Fermented Food and Salt

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Fermented Food and Salt

Postby Langeranger » Sat Sep 28, 2019 2:09 pm

I've been making my own Kimchi for several months mindful of the sodium load it bears. From the outset I reduced the specified 2 tablespoons to one and a half. On my last batch though I decided to experiment with a further reduction and dropped to one tablespoon. To my surprise and delight the amount of brine generated seemed virtually unchanged, i.e., there was more than enough to do the job. The quantity I make almost fills two qt. size Mason jars. I eat only a small quantity daily so a jar lasts a week or more. Doing the arithmetic, after reducing the salt I found that the per portion sodium load is under 500 mg. which is tolerable, i.e., I can get through the day without exceeding the 1500 mg. limit recommendation by much, if at all.

I started eating the stuff based on the good PR it gets in terms of fostering a healthy gut microbiota, and as we've been reading, a healthy gut seems to be the passport to almost everything good. Don
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Re: Fermented Food and Salt

Postby Ltldogg » Sat Sep 28, 2019 5:53 pm

As Jeffn already pointed out to you in this thread https://tinyurl.com/y4hwd2na, fermented foods are not necessary and not part of the program. Nor is there any valid scientific evidence to back up the "good PR".

Follow the program guidelines and you will have good gut health.

~Scott
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Re: Fermented Food and Salt

Postby michaelswarm » Sun Sep 29, 2019 9:33 am

More important for health seems to be fiber and diversity of whole plant foods.

Every plant food contains the specific bacteria necessary for its fermentation. Cabbage contains cabbage fermenting bacteria, onions contain onion fermenting bacteria, wheat contain wheat fermenting bacteria, etc. This is partially how fruits and vegetables break down and ferment after ripening. Bakers believe wild yeast primarily comes from the air, yet experiments starting a culture from sterilized yeast show otherwise.

So you are already getting all of the beneficial gut bugs, with diversity, if you just eat normal grocery fruits and vegetables.

If you like the flavors of sauerkraut, kimchi or other fermented foods, but don’t want the salt, or the lengthy process, you can also just quick pickle the vegetables in vinegar water solution, which is how most industrial food production occurs. Then you can even have no salt sauerkraut, for example.

The primary beneifit of fermented foods was largely a pre canning and refrigeration method of preservation.

But I don’t see a big issue if occassionally enjoyed for tradition and taste, and have done this myself.
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