(NaturalNews)An abandoned food preparation method is making a comeback. Canning (with glass jars) and fermenting vegetables was done in the past to store vegetables through long winters. Now this method is making a comeback for preparing probiotic rich foods cheaply. The importance of probiotics cannot be over emphasized.
Fermented FoodsMost of us know of sauerkraut. During our SAD days (Standard American Diet) we garnished hot dogs and bratwurst with it. It is a fermented food, of which there are many. The Korean dish, Kimchi, is another fermented dish that healthy foodies are looking into.
The fact is that almost any veggie can be fermented to yield high amounts of probiotics, mostly the Lactobacilli type. The lacto term comes from the fact that this type of bacteria creates lactic acid. The lactic acid protects the fermented food from being invaded by pathogenic bacteria.
By the way, commercial yogurt is not a great probiotic source. You're better off making your own milk kefir (raw milk if possible). But that's the subject for another article. Probiotic capsules are sometimes necessary, but the good ones are also costly. Some believe fermented food sources contain more probiotic strains than the capsules.
If you purchase a healthy organic sauerkraut from a health food store, it costs quite a bit for a small amount. You can learn to make lacto-fermented veggies and create much more for a lot less.
Links below this article in the sources section will provide you with enough recipe instruction to get a good start if you're interested.The Importance of ProbioticsThe benefits start but don't end with improved digestion, which alone is important enough. Probiotic
bacteria also help elimination as well as digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Nor do friendly gastro-intestinal (GI) tract bacteria benefits stop at destroying unfriendly bacteria, fungi, or parasites, which is another big plus by itself.
Candida is a common source of much malaise. It surfaces when there aren't enough
probiotic bacteria to handle those yeast fungus cells that feed on sugar. Candida yeast colonies are symbiotic to cancer cell proliferation, perhaps even a source of cancer tumors.
Don't let the word acid in lactic acid put you off. It, like citric acid, helps your pH buffer alkalize your system. A slightly alkaline pH is vital for good health.
Probiotics create or assist in supplying all the B vitamins as well as vitamin A, D, and K. Vitamin K is hard to come by and is essential for ensuring calcium goes into bone matter without lingering in the blood stream to calcify organs or harden arteries.
Probiotic bacteria are needed by the immune system. It's estimated friendly intestinal flora is responsible for 60 to 80 percent of our immune system. And that's not just from killing the bad guys. Immune responses throughout the body are triggered by gut probiotic bacteria.
And lately there have been connections to anxiety, depression, autism, and many mental disorders attributed to low gut probiotic content. Don't assume that your probiotic levels are sufficient even if you're not depressed or taking antibiotics or having Candida and yeast issues.
There are so many external pollutants, allopathic medicines (especially antibiotics), and low nutrient foods that destroy life support gut bacteria. GMOs contain a gene transference virus that contaminates and destroys GI tract friendly bacteria. Yet another reason to stop Monsanto and their ilk.
We're forced to be vigilant protecting those billions of little protective critters. Build up your friendly flora habitat by consuming lacto-fermented foods. Check out some instructional recipes in the sources section below.
Sources for this article include:Simple Bites lacto-fermentation methods and recipes
http://www.simplebites.net/lacto-fermentation-an-easier-healthier-and...Nourishing Days fermented
food for beginners recipe write ups
http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/07/the-benefits-of-fermented-food-...Some basic tips for fermenting veggies
http://www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=vegetablesExcellent article on lactobacillus benefits
http://fermplus.com/lactobacilliAbout the author:Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on health freedom. You can visit his blog at
http://healthmaven.blogspot.com
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Email this article to a friend
Now Available from 
