Fermented Food and Gut Health: What You Need to Know

Discover how fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, and kombucha can boost your gut health. Learn the science behind probiotics, gut health, and overall wellness.

Fermented rice water is the talk of the town these days. It seems to be the answer to all of life’s problems. Dry, damaged skin? Apply rice water. Non-stop hair fall? Spray some on. Want the most coveted Korean glass skin? Fermented rice water is your holy grail.

But apart from the beauty benefits, there's a lot more to fermented food like rice water than what meets the eye. There’s a common understanding that all of your body's problems start with your gut. So the maintenance of proper gut health is important for your overall well-being. Let’s see how proper consumption of fermented food can be the key to maintaining a healthy gut and a thriving body.

Image source: Google.

 

Our gut includes the stomach and the intestines, both small and large. It hosts trillions of ‘good’ bacteria and is a world within our body. These microorganisms help with proper digestion and active absorption of nutrients to ensure the smooth functioning of different systems in our body. Gut health gets compromised with increased and injudicious consumption of antibiotics. While they effectively remove the bad bacteria, they also disrupt the balance by removing the good ones as well. An unhealthy diet, such as food with high sugar and saturated fats can also destroy the gut microbiome. This could lead to stomach pain, diarrhea, vaginal infections etc.

What is fermented food?

Fermented food has been a part of the human diet for centuries. Its primary purpose was to preserve food and increase its shelf life. However, the health benefits of fermented food are being increasingly discussed lately. Initially, the fermentation process was mostly done on milk to produce byproducts like yogurt, curd, cheese, etc but now almost everything is fermentable, like cereals, vegetables, legumes, and even fish. The choice of the substrate to ferment is largely influenced by the culture and region. We can see a lot of fermented vegetables in Asian countries like Korea and Vietnam.

How does fermentation work?

Before diving into the science behind fermentation, let’s see what ‘probiotics’ are. Probiotics are live organisms(including bacteria, yeast, and fungi) that, when consumed in adequate quantities, would provide many health benefits to the host. They are the ‘good bacteria’ that ease the digestion process and remove harmful microorganisms. Fermented foods are rich in probiotics.

Fermentation is basically these microbes breaking down complex substrates like sugar and starch into smaller particles, making them easily absorbable. The food particles are broken down into CO2, alcohol, and organic acids and release a certain amount of energy during the same. Due to the presence of acids, pathogenic microorganisms or the ‘bad bacteria’ find it difficult to survive and they perish. This increases the nutritional value of food and also increases its shelf-life. It is acids that give fermented food its tangy taste.

Fermentation is used to make wine from fruits, beers from cereals like wheat, barley, and rye, and various dairy products from milk. It is also used to make stronger liquors like sake from rice, vodka from potato, and rum from sugarcane.

How do they improve your gut health?

As mentioned above, gut health is associated with the overall health of the mind and body. Proper digestion is vital in maintaining gut health. Indigestion can result in bloating, heartburn, stomach pain, gas, and burping. In fermented foods, the bacteria does most of the digestion for you. This helps in the efficient absorption of nutrients.

This can be observed in people with lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance is a condition where the body cannot digest lactose, a sugar found in milk. The microbes in fermented food break down lactose to absorbable form, making dairy products enjoyable for all.

Our gut has a strong association with our brain. Ever heard of the term ‘gut feeling’? That's just our brain communicating through our gut. When the gut microbiota is disturbed, the gut-brain connection can be damaged. This is one of the reasons for Irritable bowel Syndrome(IBS). Though IBS does not have a permanent cure, consuming probiotics and fermented food helps to reduce the symptoms associated with it. So, if you’re someone who gets bloated after having raw fruits and vegetables, try fermenting them!

 

Apart from improving your gut health, Fermented food has other health benefits as well.

• Improves the overall immunity.

• Helps in liver protection by fighting against hepatitis. Fermented brown rice fights against free radicals that cause liver damage.

• Improves heart health- fermented food plays a major role in reducing blood pressure. This helps with reducing the risk of heart diseases associated with it.

• Helps curb diabetes and weight management- a diet rich in probiotics helps maintain a healthy gut, thereby reducing appetite and sugar cravings.

• Improve brain activity- as mentioned above, the gut is closely linked to the brain. Therefore, ensuring proper gut health can also impact brain activity. It helps reduce mood swings and anxiety. Fermented food also helps in the release of serotonin, the happy hormone that elevates the mood instantly.

 

Fermented food in the Indian household: You ought to have noticed a big bowl of pickled vegetables in your grandma’s house. Pickled vegetables are a common and well-liked side dish in the Indian household. Dosa, Idli, and appam are the most popular breakfast options in South India. Popular drinks like lassi and buttermilk are fermented drinks high in nutritional value and help you stay hydrated and refreshed.

Naturally fermented food is always preferred over store-bought food. Store-bought pickles are mainly fermented using vinegar and, therefore lack probiotics. Always look for the label “naturally fermented” to make sure that they contain probiotics.

 

Let’s see how different cultures across the world have incorporated fermented food into their diets and how they help improve your health.

Fermented Food	Description	Health Benefits2	Regions Popular
Kimchi	Fermented Chinese cabbage mixed with spices and condiments, usually consumed raw.	Fights cancer, obesity, and bacterial infections; lowers cholesterol; slows aging; boosts immunity.	Globally popular, especially due to Korean culture.
Kefir	A mildly alcoholic drink with a creamy consistency.	Improves digestion and alleviates lactose intolerance.	United States, Japan, Canada, and Latin America.
Koumiss	An alcoholic drink made from mare’s milk.	Supports the nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems.	Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia).
Miso and Natto	Fermented soybeans, rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, salt, and vegetable protein.	Protects against stroke, high blood pressure, and sometimes cancer.	China, Japan, and Korea.
Sucuk	Dry sausage made from beef or mutton, popular in Turkish cuisine.	Some health benefits but criticized for high fat and salt content.	Turkey.
Sauerkraut	Fermented cabbage, is an ancient and well-loved food item.	Rich in Vitamin C and B, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and phosphorus; has anti-inflammatory properties.	Popular worldwide, with origins in Europe.
Sourdough Bread	Fermented bread known for its unique taste and health benefits.	Higher nutritional value than regular bread; great for breakfast and can be used as a guilt-free pizza base.	Gaining global popularity.
Red Wine	Alcoholic beverage, a staple in American and European households.	Reduces the risk of diabetes, blood pressure, cancer, and atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries due to fat deposits).	Europe and America.
Kombucha	Sweetened, fermented black tea available in various flavors.	Claims benefits like fighting cancer, though research is limited.	Traditional in China; now popular worldwide.

Because of the wide variety of options ranging from meat to vegetables to drinks present, incorporating fermenting food into your daily diet won't be much of a task. It can be consumed as a main course, snack, or drink.

Disadvantages of fermented food3.

There is good and bad to everything on earth, and fermented food is no different. Since live organisms are the main components of fermented food, hygiene is of utmost importance. The lack of good quality starter materials and fermentation done under unhygienic conditions could result in the formation of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. This will lead to infections and outbreaks, that even antibiotics cannot curb. These are mainly seen in developing and underdeveloped countries, where household and small-scale fermentation are done without any supervision and do not meet hygiene requirements. The lactic acid formed as a result of fermentation, accumulated in the muscles over time causes muscle stiffness. As alcohol is also a byproduct, it can affect the cell function.

 

There is a common misconception that all bacteria are bad. That’s not very true when it comes to fermented food. Microorganisms, when used under supervision can give us remarkable health benefits. With a wide variety of options ranging from fruits and vegetables to meat, dairy, and fish, fermented food has something to satisfy every palate. They have been here for centuries, leaving their print in different cultures all over the world. With their culinary versatility, impressive flavors, and multiple health benefits, fermented foods are here to stay.

References.

1.Leeuwendaal NK, Stanton C, O’Toole PW, Beresford TP. Fermented foods, health and the gut microbiome. Nutrients. 2022;14(7):1527. doi:10.3390/nu14071527

2.Şanlier N, Gökcen BB, Sezgin AC. Health benefits of fermented foods. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(3):506-527. doi:10.1080/10408398.2017.1383355

3.Skowron K, Budzyńska A, Grudlewska-Buda K, et al. Two faces of fermented foods—the benefits and threats of its consumption. Front Microbiol. 2022;13:845166. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.845166