Ever since I shared the benefits of fermented foods in pregnancy, breastfeeding and when starting solids, I’ve had messages from parents asking where to start and which products bring the most benefits. So in this blog post, I’ll be sharing more on how to get started with fermented foods and which products I love.

So to begin with, let’s do a fermented food 101.

The human microbiome

The human microbiome refers to bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea that live in and on humans. These microbes are crucial for our overall health including digestive, cognitive, emotional, psychological, metabolic, liver and immune health.

We’re actually made up of more bacteria cells than we are human cells.

The largest bacterial ecosystem is found in the large intestine, and the second largest is the skin microbiome. The microbiome is greatly influenced by diet and lifestyle factors and probiotics are beneficial bacteria that improve health, strengthen the microbiome and promote a more favourable balance of bacteria in the body.

The balance of bacteria

The balance is an important consideration. The majority of bacteria in our bodies that we host are symbiotic meaning that they live happily in coexistence with each other and with us and we all benefit from this. There are a small handful of known bacteria strains, called pathogenic bacteria, that are capable of causing disease.

Interestingly, decreased levels of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, two forms of bacteria, have been associated with the development of allergy diseases in the first 5 years of life.

Research has also shown that the best and most efficient policy against candida overgrowth is having a health population of beneficial bacteria in the body, Lactobacilli in particular.

How fermentation makes food easier to digest and absorb

The other benefit of fermenting foods is that the food becomes much easier to digest and absorb. Microbes have an unsurpassed ability to digest plants and animal products, break down tough structures, release nutrients from these structures and create new nutrients. Fermented foods, as a result, are far more nourishing for us than their raw counterparts.

For example, as Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride states in Gut and Physiology Syndrome, a handful of sauerkraut can provide almost 20 times more bio-available vitamin C than the same amount of raw cabbage. If anyone has read or watched the Outlander series, you’ll know that sauerkraut was what prevented scurvy in the depths of winter. It’s incredible that the fermentation process transforms the whole plant structure into something that is much easier to digest - and we literally don’t do anything other than get it started.

How to support your own microbiome

So, there are things we can do to support the microbiome and positively impact the bacteria we host for ourselves and our family.

There are two ways we can do this:

1) Probiotic supplements: I always take a food first approach, however there are some individuals who could benefit from a probiotic supplement as they are therapeutic doses of bacteria. However, most probiotics only contain a few different strains of bacteria, and different strains have different benefits and roles in the body. It’s important to work with a practitioner for your supplements (this refers to any supplements) as not all probiotics will be beneficial for your symptoms. For example, particular bacteria strains can exacerbate eczema symptoms due to the role of histamines.

2) Fermented foods: traditionally foods were preserved for the cooler months using fresh produce from the harvest and using traditional fermentation methods. Fermented foods include sauerkraut (and other fermented vegetables), kefir (milk and coconut water), yoghurt, cheese, tempeh, kombucha as examples. In general, fermented foods host a wider variety of probiotic bacteria strains than probiotic powders - but this is not always the case!

The difference between a controlled and wild ferment

There are two ways to create fermented foods:

1. Firstly with a bacteria culture starter which dictates the end result of the strains of bacteria in the fermented food.

2. Secondly, a wild or spontaneous ferment occurs through lacto-fermentation. Lactic acid bacteria live on all plants and animal foods and they love to eat carbohydrates. During the fermentation process, the lactic acid grows and multiplies in the food, eating the carbohydrates and creating lactic acid, which then preserves the food and gives it that acid taste. Fresh cabbage has lactic acid bacteria living on it which is how the fermentation process works. We add salt here to not only draw the juice from the cabbage but also to reduce the chances of bad bacteria growing before the lactic acid has time to work it’s magic.

The right ferments for you and your family

If you and your family have no known gut issues, and are not sensitive to traditional wild ferments, then you could start making your own sauerkraut simply with cabbage and salt and it’s job done.

If you would prefer to buy your sauerkraut, then I would recommend buying from the fridge section at your local organic/wholefoods store or supermarket as the product is still alive and is raw. The shelf-stable sauerkrauts are often heat treated, which can kill the beneficial bacteria.

No matter where you start, it’s imperative to start slowly and with small amounts and build your tolerance from there.

What I use every single day

My personal preference is to use a starter culture from Kultured Wellness. In fact, their products have become singlehandlely the one thing I won’t do without in my kitchen. They were the missing piece in the puzzle for my own gut health and I use their kefir every single day.

Here’s why:

• Firstly, they are therapeutic grade probiotics. This means that they actually have the probitoic count to bring on change in your gut unlike many store-bought or homemade products. The coconut kefir (my personal fave) has 27 billion colony forming units.

• They have nine strains of bacteria, including a mix of saccharomyces, lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.

• The individual nine strains all come with their own individual benefits, including:

  • aiding digestion

  • enhancing the immune system

  • preventing ulcerative colitis, IBS, peptic ulcers, bacterial vaginosis

  • preventing and treating diarrhoea

  • reducing chronic inflammation

  • down regulating inflammation in the gut, intestine, blood, lungs and liver

  • improving dental health

  • inhibiting the growth of candida

  • preventing strep throat

  • reducing mastitis

  • relieving the symptoms of bloating

  • relieving constipation

  • supporting microbiome of children born via c-section

  • reducing allergies

  • controlling blood glucose levels

  • alleviating symptoms of allergic rhinitis

  • reducing development of eczema

  • supporting the rebuilding of the microbiome after antibiotic use

  • and so much more

• They are the first fermented food I’ve made where I’ve actually noticed a difference when I have it and when I don’t.

• They make fermentation pretty-much (gotta say this because there’s always a chance) fail-proof. Because you are introducing the bacteria, it allows minimal space for error and you get to just sit back and let the bacteria do their job.

• The other reason why I love these products is because they can be beneficial for people who are sensitive to traditional fermented foods or suffer from conditions such as histamine intolerance, SIBO, high inflammation, autoimmune conditions, food sensitivities, autism, ADHD, PDD-NOS and PANDAS.

• They are also D-lactate free to benefit people with issues such as MTHFR, liver and detox problems.

You can check out the full range of their products here and use the code ‘JESS20’ for a little discount for you.

To use their kefir to make sauerkraut, you simply make it as you would normally and then top up the jar with 1/2 cup of the kefir to assist the fermentation process. Too easy!