Supercharge Your Food - OTHERS - the Hindu
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
1/13/2020 Supercharge your food - OTHERS - The Hindu OTHERS Supercharge your food Faye Remedios JANUARY 04, 2020 00:00 IST UPDATED: JANUARY 04, 2020 06:02 IST Are fermented foods the magical cure-all? Faye Remedios talks to the experts to nd out more about the ancient microbes You have to wonder about the recent buzz in fermented foods when you know that fermentation has, in fact, been used across different cultures and communities for thousands of centuries. With health and complexion-enhancing benefits galore, why hasn’t https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/supercharge-your-food/article30475465.ece 1/4 1/13/2020 Supercharge your food - OTHERS - The Hindu this been a mainstay in our diets, constantly? Turns out, it has, indeed, been to quite a large extent. The difference being that now people are no longer making the same quantities of these foods at home but instead, are relegating these traditional techniques to factory production in order to get the gut, vitality and skin-boosting abilities they offer. Folklore often associates certain foods with longevity, writes Sandor Ellix Katz in his book, Wild Fermentation . As an example of this, he lists a 20th century study done by Nobel laureate Elie Metchnikoff on the yogurt-eating centenarians of the Balkans, which concluded that these foods were responsible for postponing old age. “Fermentation organisms’, he explains, “produce alcohol, lactic acid and acetic acid, all “bio-preservatives” that retain nutrients and prevent spoilage. Vegetables, fruits, milk, fish and meat are highly perishable, and our ancestors used whatever techniques they could discover to store foods from seasons of plenty for later consumption.” From miso to mead, humans have learnt to culture and curdle foods to extend and magnify their nutritional and healing powers. Myriad benefits Gut bacteria is essential but though we are all born with trillions of these, they get stripped away on account of excessive use of antibiotics, consumption of processed foods, use of sanitisers, ingestion of chemicals and pesticides from inorganic foods and so on. “Fermentation helps to preserve foods better by enhancing shelf life. It also improves digestibility of food and may enhance beneficial bacteria. Some of them are believed to improve immunity and reduce inflammation,” lists diet, nutrition and wellness consultant, Sheela Krishnaswamy. “The best way to reintroduce larger amounts of beneficial bacteria into your diet is to get them from your daily foods,” says nutritionist and food coach, Anupama Menon. Here, it seems, we’re in luck as the traditional Indian diet has more than enough variety of fermented foods. “ Idli and dahi have been consumed since as early as 700 B.C. In the north, we have fermented drinks such as kanji , in the west (Gujarat) we have dhoklas , in the south we have koozhu , a Tamil porridge made from finger millet, sinki (radish root) from North East India, poita bhat in Assam (leftover rice is soaked in water and rested overnight). In West Bengal and Orissa the same thing is called panta bhaat and pakhala, respectively. Indian pickles that we have been eating over generations are also fermented foods, though all pickles are not fermented,” says Maadhuri R Sharma, nutritionist and wellness coach, Thriive Art & Soul. Start at home When it comes to these foods, they are generally safe to consume unless specifically ordered by your doctor or dietician not to on account of a health condition. “For instance, if you have a histamine intolerance, it is advisable to avoid fermented foods like pickles and sauerkraut as they can be high in histamine. People with yeast overgrowth and sensitivity https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/supercharge-your-food/article30475465.ece 2/4 1/13/2020 Supercharge your food - OTHERS - The Hindu may need to avoid them too. Though fermented foods are full of benefits, wild yeast could cause a reaction,” advises Sharma. Remember to start small (a teaspoon at a time) because if consumed in excess, fermented foods can cause acidity and bloating. Look out for any signs of an upset tummy or any other adverse reactions. If you’re having Kombucha , Sharma recommends starting with 1/4 cup at a time, and increasing it slowly each day. “With apple cider vinegar, have it in capsule form instead of liquid diluted in water, as drinking it erodes the tooth enamel if one isn’t careful, as after all, it is an acid. Have it half-hour before a meal,” she adds. It’s advisable to make fermented foods at home as many of the bottled and canned ones are pasteurised, which kills the important live bacteria. “Drinks like Yakult should be avoided as they have very high sugar content and do not serve any health purpose,” warns Anusha Rodrigues, in-house nutritionist at wellness house, Vedary. While making these at home, ensure that they are made hygienically and in a clean environment to avoid anyone getting sick after consumption. “Watch out for food spoilage due to over fermentation of the base material. Some demerits of fermented food include overgrowth of unwanted secondary microbial species, which may alter the fermented food properties by releasing several harmful metabolites and lead to the intoxication or poisoning. Keep it simple In fact, what you have daily can be as simple as a bowl of yoghurt or curd with our meal,” believes Manjari Purwar, nutritionist at Nutriplate.com. “It should be home-made, fresh, and kept at room temperature, ideally. Yoghurt is a common home remedy to soothe inflamed digestive systems and upset stomachs in India since ages.” You could also try Sharma’s kanji recipe: Cut four-five carrots to make carrot kanji or three-four medium beets and add a litre of water in a ceramic or glass jar. Add a tablespoon of rock salt and crushed mustard seeds and cover and place on the windowsill in the sunlight. Stir it every day. In a few days, when it tastes sour, it is ready. Drink a glass and refrigerate the rest. Other fermented foods range from Tempeh, Akhuni and Natto, which are made from naturally fermented soybeans to Kimchi or sauerkraut’s Korean cousin, Korean Gochujang , a pungent fermented condiment made from red chillies, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt, or even raw milk cheeses made from milk that hasn’t been pasteurised like goat or sheep milk. There’s also Kefir , a fermented milk drink that tastes like drinkable yogurt with probiotics that help break down lactose, making it easier to digest for people with lactose intolerance. On the subject of probiotics, there’s some myth busting as far as prebiotics and probiotics go. “Probiotics are live microorganisms, which have health benefits. Prebiotics are dietary components that are not digested but stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the colon. Sometimes, people tend to confuse fermented foods for probiotics. Fermented foods https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/supercharge-your-food/article30475465.ece 3/4 1/13/2020 Supercharge your food - OTHERS - The Hindu may or may not contain probiotics. When fermented foods are heated, the microorganisms are inactivated. Such fermented foods may be nutritious but without probiotic benefits,” explains Krishnaswamy. “Drinks like Yakult should be avoided as they have very high sugar content and do not serve any health purpose Anusha Rodrigues nutritionist https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/supercharge-your-food/article30475465.ece 4/4.