Fermentation - the stuff of life.

The air that we breathe is full of tiny beings that we cannot see with the naked eye.  These tiny microflora -yeast and fungi - settle on our skin and on our food so that no matter how much we try not to, we eat and drink millions of them with every meal.  And this is a good thing because early in evolutionary development a symbiotic relationship was formed between microflora and people so that both could benefit.  In fact, at this stage in our evolutionary path people are reliant on microflora for many metabolic processes such as digestion, protection from dangerous microorganisms, and the strengthening of the immune system; whilst microflora are reliant on people for warmth, hydration, nutrition and survival.

Traditional cultures were well aware of the effects that microflora could produce and by utilising their talents developed many foodstuffs familiar to us today: cheese, yoghurt, sauerkraut, ginger beer, miso, cultured dairy products, sour dough bread, soy sauce, pickled onions and pickled gherkins.  These were all made through a process called lacto-fermentation in which microflora change lactose in the food into lactic acid, which preserves foodstuff without refrigeration and is the first step in the digestive process.  Fermented foods therefore reduce the need for the body to produce as many digestive enzymes from scratch and this gives digestive organs, such as the pancreas and liver, a breathing space.  As an added bonus, fermentation helps people with lactose intolerance start the digestive process of turning lactose into lactic acid (an easier form to digest);creates new nutrients such as folic acid, niacin, thiamin, biotin and riboflavin; and removes toxins from food, such as phytic acid that blocks absorption of zinc and other minerals.  It also improves bioavailability of many macronutrients, vitamins and minerals and this helps to control digestive diseases such as diarrhoea and dysentery which improve infant survival rates in developing countries and help those affected by AIDS; it is also said to have anticancerous properties.

Eating fermented foods is a very healthy practice. If you decide to give it a go, find food that has not been pasteurised or heat processed as this kills the microflora. Besides these you could soak all your grains in yohurt or whey before you use them in cooking , eat raw fruit and vegetables as these have not been processed to kill microflora; and prepare your own fermented foodstuffs from scratch. These suggestions sound a little hard because it is so easy to maintain present eating conditions and fermentation has mostly been forgotten in our day and age.  But, fermentation brings good health, keeps the body strong and provides a myriad of different tastes; maybe it is time for a revival.


For those of you who are interested there is a recipe for Sauerkraut in the March post.

Here's to your very good health,

Linda.