Nutrition: 5 Fermented Foods For a Healthy Intestinal Flora

Sauerkraut – a well-known fermented food

• Sauerkraut is made from finely chopped white cabbage, which is mixed with salt and mashed in order to then ferment for days and weeks in the absence of air using lactic acid bacteria naturally occurring in the environment.
• Fermented with lactic acid, the cabbage is easier to digest and at the same time provides many vitamins and minerals. Its richness in vitamin C is well known. B vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin K and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and zinc are also supplied.
• At the same time, the fiber that has not been completely broken down fills your intestines, fills you up, and is food for the good intestinal bacteria that settle there.
• In addition, the roughage promotes the passage of the food pulp through the intestine. If the intestines are in motion and nothing stays in one place for long, this, in turn, is positive for intestinal health.
• Mild sauerkraut
• The lactic acid bacteria present in sauerkraut complement and support the development of healthy intestinal colonization, provided they survive the highly acidic passage through the stomach. This works best if probiotic sauerkraut regularly ends up on your plate.
• Pasteurized sauerkraut has the advantage that you can store it for a long time without refrigeration.
• Fresh sauerkraut—that is, sauerkraut that hasn’t been pasteurized—contains the most live lactic acid cultures. You can make it yourself or find it in stores, for example in health food stores or organic shops, in refrigeration.

Kimchi – the Asian “herb” alternative

The Asian-Korean mirror image of sauerkraut is kimchi. These are Chinese cabbage leaves fermented in a spicy, hot sauce. Kimchi cuts a fine figure next to sushi or in an Asian soup with noodles, for example.

• Koreans usually mix radish, ginger, garlic, and chili into a paste, with which the previously salted whole Chinese cabbage leaves are marinated for two to several weeks to ferment.
• Kimchi has similar nutrients to sauerkraut: plenty of vitamin C, B vitamins, folic acid, and minerals such as magnesium and iron.
• In addition, the sour fermented Chinese cabbage also has a lot of dietary fiber, which the intestinal flora use as food.
• As with sauerkraut: lactic acid and the right bacterial flora support a healthy environment in your intestines. However, it is also worth considering with kimchi: the less it is heated, the more valuable it remains.
• You can buy ready-made kimchi or make your own. However, be prepared for the fact that your fridge will “smell” strongly with the goods in it. A tip: Placing charcoal next to it binds odors.

Tempeh – soybean, easily digestible

If you’re not a fan of tofu, you might shy away from trying tempeh, another soybean processing variant.

• Nevertheless, it would certainly be worth trying. Because fermenting with yeast makes the protein of the Asian bean much easier to digest and you also build up your intestinal flora.
• Tempeh is mainly used in Indonesian cuisine as an alternative source of protein instead of meat. It has a firmer texture than tofu and fits into many types of dishes – whether in a salad, as a fried side dish with vegetables, boiled in soup, or prepared as a snack.
• Tempeh is made from boiled and peeled soybeans, which are inoculated with a fungal culture of the Rhizopus strain and then fermented in the absence of air for one to two days.
• A delicate whitish mushroom fuzz forms around the crushed soybeans during mushroom fermentation.
• The beans become – although still al dente – a little softer and easier to digest because oligosaccharides are broken down. The aroma changes slightly due to the metabolism of the mushroom mycelium but remains mild.
• Tempeh contains a lot of protein, vitamins from the B group, and minerals such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
• Fermentation by fungi also produces lactic acid, which has a positive effect on the intestinal environment.
• The tempeh mushrooms also produce a small number of antibiotic substances. These primarily counteract gastrointestinal germs that cause diarrhea, for example.

Kombucha – fermented tea with added value

Sparkling and slightly sour – anyone who tries Kombucha for the first time will be surprised by the taste of the fermented, sweetened tea. Equally impressive are the health benefits of kombucha: Word has gotten around that fermented tea became the “in” drink years ago.

• Kombucha is based on sugared black and green tea infusions. The so-called “Kombucha tea fungus” is added to this.
• This gooey mesh of yeast and bacterial cultures metabolizes the sugars in the tea to create a carbonated, lactic acid drink.
• Depending on how long the drink is allowed to ferment, the sugar is almost completely converted. That’s why kombucha sometimes tastes more, sometimes less sweet, but more sour instead. The more lactic acid that comes into play, the better for the gut.
• The tea itself already has beneficial ingredients: tannins and antioxidants support the health of the stomach and intestines. After fermentation, they are supplemented by other bioactive substances, including gluconic and glucuronic acid.
• Many delicious Kombucha compositions
• It is better if active cultures can be found in the tea drink. They further reduce the sugar content after bottling. Such “living” kombucha variants are sometimes still available in organic shops or health food stores. Or you can make the kombucha yourself.
• By the way: Kombucha always contains some alcohol. The alcohol content can vary greatly. In general, however, it is below 0.5 percent by volume but can sometimes rise to around 1.5 percent by volume. Children and pregnant women as well as abstinent alcoholics should avoid Kombucha.

Natural yoghurt & Co – valuable everyday

Yogurt made from milk is a classic among fermented foods. Its origin is seen among the peoples of Central Asia in the 4th to 6th millennium BC. After it was recognized that above all unsweetened natural yogurt is healthy, yogurt began its triumphal march on menus worldwide.

• Originally, yogurt was a random product. Milk that was filled into goatskin sacks soured after a while and became thick – but turned out to be very digestible when eaten.
• Today, yogurt is produced industrially: milk – or, in the case of a vegan yogurt substitute, plant-based “milk” made from soy or coconut – is inoculated with starter cultures of typical lactic acid bacteria.
• The lactic acid bacteria convert the milk sugar (lactose) contained in milk or glucose from plant milk into lactic acid. The pH drops and the protein in the milk flocculates, resulting in the typically creamy, firm consistency of yogurt.
• Depending on which lactic acid bacteria come into play, the yogurt is sometimes more or less acidic. The temperatures during fermentation also affect its taste.
• Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus are responsible for the clearly acidic left-handed D(-)-lactic acid. Lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacteria tend to produce milder yogurt with a slightly higher proportion of dextrorotatory L(+)-lactic acid.
• The lactic acid partly promotes the growth of the desired positive intestinal flora, shifts the enzymatic activity of the intestinal bacteria, and thus stabilizes digestion. Above all, the levorotary (D+) lactic acid, which has long been rated less positively, seems to play a role.
• The theory that the lactic acid bacteria settle inside the intestine has turned out to be wrong. In fact, their positive effect only seems to be guaranteed with regular consumption.