LET US GET BACK TO FERMENTATION OF FOODS

To begin, traditional cultures didn’t have to can their foods, neither did they preserve their foods with artificial preservatives, they did not have attractive airconditioned supermarkets, Thermo cool refrigerators, and expensive microwaves, yet they preserved their foods, lived well and aged graciously how did they go about it, satisfactorily, theirs was by simple FERMENTATION, specifically lacto-fermentation.
Through fermentation, foods were preserved through the work of healthy bacteria. In a process almost magical, but easily explained through science. Not only does fermentation preserve food, but it also transforms food into a probiotic and increases digestibility and vitamin content. We shall talk about probiotics as a topic because of its immense importance to our diet and sources of such probiotics.

WHERE IS FERMENTATION TODAY IN OUR DIETS
Obviously, fermented foods are gradually disappearing from our regular diets, modern pickles , sauerkraut, coloring's, flavorings, and other additives are used on most of regular foods like bread instead of fermentation. Before we got to where we are today, Bread and pasta are made with commercial yeast instead of being naturally leavened with wild yeast. Wine, beer and cheeses are being pasteurized – killing off all the good bacteria we so desperately need to maintain health. The numerous advantages and need of going back to the traditional ways of our ancestors, and eating more fermented foods are becoming inevitable instead of this endless war against bacteria with antibiotics.

Under normal setting and environment, we would never think twice about replenishing and supporting the bacteria that allow us to digest food. Instead what we have today is “WAR AGAINST OUR OWN INTERNAL FRIENDS” with antibiotic drugs repeatedly, chlorinated water, antibacterial soap, antibacterial creams, and the endless war continues, for of a truth we will never win that war, because these supposedly enemies are actually living inside of us. So how can we win?
Many of the fermented products consumed by different ethnic groups have therapeutic values. Some of the most widely known are fermented milk (i.e yoghurt, curds) containing high concentration of pro-biotic bacteria, these can lower your cholesterol levels and supply you with essential digestible and absorbable nutrients.


According to Dr. Mercola, a notable speaker and writer on the subject, “your gut is much more than a food processing tube. It houses about 85% of your immune system.When your GI tract is not working well, a wide range of health problems can appear, including allergies and autoimmune diseases. If you suffer from any major illness,you simply will NOT be able to fully recuperate without healing and sealing your gut”.
Just a reminder, your stomach is where digestion really gets rolling, with the introduction of more enzymes and a whole lot of acid. Fortunately, your stomach is uniquely designed for this process, as it is so acidic. Its lining must actually regenerate at a feverish pace. – just to keep up with the continuous digestion of itself,! You require a brand new stomach lining every few days.
Unhappy Gut Bacteria May Make you Fat says Dr Mercola
Inflammation from bacteria endotoxins may be a factor helping to drive the obesity epidemic. Junk food causes nasty microbes to bloom and friendly bugs to decline, just as sugar and refined carbohydrates feed the bacteria in your mouth that are responsible for tooth decay. Sugar and processed foods make your “friendly” microbe community unfriendly – even downright hostile. According to him “Humans today have lost the microbial diversity that once kept us healthy” The war is on how to eliminate these bacteria from their natural habitat, where then do they go? I therefore reiterate that there is a bleak hope of winning the war against bacteria with antibacterial drugs as long as they live inside of us.
The best way to reverse inflammation and restore a healthy metabolism is by eliminating excess sugar and processed food, adding more friendly, beneficial bacteria from naturally fermented foods.


REASONS TO INCLUDE FERMENTED FOODS
1. Helps Restor Balance of bacteria in the gut
Fermented foods are known to be beneficial for the treatment and management of a host of ailments ranging from :
– Lactose intolerance
– Gluten intolerance
– Constipation
– Irritable bowel syndrome
– Yeast infections
– Allergies
– Asthma
– Typhoid
– Diarrhea and a host of other conditions related to the intestine
2. Rich in enzymes
Your body needs enzymes to adequately digest, absorb, and utilize the nutrients in your food. As you age, you body’s supply of enzymes goes down.
.3. Fermented foods improve Digestion
Fermenting our foods before we eat them is like partially digesting them before we consume. It is known that people who cannot even tolerate milk can eat yogurt. That is because the lactose which is usually the part people can’t tolerate in milk is broken down as the milk is fermented and turns into yogurt.
4 Fermented foods increases the vitamin content
Fermented dairy products for instance show an increased level of folic acid,
B vitamins, riboflavin and biotin depending on the strains of bacteria present in the fermented food
5. Eating fermented foods helps to absorb consumed nutrients.
It is one thing to eat food with nutrients and another to absorb them, and unless you actually absorb them, they are useless to you. When you improve digestion, you improve absorption.
6. Fermenting foods helps to preserve it for longer periods of time.
Milk will go bad in the fridge but, kefir, yogurt, ogi .(pap made from either corn, millet,or sorghum) will not go bad.
Although fermented foods are marketed globally as health foods, functional foods, therapeutic foods, nutraceutical foods or bio-foods, due to urbanization, changes in life style, and the shifting from traditional food habits to commercial fast foods, the production and consumption of traditional fermented foods is in decline. “Reliance on fewer providers of fermented foods is also leading to a decline in the biodiversity of micro-organisms or microbial-biodiversity” says Jyoti Prakash Tamang. Let us get back to fermentation of our foods is my humble plea. It is one sure way to end this war against bacteria.


Source: www.nutritionletter.tufts.edu.issues
www.cheeseslave.com/eat-fermented foods. Article by Marie Micheals July, 2009
www.thenourishinggourment.com2014
Articles.Mercola.com/site/articles