May 19, 2010

Why Should You Include Fermented Food in Your Diet

We all know that there a large number of bacteria present in our gastrointestinal tract those are important to digestion. The beneficial bacteria present in our bowel try to protect us from the massive number of harmful bacteria those might have been ingested while consuming food and water. We need certain bacteria in our digestive system in order to have proper digestion. When bacteria are removed because of prolonged use of antibiotic , it creates breeding ground for illness. Our immune system weakens and we lose our ability to digest, absorb food and assimilate. The harmful bacteria get foothold in the colon because of our bad food habits. We consume less fiber and more refined carbohydrates. This slows down the bowel transit time and fuel harmful bacteria. Thus, we need to have fermented food and probiotic supplements to have good bacteria in our digestive tract.
In order to increase the useful bacteria in gastrointestinal tract, we can have fermented food like yoghurt and sauerkraut. Irritable bowel syndrome has become a great problem in the America because of our food habits. Countries where fermented food is still a staple diet, gastrointestinal tract problems and irritable bowel syndrome are about one-tenth of that in Western societies.
Let us find out why should you include fermented food and lactic acid in your diet:

1)Good for stomach: Intake of fermented food in the diet helps in increasing the acidity of the gastric juice and protects the stomach and intestinal lining when there is over production of the acid. As we age , the production of the hydrochloric acid and the enzymes required to digest food decrease. Food like pickled food, buttermilk and sauerkraut can prove to be effective in getting more of essential acids and enzymes. You should have two small portions of fermented food and lactic acid in diet daily.
2)Kills harmful bacteria: Fermented food inhibits and destroy pathogenic bacteria. Bacteria responsible for causing typhoid and cholera are sensitive to acid environment. It was found that during the European epidemic of typhoid in 1950, fresh sauerkraut was an effective agent for killing the bacteria. Fermented food and lactic acid are found to be more effective in killing microbes present in the gastrointestinal tract.
3)Beneficial for nerves: Fermented food produce acetycholine. This facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses . It is extremely good for bowel movement also.
4)Help in fighting against cancer: High level of anti -cancer activity has been noticed by compounds contained in cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts.
5)Beneficial for diabetics: The fermented food and lactic acid contains carbohydrates those are already broken down to a predigested state. Thus, they don't put an extra burden on the pancreas.
Source:http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/why-should-you-include-fermented-food-in-your-diet/

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