The ancient art of fermentation refers to the practice of submerging food in brine so that the lactobacillus found in all fruits and vegetables can transform sugar into alcohol while killing off the bacteria that would otherwise cause spoilage. Since much of your immune system’s crucial work takes place in your digestive tract, eating fermented foods has a lot of benefits because of the boost of good bacteria it provides. Fermentation can release extra nutrients, and is also cheap and easy to do by yourself.
Key Takeaways:
- Fruits and veggies and cultured dairy items, like yogurt all have a naturally occurring, benign bacteria called lactobacilli.
- To ferment, for example, fruit, you would cover it in brine, whereupon the lactobacilli would eat the sugar, converting it into alcohol.
- As the positive lactobacilli grow in number they also inhibit the negative putrefaction-causing bacteria from growing.
“Perhaps the biggest benefit of consuming fermented food is its ability to boost your immune system. Scientists estimate that somewhere between 80-90 percent of your immune function happens in your gut. When “bad” bacteria overrun your intestines, you get sick. Adding a few spoonfuls of sauerkraut to your sandwich is like sending a small army of good bacteria to fight off the bad.”
Read more: https://www.offthegridnews.com/off-grid-foods/hidden-benefits-fermented-foods/