Fermented foods to make yourself

Although fermented foods have gradually disappeared over the years, they are making a comeback and many people want to make them at home.

Discover the many benefits of fermented foods, as well as the basics of fermentation.

Fermented foods are healthy foods

Fermented foods are excellent for your health. During the fermentation process, the micro-organisms (bacteria, yeast and enzymes) that are created alter the food to form compounds with many properties.

The regular consumption of fermented foods allows to :

• Reduce systemic inflammation linked to chronic and degenerative diseases, including heart disease, cancer, obesity and metabolic syndrome¹ ;

• Reduce high blood pressure¹ ;
• Prevent thrombosis formation (anticoagulant action)¹ ;
• Reduce bad cholesterol¹ ;
• Prevent type 2 diabetes (by secretion of insulin)¹ ;
• Promote a good intestinal mucosa (preventing the formation of ulcers and inflammation)¹ ;
• Support bone health and density¹ ;
• Protect cells against free radicals and mutations (causes of cancer) ¹ ;
• Reduce the spread of cancer cells¹ ;
• To slow down the aging process¹ ;
• Improve stress tolerance¹ ;
• Improve sleep quality (rich in melatonin)¹ ;
• Limit food cravings¹

Fermented foods to make yourself

With a little determination, you can make fermented foods in your own kitchen. To make your life easier, you can get the kombucha jar or the fermentation jar. Here are our suggestions:

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is a condiment made from the fermentation of cabbage that goes well with meats and salads. It is the most widely used fermented product in the world.

Green cabbage is used most often. It is finely chopped, mixed with salt and placed in a glass jar. The bacteria needed for fermentation are already present in the cabbage so the process takes place naturally.

Sauerkraut is usually ready within a week of preparation.

Kimchi

Kimchi is a spicy version of sauerkraut.

Most often, Chinese cabbage is used and mixed with other vegetables, including carrots and turnips. It is seasoned with hot pepper, ginger, salt, and garlic. Like sauerkraut, kimchi ferments in jars for about a week. It is delicious with any main dish.

Kombucha

Kombucha is a slightly sweet effervescent beverage made by fermenting sweet tea with bacteria and yeast. In order to allow the fermentation of the tea to take place, it is essential to have on hand a gelatinous disc-shaped starter culture commonly called the kombucha mother or the SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). This culture is available in all La Boite à Grains.

The preparation of kombucha is simple and the final product is ready within 7 to 14 days following the beginning of the fermentation.

Follow our kombucha making guide!

Kefir

Kefir is a subtly fizzy drink with a tangy taste that comes from the fermentation of milk.

The fermentation of milk requires kefir grains, small whitish balls that look like cauliflower florets. It takes only three days of fermentation for the kefir to be ready. It is drunk like liquid yogurt and provides several strains of probiotics. Kefir improves lactose digestion². Its nutrients (proteins, vitamins and minerals) are more assimilable than those from milk.³.

Kefir water

Kefir water is a fizzy, dairy-free probiotic beverage that is slightly sweetened. Fermentation of the water requires fruit as well as water kefir grains, available in stores. These look like small translucent crystals and are full of beneficial bacterial cultures. Like dairy kefir, water kefir is ready in less than three days and the grains are reusable.

Sourdough

A baker's faithful ally, sourdough is easy to prepare at home as long as you have flour and non-chlorinated water on hand. The floured water forms leaven thanks to the natural yeasts and bacteria. This process takes 7 to 10 days depending on the environmental conditions.

Sourdough bread is more digestible than yeast bread and its minerals are more assimilable. Some gluten intolerant people can eat sourdough bread without any problem, even if the flour used contains gluten.⁴.

Sourdough also gives its finished products a better conservation. Indeed, sourdough bread can easily be kept for a week at room temperature without drying out.

Beet Kvass

Kvass is a beverage similar to Kombucha, of which there are many variations. Originating from Russia, kvass is the result of the fermentation of beets placed in slightly salted water. In order to activate the fermentation, sauerkraut juice or any other fermentation is necessary since the beet alone does not contain the necessary organisms.

Kvass ferments quickly. The beverage is usually ready in two days and the beets can be reused many times.

Dare to explore!

Fermentation requires willpower and patience.

You can also get the benefits of fermented foods without the hassle of preparing them by purchasing products from Living Alchemy products in our stores or our online store. Living Alchemy uses a unique Kefir-Kombucha fermentation, combining 35 strains of live microorganisms to transform a selective blend of certified organic foods and plants into a living matrix of bio-activated nutrients, enzymes and beneficial flora.

Véronique Cousineau; naturopath, NHN
verosante.com

Sources

1: Fermented foods in health and disease prevention. Juana Frias - Cristina Martinez-Villaluenga - Elena Peñas - Elsevier Academic press - 2017

2: S. Hertzler, S. Clancy Kefir improves lactose digestion and tolerance in adults with lactose maldigestion; Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 103, Issue 5, Pages 582-587

3 : Festy, Danièle : Les Probiotiques, c'est magique, éditions Leduc.s

4: Biesiekierski JR, "No effects of gluten in patients with self-reported non-celiac gluten sensitivity after dietary reduction of fermentable, poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates.", Gastroenterology, No. 320-8, August 2014