Scottsdale Health January 2020

crazy 8s
/ by Suzette Smith
2020 is predicted to be a healthy revolution,
starting with powerhouse fermented foods
that provide benefits from boosting gut
health to blunting inflammation. Here are
eight fun facts about fermented foods to
draw your taste buds to the sour side.
8 Crazy
Facts About
Fermented Foods
1. The microbiome
is the human
ecosystem. The gut
is considered the
first brain, controlling
a large role in
your immunity,
neurological health,
nervous system and
organ detox.
2. Bacteria
filling. Some
scientists believe
bacteria outnumber
human cells 10 to
one. This includes
bacteria, viruses and
fungi.
3. History lesson.
Fermented
rice, honey and
grapes have been
discovered in
Chinese clay pots
that date back 3,000
years.
4. Know your
pickles. All
fermented foods
are pickled but not
all pickled foods are
fermented. Vinegar
and pasteurization
make for shelf
stable pickles by
killing the beneficial
bacteria. Look in the
cooler space for raw,
naturally fermented
veggies that have
no vinegar in the
ingredients list on
the back of the label.
5. You are what
you eat. Studies
show that up to 85%
of serotonin, your
happy hormone, is
produced in the gut.
Krauts, kvass, kefir
and kombucha are a
few up-and-coming
ferments that can
improve gut health.
6. Pick up the beet.
Sugar and processed
foods create an
overgrowth of yeast
and fungus in the gut
causing brain fog,
sugar cravings and
low energy. Beet
kvass gobbles up
yeast overgrowth,
eliminating sugar
cravings, creating
mental clarity and
increasing athletic
performance.
7. Medicinal
properties. One
jar of fermented
veggies can offer
hundreds of strains
of bacteria, whereas
pilled probiotics and
commercial yogurts
only offer a small
handful of varieties
that may not survive
the digestive track.
8. Beet the detox.
Studies have shown
beet kvass can help
the body detox from
radiation exposure.
Suzette Smith is Phoenix’s first and only fermented food manufacturer. Celebrating 5 years of bacteria brewing, she’s on a mission to populate her growing tribe
with small batch krauts and beet kvass, a fermented beet juice. You can find her products at AJ’s Fine Foods, Whole Foods and Amazon.com.
40 ScottsdaleHealth 01/20