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The quick and simple answer is that fermented foods improve your gut health. And gut health makes the rest of your body work properly. The research about gut health is gaining more and more popularity and for good reason. If the bacteria in our stomach is good bacteria it can help us maintain a healthy weight, boost energy and improve digestion. I can speak very highly of this because ever since I was little I have dealt with a horrible digestive system. I thought that it was normal to be bloated, have stomach aches and headaches as my food was digesting. I have been so relieved to learn about fermenting because of the personal benefits I have found from consuming fermented foods. I am not a doctor I am just sharing my personal thoughts and experience. I am living proof that by feeding your body the good bacteria it can change your whole system... I started by taking a probiotic that was just a powder of fermented foods. So basically it was just super condensed fermented food. Which was super convenient but then I realized that I can make my own fermented food that will do the same thing for my body. I have taken a journey the last couple of years learning and trying out different ways to get fermented foods into my body. So today I am going to answer some questions I have received about fermented foods and hopefully help you in your journey to better gut health. What is Fermented food? Before we get into the questions I want to make sure you know what fermented food is. The fermentation process simply means that the food was left out to steep until the carbs and sugars become bacteria boosting agents and help fight against the bad bacteria in your system. I know this sounds strange because we are used to putting everything in the fridge but it really won't kill you and is actually good for you. There is something in the food when it is fermented called microflora. Your body needs this in order to fight off salmonella and e. Coli. the benefits of consuming fermented foods are crazy and I will share more on that in a little while. I do want to warn you though if you are not used to fermented foods take it slow. I would start with about 1/2 a cup a day and take it up from there. I would not say that there are side effects but if your body is not used to it you can detox in the form of slight headaches or Diarra. Again there is nothing wrong with that it is just your body detoxing of the junk. But if you start slow you should not have a problem at all. Is apple cider vinegar a fermented food? Yes, it is! As I mentioned above there are plenty of supplements out there to get the good bacteria in our system and will do the same thing as fermented food. But most of the time they can be very pricey. I am not gonna lie I love the convenience of it and keep them on hand but when there are simple and cheap ways to get that good bacteria into my body I do it. Apple cider vinegar is one of those ways. You want to make sure that you get The Apple Cider Vinegar "with the mother". From what I can tell "Braggs" is the best brand. The bottle looks like this. I have heard story after story of how this has improved gut health. People have even been able to get off of the probiotic they were on all together. Now I know what you are thinking...How in the world can I get that down without gagging? And I hear ya it is very strong and some people can just not handle it. I personally have found a super easy way to take it which actually taste really good. It is so simple you are gonna laugh. All I do is mix it with a packet of true lime. I love it! The vinegar gives it a "kick" kind of like pop. And the nice thing is if you are on a no sugar diet you should be okay with the true lime drinks and like I said it feels like you are still getting a sweet drink! It is recommended that you drink a tablespoon right before each meal so if it is to much work to take it with the true lime packets then just mix it with water and get it down that way. Once you get used to it you don't think it is that big of a deal. I just love the taste of it with the true lime packets and it is a treat to me. But either way will work just fine. I love hearing success stories from these simple and cheap ways to get in fermented foods so please let me know in the comments If it worked for you can how you took it each day. What fermented foods are good for your gut? The fact that it is fermented means that it has good bacteria. So that means they are all good for your gut. But if you want to know a few of my favorites I will list them below... Fermented pickles Kombucha Yogurt There are so many amazing fermented foods and everybody has different taste buds so they will like different ones. We will continue to talk about different things you can ferment in the following questions. Are pickles a fermented food? You might be surprised to find out that your average store bought pickle is in fact not fermented. You can buy fermented pickles but they will cost quite a bit more. So to answer the question pickles can be fermented but you either have to buy them that way or make them. I make them and they are so super easy. I have provided you with my recipe below. Fermented Dill Pickles 1-quart jar 2 cloves of garlic 2 sprigs of fresh dill 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds 1/4 tsp mustard seeds 1/4 whole peppercorns 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes 2 cups water 1 tablespoon sea salt I also made them with hot peppers instead of the pepper flakes and that was amazing as well. In the end, you can add an onion on the top to make sure the cucumbers stay submerged in the water. Then just leave them on the counter for about 4 days. My cucumber plant went crazy this year and I was able to make lots and lots of fermented pickles. Which is awesome because if I would buy them in the store they would be about $7 a jar. And like I said they are super easy to make and honestly I think they taste better than any store bought one I have ever had. How do you ferment vegetables for probiotics? The Wikipedia definition: Fermentation is a metabolic process that consumes sugar in the absence of oxygen. The products are organic acids, gases, or alcohol. It occurs in yeast and bacteria, and also in oxygen-starved muscle cells, as in the case of lactic acid fermentation. The science of fermentation is known as zymology. Basically, the fermentation process is just letting your food sit out. Now I know that sounds crazy and it would seem like a bad idea from anything we have ever been told but I promise it is good for you. So depending on what you want to ferment you prepare it and leave it out. For example... Salsa Make your favorite salsa put it in the jars and leave it on the counter for 3-4 days. Refrigerate. Here is my favorite recipe: 1 white onion, chopped 1 yellow onion, chopped 6 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped 2 banana peppers, chopped 3 green bell peppers, chopped 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 1/2 tablespoons salt 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin Apple Sauce 7 medium-size apples 2 Tbsp. Water Kefir 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. salt Peel apple and process in a food processor. If you like chunky applesauce than just pulse if for a second. Mix in remaining ingredients Transfer to a quart jar (leaving 1-inch head space) Cover jar Leave on the counter for 2-4 days. taste each day and once it reaches the flavor you want to be put into the fridge or cold dark place. The applesauce should stay for 1-3 months. Is the salt in fermented vegetables bad for you? Well, let's start off by discussing salt. I personally try to stay away from the normal table salt. Like most of our store boughten foods, it has been stripped of any nutrients and is really not good for you. I personally use pink Himalayan salt. The benefits of pink Himalayan salt... Detoxifies the body by balancing systemic pH Improves hydration by providing trace minerals Improves the mineral status of the body Reduces muscle cramps by improving minerals and hydration Helps balance blood sugar Supports hormone balance for everyone, no matter what hormonal issues you face Helps balance blood pressure because it provides unrefined, mineral-rich salt in an ionic solution Improves sleep by supporting blood sugar and hormone balance Acts as a powerful antihistamine Supports weight loss by balancing hormones and improving energy Supports thyroid and adrenal function So to answer the question if you are using regular table salt than yes it is bad for you. But if you are using normal table salt in your other foods than it is all bad for you. But if you are using pink Himalayan salt than no it is not bad for you. As you can see from the list above pink Himalayan salt is actually really good for you and has tons of benefits. What are fermented foods list? Really you can ferment just about anything...But just to give you an idea I have provided a list below to get you started. 1. Sauerkraut I personally am not a huge fan of sauerkraut. But my husband loves it. And just as I have mentioned with the other recipes it can be pricey to buy in the store and it is super easy to make at home. 2. Pickled Vegetables I already mentioned pickles and salsa but the options are endless. ... carrots zucchini cabbage peppers onions radishes beans Etc. 3. Kimchi This one might seem strange if you are not used to anything but good old American food. But I would encourage you to try it. When I first met my husband his family ate Korean food and I thought kimchi was gross. But now that I am learning more about fermented food and I understand what it is I have actually taken a liking to it. 4. Yogurt This is pretty normal. But don't think that you can just grab any yogurt from the store and be good. So many brands of yogurt are so full of sugar that it kind of defeats the purpose of getting those good probiotics. So again I would encourage you to make your own yogurt at home. Believe it for not you can make your own using your crock pot. 5. Kombucha This one would have to be one of my favorites. I love kombucha. I will sometimes buy it at the store but it is hard to justify that very often because it can be almost $3 a bottle. You can make it at home for just the price of a few tea bags. And If you have a continues brew you will have an endless supply of kombucha. I would highly recommend you try this one. 6. Fermented Ketchup Another great one to ferment. My kids love ketchup and want to dip EVERYTHING! Man if you make your own ketchup and ferment it you are like superwomen! Your kids can dip away and you will have no guilt whatsoever. And heck who says it is just for the kids! 7. Sourdough Bread Okay, another favorite. I know I know they can't all be my favorite but I am a foodie so what can I say... I love love love my bread but it is hard on my body and the normal store bought stuff does not agree with me very well. But when you ferment it you are making the digesting part much easier on your body. Yay! For more bread. 8. Drinking Vinegar We talked about apple cider vinegar above and guess what you can make it yourself. I would highly recommend you do this as well. Apple cider vinegar can seriously be used for anything! It has so many healing properties. Best tasting fermented foods? This is obviously a person to person thing. Everybody likes different things and flavors. But I will tell you what my favorites are. Kombucha Pickles Sourdough bread yogurt Salsa I am always trying new things and would love to add more to my favorites list. So please let me know what you have tried and loved. Fermented Foods Recipes So just because I am slightly OCD I will put the recipes I already shared under this section plus a few more. Apple Sauce 7 medium-size apples 2 Tbsp. Water Kefir 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. salt Peel apple and process in a food processor. If you like chunky applesauce than just pulse if for a second. Mix in remaining ingredients Transfer to a quart jar (leaving 1-inch head space) Cover jar Leave on the counter for 2-4 days. taste each day and once it reaches the flavor you want to be put into the fridge or cold dark place. The applesauce should stay for 1-3 months. Salsa Here is my favorite recipe: 1 white onion, chopped 1 yellow onion, chopped 6 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped 2 banana peppers, chopped 3 green bell peppers, chopped 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 1/2 tablespoons salt 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin leave it on the counter for 3-4 days. Refrigerate. Sauerkraut Cabbage Salt Caraway seeds Pack into a clean jar and leave on the counter for 3-10 days. Kombucha large Glass Jar ( an old pickle jar works great) water Black or green tea bags Scoby Boil 64 oz of water and put into the big jar. Steep 8 bags of tea for 20 min. Remove tea bags and put in 1 cup of sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let cool completely. Then add in 64 oz. more of cold water. Add in your Scoby (it should float on top) Than cover. I like to cover with a coffee filter. Let ferment for 10- 14 days. Check every couple days to see if it is at your desired taste. Second Ferment If you want it to have a fruit flavor and be bubbly like the store-bought kind you will have to do a second ferment. For this, you will put some fruit in the bottom of a jar. I make mine in pint size jars. You can use fruit or fruit juice for this step. I generally fill the bottom about an inch high with fruit. Then fill the rest of the jar with your kombucha. Now put the lid on. Leave on the counter for about 4 days. You may have to "burp" it a couple times so that your jars do not explode from the pressure build up. Once it tastes the way you want it to move to the fridge. Super easy and so so good. Where to buy fermented foods? You can buy fermented foods at most health food stores. Some grocery stores and online. But as I have shown you it is really very simple to make your own. But I understand that everybody is at different places in life and we all don't have the time to make everything on our own. Here are a few options... Is fermented food good for weight loss? As I said eating fermented food begins to heal your gut. And bad good health can have a very negative impact on your weight. So I can not promise that eating fermented foods will result in weight loss but it is common sense that if you start to take care of your body and start feeding yourself right that you will begin to lose weight. Obviously, if you have a major weight issue eating just fermented food is not going to fix that problem altogether. I believe you need a healthily balanced lifestyle to reach your weight loss goals. The keto lifestyle is a very popular diet right now and I agree with some of it but I believe you still need healthy carbs in your diet. So I personally have eaten the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. I believe that they do a great job of implementing all of the food groups that our bodies need. I would highly recommend checking out Trim Healthy Mama. You can purchase their books and learn more about the plan or just do some reading from other bloggers online. Okay, I will stop now since this post is not about Trim Healthy Mama. It has just changed my life so much I can't help but talk about it when I can. But for those of you who are interested in the keto diet and what fermented foods you can eat on that lifestyle, I will address that below... Fermented Foods Keto So this is actually pretty self- explanatory because if the food that is fermented is allowed on the keto diet then yes you can eat it. It should actually aid you in your Keto journey because when you eat fermented foods you are getting extra vitamins and minerals and improving your gut health which in turn will help your metabolism and improve overall health. But I do know that some people question whether or not they can have kombucha because of the sugar that is used in the fermentation process. So let's take a minute to discuss this one... In short Yes you can have kombucha and it will not kick you out of ketosis. Knowing how the kombucha was made is the key here. If you buy it at the store you are not sure if there was extra sugar added or not. But if you make your own kombucha at home you know that there was only sugar added in the beginning. Which means that during the fermentation process the scoby ate the sugars and therefore by the time you drink it there will be no more sugar. It would probably be a great addition to your keto diet because it would give you a sweet drink in place of the pops and sugary drinks you used to have while improving your gut health. Again, if you don't make it at home just make sure you know that there was no added sugar. Does fermented food go bad? Obviously, yes! Just like any other food eventually, it will go bad. Once you make your fermented food and it tastes the way you want it to then you will keep it in the refrigerator or a very cold place. And depending on what it is it will last different amounts of time. For example, pickles last for up to 6 months in a cold place. Kombucha will last a year. As you are making your fermented foods just check to see how long it will last. I usually don't have an issue with this because we eat it long before it could go bad. Fermented food will have a slightly off smell, to begin with so this will not really be an indicator. But if you think the smell is worse than when you made it I would always play it safe. And then obviously if it has grown mold you know that it has gone bad. Just use common sense and you should be fine. Too much-fermented food? Can you have too much-fermented food? Just like anything Yes, of course, you can overdo it. When you are first starting to eat fermented food you will want to take it slow. You want to give your body time to get adjusted and this will take a little bit of time. You may notice looser stools at first. This is your body cleaning itself out. If you notice this them by all means back down a little bit. It will be different for everyone and you will have to see how much your body can handle. I can tell when I have had too much and I just adjust it the next day. I love fermented food and am forever grateful for the benefits it has given me. My digestive system was in poor working order and fermented foods have really given my body the boost it needs. Final thoughts As you can see I am a major advocate for fermented foods. As you continue to do the research you will just like anything find people on either side of the fence and that's okay everyone has a right to their opinion. I just have seen great results and I would recommend that you try it for yourself. I love finding ways to boost my gut health and when those ways are things that I can do myself and make and grow that gets me excited and I want to share it with everyone. If you are interested in making your own fermented foods and feel like I missed something I also have another article addressing even more about fermenting. You can check that out here. As always if you have any awesome recipes or things you have tried I would love to hear about them. I also like to see your "fails" as well. Because I mean let's be real none of us are perfect, right? Happy Homesteading! ~Courtney

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