Fermented foods and drinks such as kefir, kombucha sauerkraut and sourdough have risen in popularity over the last few years, with many people enjoying them not only for the taste but for the purported health benefits. As Pure Booch Kombucha is crafted using fermentation we wanted to look at some of the health benefits from adding fermented products into your diet.
What is fermentation?
Fermentation is food or drink being produced through controlled microbial growth and using enzymes. Fermenting has been around for many years and historically was used as a way to preserve foods. For some food types like olives, fermentation has been used to enhance the taste and texture. Food and drink can be fermented in two ways, firstly they can be fermented naturally with the microorganisms already present in the raw food or they can be fermented by adding starter cultures, for example the SCOBY in Pure Booch kombucha.
What are some good, fermented foods I should add to my diet?
According to British Dietetic Association, eating the following fermented foods can help your diet:
- Sourdough Bread- made with fermented dough it takes longer to digest so is good for your blood sugar levels.
- Kefir- a fermented milk drink, similar to yoghurt, it is a good source of calcium and contains probiotic bacteria.
- Kimchi- made with fermented vegetables, Kimchi contains Vitamin A, B & C.
- Kombucha- like Pure Booch, is a good source of probiotic bacteria.
Are fermented foods good for gut health?
Our diet can have an effect on our gut microbiome (the microbes in our intestines that help our immune system, heart and weight), and there has been research to show that adding fermented foods into your diet can strengthen your gut microbiome. Fermented products like kombucha can give your body a healthy dose of probiotics, which are important for healthy digestion.
How often should you eat fermented foods for gut health?
According to Tim Spector a Professor of Epidemiology who spoke to the BBC eating fermented foods little and often is better than eating a large amount once a week. He says that eating different fermented foods can help the diversity of your gut, for example he has kefir every day and kombucha three times a week.
I’d like to add fermented foods to my diet, what can I do?
Kombucha is a naturally sparkling soft drink that’s been crafted from fermented green and black tea. Our Pure Booch Kombucha is authentically slow brewed to ensure the probiotics and microbes properly ferment, it’s a tasty way of adding fermentation to your diet. And, with 4 flavours to choose from, there’s something for everyone.
References
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723656/
www.bda.uk.com/resource/fermented-foods.htmlwww.bda.uk.com/resource/top-six-diet-trends-of-2022.html
www.healthline.com/nutrition/gut-microbiome-and-healthwww.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/fermented_foods