms, many harmful micro-organisms are killed – so it’s often been used as a preserving technique.
Why the good health rap?
Let’s do this in dot points:
* lactic acid enhances a food’s digestibility and increases vitamin C and vitamin A levels.
* it produces a stack of helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic substances.
* lactic acid promotes the growth of healthy flora in the intestine
* fermented foods are rich in vitamin K2 – a known cancer fighter
* it cuts the sugar content of foods quite dramatically (the same process sees wine end up as pretty much fructose-free)
* plus all you IQS kids: it helps you beat sugar cravings!