Contents
- Tasty and Healthy! The basic knowledge about fermented foods
- The reason why fermented foods are beneficial to health
- Eat fermented foods at least once a day!
Tasty and Healthy! The basic knowledge about fermented foods
Today, we will talk about fermented foods that are very rich in the microbiome that supports our health. They are the key to microbiome care, and knowing about them is essential.
Cheese, Kimchi, yogurt, Natto, Miso paste... There are many kinds of fermented foods around us.
Fermentation refers to the function that the microbiome changes one substance into another, and, in short, "foods processed with the help of microbiome" are called fermented foods.
A word that is very similar to fermentation is putrefaction. Those are just different words for the same phenomenon. Among the activities performed by the microbiome, those that are beneficial to people are called fermentation. And those that are harmful to us are called putrefaction.
Fermented foods have been around the world since long before you were born. The origin of fermented foods is often a matter of chance, and people at that time may not have imagined that the microbiome was involved in the process.
Recent developments in science have gradually revealed the existence and function of the microbiome. And with this, fermented foods, which are rich in the microbiome, have been attracting attention very much.
Fermented foods often taste better and have a longer shelf life than original foods. This is due to the power of the microbiome.
Furthermore, it has been shown that fermented foods have many health benefits.
So, eating fermented foods not only tastes good but also makes you healthier!
The reason why fermented foods are beneficial to health
Numerous papers have shown the health and beauty benefits of eating fermented foods. And it varies from "balanced skin" to "lower risk of disease.
The reason why fermented foods have a positive effect on our health has things to do with the microbiome.
The microbiome contained in fermented foods is called "good bacteria." And the bacteria in fermented foods can help regulate our intestinal flora.
Intestinal flora refers to the more than 100 trillion bacteria of several hundred species that live in our intestines. The name "intestinal flora" comes from the fact that when viewed under a microscope, the bacteria in clusters look like a flower garden (flora).
It has been shown that caring for the microbiome living in the intestinal flora has various effects, such as improving immunity and better sleep.
Fermented foods generally contain a variety of the microbiome, including lactic acid bacterium, yeast, koji mold, Bacillus natto, and acetic acid bacteria.
And the power and characteristics of each microbiome are different.
Therefore, the effects of fermented foods are different depending on which one you eat.
For example, Bacillus natto in Natto reduces the risk of diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke. On the other hand, lactic acid bacteria in Kimchi relieve constipation and improve rough skin.
If there are any fermented foods that you usually eat, it might be fun to find out what kind of microbiome they contain and what kind of effects they have.
Eat fermented foods at least once a day!
We at KINS recommend consuming at least one fermented food per day.
In particular, we recommend eating different fermented foods every day, rather than eating only the same fermented foods every day.
The reason for this is to have "diversity" in the microbiome. In the intestinal flora, it is significant to have a lot of good bacteria, but taking in a wide variety of the microbiome also can't be forgotten.
However, can you immediately think of what kind of fermented foods there are? Well, here are some examples.
Yogurt, cheese, Chinese pickles, pickles, anchovies, sour cream, Kimchi, pickled bamboo shoots, Miso, soy sauce, Natto, salted squid, sake, Amazake, black vinegar...etc.
Some of them you may already know were fermented foods, while others you may not.
In caring for the microbiome, Japanese and Greek foods are ideal. In these two cultures, they eat a variety of ingredients and fermented foods daily.
In addition, we recommend keeping soluble fiber and fish to be a central part of your diet.
These years, we all tend to eat a lot of fast food and processed foods, but this habit can disrupt intestinal flora. A disturbed intestinal environment can cause some skin trouble for your natural beauty.
Add one fermented food to your breakfast tomorrow. Starting with such a simple step will surely bring you amazing results.
