A number of fermented foods are part of daily diet in the Indian cuisine. This includes curd, khimchi, pickles, dhokla, idli and dosa and many other foods. Here are 15 top reasons why you should be eating fermented foods.
Reasons for Eating Fermented Foods
1. Improving Digestion
Fermented food increases the gut flora. This helps in strengthening digestion and eliminating toxic waste. It helps clean the body from inside out.
2. Fighting Digestive Problems
There are a number of digestive problems caused by lack of helpful bacteria in the gut. This includes conditions like:
- Lactose intolerance
- Gluten intolerance
- Yeast infections
- Irritable bowel syndrome
When you eat fermented food, it helps in restoring the ideal balance of bacteria.
Fermented foods contain high amount of useful enzymes. The body requires enzymes for proper digestion of food and absorption of nutrients. With aging, the enzymes produced by the body keep decreasing. Therefore, it becomes more important to eat fermented foods.
Fermented food helps in increasing the vitamin content in the body.
5. Nutrient Absorption
Fermented foods help in speeding up the absorption of nutrients. You could eat a lot of food, but if the nutrients present in them are not absorbed, it wouldn’t help your health.
6. Food Preservation
When food is fermented, it can be preserved for longer. Pickles, salsa and other fermented foods can remain preserved for several months.
Most of the foods required for making fermented foods are extremely cheap. You can enjoy all the benefits of fermented foods for just a few hundred rupees.
Fermentation has a special effect on the flavor of the food. This is one of the main reasons why people love fermented foods.
9. Improve Immunity
Fermented food can help in strengthening the immune system leading to faster healing. If you don’t eat fermented food, the percentage of bad bacteria could increase in the gut. This could cause many autoimmune problems such as:
- Addison’s disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Diabetes – Type 1
Fermented food is considered by doctors as one of the most effective detoxifiers. They can flush out many unwanted toxins including heavy metals. The good bacteria stick to toxins like aluminium, lead, mercury and arsenate and remain attached to them until they are flushed out through bowel movement.
11. Beautiful Skin
Eating fermented food is also good for your skin. Because it helps reduce toxins and bad bacteria, the body is able to heal and repair faster. The food is helpful in clearing skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and acne. The food works by improving your health and skin from the inside out.
12. Weight Loss
If you are overweight, you have a very good reason for eating fermented foods. They have been found to be helpful with weight loss. They stabilize blood sugar, which is helpful in balancing appetite and making your feel full. Another way fermented food works is by releasing a regular stream of insulin, which helps in preventing the body from storing fat.
13. Enrichment of Nutrients
In addition to helping with nutrient absorption, fermented foods also help in enriching nutrients like proteins, vitamins, essential fatty acids and amino acids. When vegetables are fermented, it breaks their cellulose, making them richer in minerals and more nourishing. Fermentation helps unravel the protein structure of food and makes them easier to digest.
14. Eliminating Anti-nutrients
Fermented foods will also help in eliminating anti-nutrients from the body.
15. pH Balance
The food also helps in maintaining the pH balance in the body. Alkaline fermentations help in taking body fluids to the ideal pH level of 7.35, which is essential for your overall health.
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