Do you ever pay attention to how you feel after meals? If you feel tired, heavy, or sluggish – it possibly signals that it’s being overworked while trying to break down and assimilate what you just ate. Digestion starts in the mouth with saliva.
The environment of the mouth should be slightly acidic. It combines the chemical process of saliva with the mechanical process of chewing to breaking down food particles. Bits of food are then swallowed and carried down the esophagus, which should be an alkaline environment, before reaching the stomach for the further chemical breakdown. The stomach can be likened to a compost heap. Digesting and breaking down food layer by layer.
Food combining teaches that it is wise to take in food in the manner of how quickly it would be digested and what foods digest better together as they go through a chemical change. Eating fruits then vegetables then starches, grains, fish, poultry, red meat, and then pork – if you must. This allows time for food particles to digest rather than sit and ferment which can lead to bad breath and other health issues – before moving on to the small intestine, where the nutrients can be absorbed.
Consuming small amounts of water with meals will aid in digestion, whereas too much water is said to dilute the concentration of food, possibly making it pass through the body at a quicker rate.
Since most of us enjoy mixing our foods together while eating, adding fermented foods to our meals or between meals can help replenish enzymes due to food processing and cooking while building digestion and alkalizing the body’s pH.
What Is Fermented Food?
Fermented food is much like the process just explained. Fermentation is created when the starch or carbohydrates in basic foods are broken down and changed by microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts, and molds into smaller, often more digestible components. Partially broken down food with nutrients that are readily assimilated and used by the body.
Fermented foods give the body what it needs for proper digestion. It’s full of enzymes, probiotics, and helps build hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
Why One Would Eat It (Or Not)
Fermentation is among some of the first known food processing methods of the man next to food dehydrating or sun cooking. It allows an otherwise decaying food source to naturally keep itself alive while fending off harmful bacteria by allowing starches and sugars to feed off the culture or yeast. It prolongs and multiplies life giving nutrients that are readily assimilated.
Fermented foods can add value to the body through their varied and complex content of vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, and multiple strains of friendly bacteria. It may be wise to assist the colon in evacuating fecal matter before or while introducing fermented foods into the diet.
If the colon does not move regularly, you may just stir up a murky pond per se. As large bulk debris leave the body – fermented foods can assist in cellular waste removal which will result in healthier cellular metabolism. As the cells become healthier – you will notice an increase in physical stamina and mental clarity.
Remember all things in moderation. The fermentation process brings about lactic acid, alcohols, ammonia, and vinegar. The process of pasteurization kills all life within the food – fermenting and culturing are a beneficial way of prolonging life rather than killing it off and then re-stabilizing it with fillers, emulsifiers, and preservatives. There seems to be some controversy over wild starter cultures. If you don’t trust yourself or the culture you receive from a friend, then you might want, to begin with, a starter kit from a trusted source.
Health Benefits
Supports Bacteria
“They’re the only culture some people have…” If you feel sick all over and yet to find the cause, you may be experiencing yeast overgrowth. If you’ve taken repeated or prolonged courses of antibiotics and are now experiencing issues with vaginal, prostate, or urinary tract infection you may have yeast or candida overgrowth.
Other symptoms include:
- Hormone disturbances including PMS
- Menstrual irregularities
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sugar cravings
- Low body temperature or fatigue
- Sensitivity to tobacco smoke, perfumes, colognes, or other chemical odors. Bothered by memory or concentration problems, and sometimes feel spaced out.
- If you’ve taken prolonged courses of steroids or birth control for more than 3 years.
If some foods disagree with you and possibly trigger other symptoms. Suffer from constipation, diarrhea, bloating, or abdominal pain. Skin itches, tingles, burns, or is unusually dry or bothered by rashes.
A healthy body thrives on live foods that fuel its needs for optimal cellular health and energy metabolism. The better the body can assimilate and discard waste materials, the better your overall health will be. Sauerkraut is a great source of vitamin c, enzymes, and probiotics along with indol-3-carbinal, which is a great xenoestrogen chelator available in all cruciferous vegetables.1 2
How To Get Started
Getting started is really easy! If you eat Tabasco sauce or use apple cider vinegar – then you’re already getting some of the benefits of fermentation.
Fermented and cultured foods to look for include:
- Kombucha
- Cultured vegetables or Sauerkraut
- Tempeh
- Kefir
- Miso
- Seed cheese
- Rejuvelac
- Pickles
- Natto
- Kim chi
Read the labels! Make sure the products you are buying are pure, free from artificial colors, chemical preservatives, and food processing such as pasteurization which defeats the whole purpose of eating fermented foods in the first place! You’ll likely find that most cultured foods sold in the store have been pasteurized first. This kills all the good and bad bacteria – then beneficial strains are re-added. More nutrients are contained within the original ‘raw’ form or culture.
Fermenting in the home can be easy or quite extravagant. With Sauerkraut, you can start small with a head of cabbage, a glass jar, and some Celtic or sea salt.
Welcome the wonderful world of fermented foods into your life – for life breeds life. Who doesn’t want to live a life that allows for more wine, cheese, sourdough bread, and ginger ale?
“Health is not just the absence of disease. Health is a combination of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness, with all parts working in harmony, balance, and with ease.”
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