Fabulous Fermentation describes the intricate symbiotic relationship we have with the beneficial microbes that reside within us, highlighting precisely why fermented foods are crucial to our well-being.
Ever since bacteria were discovered, we have been constantly warned of the dangers posed by organisms we can't see with the naked eye. What could be worse than an enemy that abides everywhere, is too small to fathom, and that exists in numbers too large to comprehend? While this may hold true, it is only a small fraction of the real story. In truth, the vast majority of microbes are either neutral or beneficial for our health — in fact, if bacteria never existed, neither would any other life on the planet, including us! While microbes are the cause for many life-threatening illnesses, they are also the very reason we are alive today.
As with most other surfaces on the planet, our bodies are home to trillions of bacteria, all of which strive to live long and prosperous lives just as we do. In exchange for their accommodation and nourishment, these microbes ensure that we are well-fed, protected and more. By consuming fermented foods, we ensure that the environment we house is favorable for our bacterial allies, adding to and replenishing their numbers.
Over and above maintaining our ecology, science has uncovered a great deal of health benefits pertaining to fermented foods in the last several decades.
• Enhanced digestion,
• Improved nutritional uptake, and
• stabilizing bodily metabolism are some of the main findings
All of which have a profound impact on the functioning of our cells. Our ancestors were consuming fermented foods for their numerous health benefits long before any concept of microbiology existed. This served to keep their bacterial colonies strong, resulting in greatly improved health during an era where the medicine of today was absent.
However, existence has not always been so easy-going for our friendly microbes, particularly in light of the last century. It is estimated that modern humans maintain only a fraction of the bacterial count our forefathers had. Understandably, the technological world we currently inhabit is vastly different to the one in which they lived, having a profound impact on our diets, lifestyles and friendly microbes. Antibiotics, radiation and artificial light are some of the biggest inventions to have an impact on the course of human microbial evolution. Due to chemically-engineered agriculture, an increasing demand for cheap mass production, and advances in long-term food preservation, food no longer possesses the same nutritional quality. While this increases shelf life and reduces the risk for spoilage, it also detracts from the populations of beneficial microbes in the body.
Fermentation serves as a first step for those interested in understanding this ancient process of microbial colonization, an essential, yet underestimated component of our biology. Through the contents of this book, the reader will be able to develop a better concept of fermentation, why fermented foods are important for health, as well as what ferments, with their bacteria, are the most beneficial. Additionally, tips for how to prepare and best make use of fermented foods are included.
