What comes to mind when you hear the words “fermented
foods”? Do you picture some exotic, oddly colored brew that you’d have to be a
little screwy to even think about putting in your mouth? The truth is that a
lot of our favorite, tried-and-true foods have undergone the fermentation
process. Want to see some fermented foods and drinks that we regularly consume?
Just take a quick look around – cheese, bread, chocolate, yogurt, wine. Not so
exotic, eh?
Our ancestors were pretty smart cookies. They had to find
ways of preserving food, both for journeys, and for storing through bounties
into leaner times. While the exact
details of the first fermentation experiments remain a mystery, what we do know
is that all over the globe, and throughout human history, people have been
letting food “spoil” in order to keep it “fresh”. What we also know is that
these “spoiled” foods are chock-full of the good bacteria that we need in order
to have healthy and optimally functioning bodies. This is especially critical
in modern times, with rampant antibiotic use, not just in medical practice, but
also in our food supply. It’s true that antibiotics are handy for killing off
bacteria that can cause us great harm. But they are also notorious for being the
battering ram that simultaneously lays waste to the good bacteria our bodies
need for the proper functioning of the digestive and immune systems. If the gut
is depleted of these protector bacteria, we are left open to all kinds of
disease. So, it’s critical that we regularly replenish the good bacteria.
