There's an old saying that goes "You are what you eat". As is the case of acne, what you eat can cause breakouts – or minimize them. Here, you'll learn about fermented foods – the delicious and healthy fares that may help you achieve clear, healthy skin.
What are Fermented Foods?
As the name suggests, this type of food has undergone fermentation. In this process, microorganisms break down substances such as sugars into other materials such as organic acids or gases. Through fermentation, such foods get to have a certain taste, smell, and appearance.
The most common examples of fermented food are yogurt & cultured milk, tempeh, miso, natto, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, fermented fish, and fermented sausage.
In the US, widely-available fermented foods include bread, cheese, yogurt, sour cream olives, and beer.
Why Fermented Foods Are Good For You
Although vegetables, fruits, dairy, and other foods are good enough by themselves, fermenting them can further improve their health benefits. That's because they often have (or are inoculated with) probiotics, which many people know as the 'good bacteria'.
True to its' name, probiotics provide several benefits to the body. The most common strains, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, can help create a good gut environment. Add to that, they can also help improve your immunity.
The benefits of probiotics are made possible by the vitamins and other compounds they are able to produce in the gut. These substances help improve nerve function, immunity, and blood health, among many other things.
Fermented Foods and Skin Health
Are you guilty of eating fatty, unhealthy junk food regularly? A diet like this can affect your gut microbiome, which is the community of microorganisms in your digestive tract.
An imbalanced gut microbiome has been linked to inflammation throughout the body, which researchers continue to study in relation to skin appearance.
To support your gut (and your skin), keeping your gut microbiome balanced is a good general wellness goal. Eating probiotic-rich fermented foods is one way to support a healthy gut as part of an overall balanced diet.*
Probiotics are also being studied for their broader role in general wellness. According to the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand, fermented foods are an area of growing research interest in relation to heart and metabolic health. This is general nutrition science, not a claim that fermented foods or probiotics treat or prevent any disease.*
What are the Best Probiotic-Rich Fermented Foods?
While there are many fermented foods available in the market, there are some that do better with providing the probiotics that you need.
Take the case of yogurt and cheese, which are both fermented dairy products. Yogurt is deemed to be the better source because it contains more 'live and active' cultures of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii at about 100 million cells per gram – compared to cheese.
Here are some other fermented foods that come with the most number of beneficial live microbes:
- Kimchi – L. sakei
- Sauerkraut – Lactic acid bacteria
- Olives – Lactobacillus
- Pickles – P. cerevisae
- Buttermilk – Lactococcus
- Fermented Milk – S. thermophilus, L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. casei, B. lactis
- Kefir – Lactobacillus, Lactococcus
When buying a product from the market, make sure it has the words 'naturally fermented' or 'unpasteurized' (especially in sauerkraut) on the label. If you don't find these statements, do check the bottle for bubbles – this means there are live microorganisms in the jar. By being vigilant with what you buy, you can avoid fermented foods that don't have probiotics, such as pickles that are only fermented with vinegar.
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Fermenting Your Own Food
Similar to preparing your homecooked meals, it's best if you ferment your own food. That's because processed fermented foods usually undergo pasteurization. While it can extend the food's shelf life by killing harmful microorganisms, it also gets to kill the good bacteria in the food.
Contrary to popular beliefs, fermenting foods at home is very easy to do too. Here are some quick recipes you ought to try:
Sauerkraut
This delicious entree, which can last you a couple of months, only requires salt, caraway seeds, and cabbage. Just throw all these ingredients in a jar and ferment them for 3 to 10 days.
Kimchi
This traditional Korean recipe only requires cabbage, green onions, carrots, radishes, ginger, garlic, dried chilies, and sea salt.
Add these sliced ingredients to a jar, and put in some more water (as needed) to keep the veggies submerged in liquid. Ferment at room temperature for 3 days before placing it in the fridge.
Yogurt
Indeed, you can make yogurt even if you don't have a machine. All you need is a quart of whole milk and ¼ cup of plain whole milk yogurt. To make your homemade yogurt, heat the milk in a saucepan and add the yogurt. Place the mixture in a jar and leave it be for 10 to 12 hours. To make it tangier, leave it for an additional 3 to 5 hours.
Remember: if you don't have time to ferment your own foods, you can always buy products from the supermarket. As mentioned, you need to be vigilant and opt for products with the 'naturally fermented' or 'unpasteurized' labels on them.
How to Add Fermented Foods to Your Diet
As fermented foods are an acquired taste, it's best to start small. Not only will this help you adjust your palate, but it can also help minimize the unpleasant effects of gas or bloating (this goes away in a few days though). For example, you can start with a tablespoon of sauerkraut this day, gradually increasing the amounts as you get more accustomed to the taste – and its digestive effects.
Conclusion
Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, which support gut health as part of a balanced diet. A healthy gut microbiome is an area of ongoing research in relation to overall wellness, including skin appearance.*
The most probiotic-rich fermented foods are the ones with live and active cultures, such as yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and fermented milk, to name a few.
ACHIEVE YOUR SKIN GOALS WITH CLEAR DERM WITH PROBIOTICS
