List of Fermented Foods

Fermented foods have played an important role in human health for hundreds of years. Societies known for their long livety have always eaten some form of fermented food.

Check out the naturally fermented kimchi and other Korean foods below. Easy to order in the USA.

Looking at the list below shows that most of these fermented foods come from Africa, Asia and "old" Europe, all societies that do not suffer from the plague of intestinal problems that beset modern societies.

In general, fermentation increases protein and nutritional levels of food. For example, vitamin B12, folacin and riboflavin are all increased after fermentation of maize flour¹.

Fermented gruels are commonly used as a weaning food for babies in many countries. They reduce bouts of diarrhea significantly when compared with unfermented gruels. Interestingly, this protection lasts even after cooking the gruel.

The fermented grains and vegetables are full of the beneficial lactic acid bacteria. This is the family that most probiotics come from. You'll find Lacotbacillus plantarum in many of these.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides is one of the most common bacteria found in fermented foods. It plays an important role as it grows rapidly over a wide range of temperatures and pH and so stops bad bacteria getting a foothold.

If these foods are heated to a high temperature after fermentation then the beneficial bacteria will be destroyed.

nothing beats real food

Table compiled from information from Peter Sahlin's thesis "Fermentation as a Method of Food Processing", "Food Biology" by MR Adams and MO Moss, and PubMed.

 

Or check out these wonderful aged cheeses if that sounds more to your taste. Aged cheeses are also full of the beneficial lactic acid bacteria we need for good health.

 

 

REFERENCES

1. Murdock FA & Fields ML. B-vitamin content of natural lactic acid fermented cornmeal. Journal of Food Science 1984 49, 373-375.