Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
1–10 of 23 posts
Re: Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
#2Anecdotally, I've been sick for a total of one day since I got deeply into fermentation as a hobby about a year ago (largely thanks to the Noma Guide to Fermentation). On an average day, I eat at least one live lacto-fermented item and drink kombucha, and at least every few days I have something that includes an uncooked live vinegar. I normally get sick at least a couple of times a year. My mood has also been consistently pretty good all year.
It's definitely anecdotal, but it's a significant enough shift for me to think it might have something to do with the fermentation. Bonus: it's delicious, and after much experimentation my kombuchas are now better than commercial kombucha.
Re: Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
#3>common fermented foods (kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, tempeh, natto, miso, kimchi, sourdough bread)
I can get everything on that list easily at a non-specialty store except for natto. I haven't seen it, but I admit my ability to read labels at the Japanese food store is rudimentary. Is it more widely available on the west coast?
Re: Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
#4I'm a little surprised that a paper basically concluding that there are no good papers about fermented foods is able to published and presented as research by these authors. Or maybe that field is just so lacking in knowledge that this passes for research. You would think that they'd take the next step and do some trials to advance the field.
Re: Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
#5>common fermented foods (kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, tempeh, natto, miso, kimchi, sourdough bread) I can get everything on that list easily at a non-specialty store except for natto. I haven't seen it, but I admit my ability to read labels at the Japanese food store is rudimentary. Is it more widely available on the west coast?
For those around New York City, this place https://www.nyrture.com makes great natto in Brooklyn. I've met them and they love what they do.
Re: Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
#6I'm a little surprised that a paper basically concluding that there are no good papers about fermented foods is able to published and presented as research by these authors. Or maybe that field is just so lacking in knowledge that this passes for research. You would think that they'd take the next step and do some trials to advance the field.
My guess would be that, due to the very regional nature of many fermented foods, research into those foods is probably locked in the languages and localities of those foods. Heck, there's an entire Kimchi research institute in South Korea.
Re: Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
#7I'm a little surprised that a paper basically concluding that there are no good papers about fermented foods is able to published and presented as research by these authors. Or maybe that field is just so lacking in knowledge that this passes for research. You would think that they'd take the next step and do some trials to advance the field.
Ha ha, I was thinking the same thing. I was interested to read what the paper said and when I got through the abstract and found it said "there's really no research on this stuff" I was both surprised and a little disappointed.
I don't have any feelings on possible health benefits either way, but I like some fermented foods and was curious if there was something to learn. Oh well.
Re: Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
#8The paper shows the fundamental flaw and short-sightedness that characterizes life sciences in general.
Every single fermented food is treated as if it were a high potency drug.
For example, in one study, for each day of a week people in the groups would eat either 110g of sourdough bread or 110g of white bread. Really, is that your experiment? You are trying to detect differences between eating 110g of two breads, once a day for one week?
Why would anybody in their right mind expect any change in the microbial composition of the gut? Or anything really...
Thus the reality is that not only there is almost no research in the field - that little that is performed is absurdly badly done.
Re: Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
#9>common fermented foods (kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, tempeh, natto, miso, kimchi, sourdough bread) I can get everything on that list easily at a non-specialty store except for natto. I haven't seen it, but I admit my ability to read labels at the Japanese food store is rudimentary. Is it more widely available on the west coast?
For those around New York City, this place https://www.nyrture.com makes great natto in Brooklyn. I've met them and they love what they do.
As it happens I will be in Brooklyn soon, thanks for the tip!
Re: Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on Gut Microbiota etc.
#10The paper shows the fundamental flaw and short-sightedness that characterizes life sciences in general. Every single fermented food is treated as if it were a high potency drug. For example, in one study, for each day of a week people in the groups would eat either 110g of sourdough bread or 110g of white bread. Really, is that your experiment? You are trying to detect differences between eating 110g of two breads, o…
Add to that the fact that sourdough contains no live cultures, and you have not only a bad study, but a bad research question.