One of my favorite things to do in the fall is make fermented vegetables. It’s the perfect time for fermenting because all the produce, like cabbages, carrots, and kohlrabi, is at its best, and fermenting is one of the best ways to capture all that goodness so you can continue to enjoy it throughout the winter months. Canning vegetables damages and diminishes many of their nutrients, but fermenting makes nutrients more available and produces an abundant variety of beneficial pro-biotic organisms.
Getting your probiotics without pills
Lacto-fermented vegetables are a highly concentrated source of probiotic organisms. In fact, you will get a larger dose of probiotics in a ¼ cup serving of fermented vegetables than you will by taking probiotics in supplement form. In addition, different vegetables have different strains of beneficial bacteria, so eating a wide variety of fermented vegetables provides your body with the probiotic diversity that it needs.
What Are Pro-biotics and How Do They Support Health?
In a nutshell, probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in or on our bodies. They receive the nourishment they need from the foods we eat, and in return, they support numerous systems and processes within the body.
Beneficial probiotic bacteria:
Aid in the digestion of lactose and proteins.
Manufacture B-complex vitamins and vitamin K.
Break down polyphenols, flavonoids, and other nutrients for absorption.
Increase our ability to absorb minerals.
Help with detoxification. Lactobacilli bacteria help to bind and detoxify metals.
Regulate peristalsis (i.e., keep bowel movements regular).
Modulate the immune system and inflammation. (They can help dampen down allergies in some cases. However, some people with histamine intolerance may not tolerate certain fermented foods. Young fermented veggies are the least likely to provoke a reaction in cases of histamine intolerance.)
Support metabolism regulation and healthy lipid levels.
2 for 1
One of the coolest things about fermented vegetables is that you get 2 for 1. The fermented vegetables provide a diversity of beneficial microbes AND the vegetables themselves contain the soluble fiber that feeds those microbes and keeps them happy and healthy so they can do their job.
Fun, Easy, and Tasty!
Making lacto-fermented vegetables is fun and easy, especially with all the equipment now available that makes the process nearly foolproof. The only limit to what you can do is your creativity. I love making mixtures of colorful vegetables, partly because they look beautiful in the jar and partly because I love the variety of flavors and textures.
A few of my favorite resources for making fermented foods are listed here for your convenience.
If making your own fermented veggies isn’t your cup of tea, there are plenty of quality fermented veggies available online, at health food stores, and some grocery stores. A couple of good brands are Wild Brine and Wise Goat Organics.
Whether you choose to experiment with making your own fermented veggies or prefer the convenience of buying them, I hope you will consider adding lacto-fermented veggies to your meals. Not only are they delicious, but they are also nutritional powerhouses that support digestion, immunity, detoxification, and more!