Rosalyn experiments with the benefits of eating fermented foods
It wasn’t that long ago that the only fermented nourishment I could think of was my glass of wine on a Saturday night. Since then, my awareness of the variety of fermented products out there has expanded considerably. As a beauty therapist at Sleeping Beauty Salon Inverness, I am constantly hearing about all the latest skincare ingredients to sweep the market and a few years back I was introduced to the Superfoods range from Elemis.
This range incorporates a prebiotic to help feed the good bacteria on the skins surface and thus helps to balance and protect the skins microbiome. But the range also includes products containing ingredients that have undergone the process of fermentation. How does this make the ingredients better for my skin you ask? Well, ingredients such as Agave, rice water and green tea seed oil, are a source of more vitamins and nutrients when fermented than when they are in their natural state. Fermentation has the added bonus of breaking ingredients down to be easier absorbed by our skin so that none of that loveliness is wasted.
Just like fermented ingredients are better absorbed by our skin, they are also more efficiently absorbed by our gut, meaning we get more nutrients from the foods we eat. The process of fermenting vegetables means that none of the nutrients are cooked out, again getting every bit of nutrition from the food. One bacterium produced during fermentation is called Lactobacillus and when ingested it helps to support our gut and our immune system.
The presence of certain gut microbes is believed to reduce inflammation in conditions such as IBS and Rheumatoid arthritis. Scientific Studies have also found a link between gut health and our mental health. It is proven that the brain and the gut communicate with each other via the Vagus nerve. Even more interestingly, certain bacteria present in our gut have been found to produce neuro-transmitters responsible for sending messages to and around our brains. A recent study compared a placebo group with another group taking probiotic supplements for a month and by the end of the study the group taking the probiotics reported a 50% improvement in their mood, a further 50% improvement in their concentration and blood tests taken before and after showed a decrease in the stress hormone Cortisol. There is still much investigating to be done to determine exactly how much of an impact our gut bacteria has on our brains, but scientists are hopeful that gut bacteria could be a key to unlocking the mystery of conditions such as Alzheimer’s.
So, the evidence to support the benefits of eating fermented foods sounds good but what options are there? I’ve narrowed down a list of the four most widely available sources of probiotic bacteria, Kefir, Sauerkraut, Kimchi and yoghurt drinks. Kefir is a cultured, fermented drink made from milk. It’s like yoghurt but has a thinner, drinkable consistency and a sharp, sour taste, with a slight fizz due to carbon dioxide gas present. Kefir is reportedly one of the most concentrated sources of probiotic bacteria and is a great source of calcium even for some who are lactose intolerant due to the fermentation process breaking down the lactose sugars.
Sauerkraut is raw cabbage submerged in a salty brine that is left to ferment for 2-6 weeks. It is very popular in Germany and is a great source of vitamin C aside from the probiotic benefits, however because of the amount of salt used to make it, you’re looking at using up a third of your daily recommended salt intake in a single serving.
Kimchi originates from Korea and is made by fermenting vegetables such as cabbage, carrot and garlic in a sweet and sour spicy sauce. It can be made and ready to eat within 24 hours and can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Probiotic yoghurt drinks are an easy and quick way to get an extra dose of good gut bacteria and added vitamins and minerals to help support your immune system and come in a range of flavours that may be more palatable to those with more particular tastes.
There are hundreds of recipes out there for making your own probiotic supplement. For this investigation, I decided to trial two.
Kimchi
For my first recipe, I chose a simple kimchi recipe from BBC Good Food.
For this you will need:
1 Chinese cabbage (sometimes labelled as Chinese leaf) sliced into 2.5 cm strips
3 Garlic cloves crushed
2.5cm piece of Ginger grated
2 tbsp of fish sauce (or nam pla as its otherwise known)
2 tbsp of Sriracha chili sauce
1 tbsp golden castor sugar
3 tbsp rice vinegar
8 radishes coarsely grated or finely sliced
2 carrots julienned or coarsely grated
4 spring onions finely chopped
Chop the cabbage and place it in a large bowl with 1 tbsp of sea salt (try not to use table salt as this apparently can kill off some of the bacteria we’re trying to keep) and mix with your hands to coat the leaves, you will notice them start to wilt. Leave for 1 hour.
Meanwhile prepare a paste by blending the garlic, ginger, fish sauce, sriracha, sugar and vinegar together.
After 1 hour thoroughly rinse the cabbage in cold water, squeeze out the excess water and wrap in a clean t-towel to pat dry. Once dried off, place the cabbage back in your large bowl, pour in the paste and throw in the rest of your vegetables and stir to give everything a good coating of the sauce.
Serve immediately or pack into a sterilized jar or container and leave at room temperature for 24 hours before placing into the fridge. The flavour will develop the longer it is kept but try to use it up within 2 weeks.
Smoothie
My second recipe is a Kefir, pineapple and banana smoothie from Prana thrive. I thought this was the perfect little tropical taster of a holiday abroad that I probably won’t be getting for some time yet…
For this you will need:
2 cups of fresh or frozen pineapple
1 fresh or frozen banana
2 inches of fresh or frozen Ginger
½ to 1 cup of plain or coconut flavoured Kefir
1 cup of plain water or coconut water
A drizzle of honey to your own taste (if like me you find the Kefir a bit on the sour side and prefer something sweeter)
Throw all the ingredients into a blender or nutri-bullet and blend until smooth. You should get about 4 glasses out of it. Store the remainder in the fridge.
Pro tip: Peel your ginger with a teaspoon instead of a peeler, it’s much easier and you’ll waste less.
I found drinking the Kefir alone a bit unpleasant but when mixed with the fruit and honey for extra sweetness, I thought it was really nice and something I could enjoy for breakfast.
I also really liked my first taste of Kimchi. I think this would make a lovely, healthier, low fat alternative to coleslaw that would be great to have as a side or on burgers at BBQ’s in the hopefully not too distant future.
