4 Easy Steps to Add Fermented Foods to Your Diet

New to fermented foods? Here’s 4 easy steps to add fermented foods to your diet.

Foods that are infested with bacteria? Yikes…sounds a little scary doesn’t it! They’re actually very good for you.

Fermented foods have been preserved by a controlled exposure to bacteria or yeast. The bacteria breaks down sugars and carbohydrates and creates acids, gases, and/or alcohols that preserve the food for longer periods of time. Fermented dairy is usually referred to as cultured.

While it may sound a little scary (or even gross)…guess what. You’re probably already eating some!

Did you know that coffee, chocolate, cheese, yogurt, wine, and beer all go through fermentation? Not so scary now, is it?

Traditional fermented foods have slowly phased out of the American diet in favor of convenience foods. It’s a shame because fermented foods contain probiotics that nourish your gut. They help aid in digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals. Fermentation also increases certain vitamins and nutrients in foods.

Step One: Add Fermented Foods to Your Diet

Our first easy step is to upgrade what you’re already eating. For example, traditionally, foods like pickles and sauerkraut were made by fermenting. However, most commercial pickles and sauerkraut available today are simply preserved with vinegar. Vinegar is a fermented product, however when you process fermented foods with heat (like in the canning process), you kill the beneficial bacteria.

To upgrade your current pickled choices, look for foods that are lacto-fermented. One brand that carries lacto-fermented foods is Bubbies. Our family loves their dill pickles. They carry sauerkraut, relishes, and more (you can get some awesome fermented sauerkraut from Costco!).

Step Two: Easy Fermented Food Substitutions

After you upgrade what you are already using, try making some simple substitutions. You can swap some standard diet staples for fermented or cultured foods by doing the following:

• Swap your high-fructose corn syrup laden sodas for probiotic-rich kombucha, a fermented tea product that has a fizz to it. Or try some fizzy water kefir!
• Instead of using regular bread for your sandwiches and toast, try a quality sourdough.
• Do you have a butter lover in your household? Switch your regular butter for a rich, cultured butter.

Our family especially loves water kefir. We’ve made our own, but our favorite store bought brand is this.

Step Three: Stepping Out of the Comfortable Box

The third step involves a little stretching, but stretching is good for us! You’ve upgraded your current ferments to lacto-ferments and made some simple substitutes for healthier options. Now we’re going to try some new things. And we are going to do it with a little game of If, Then.

• If you like yogurt, then try kefir.
• If you like sauerkraut, then try kimchi or chow chow.
• If you like dill pickles, then try some fermented veggies like green beans or carrots.
• If you like salsa, then try fermented salsa.

Step Four: Ease the Budget Burden

Easy step number four to add fermented food to your diet is to help ease the budget strain you may be feeling by purchasing fermented foods. Buying properly fermented foods can get expensive. The antidote for this is making them yourself. Fermentation is relatively easy, but can seem overwhelming.

Start where you are. Look at what you already have ready access to.

• If you have access to fresh raw milk, start with cultured dairy products.
• If you have an abundance of produce, start fermenting them in small batches.
• Do you eat a lot of bread, but can’t afford to buy good sourdough for all of it? Consider purchasing a sourdough starter kit and making your own.

Why did I make this the last step instead of the first to keep it cheap from the get-go?  Two reasons.

One, often the thought of trying to add something new to your life is overwhelming. I didn’t want to add two new things (the food and the process of creating it) at once.

Second, you may not like everything you try. You’ll get a better feel for whether you like a fermented product if you know what it’s “supposed” to taste like verses wondering if you messed something up in the process. Ask me how I know.

Creating New Habits

You can take these easy steps to add fermented foods to your diet, but it all comes down to habit. Don’t try to do this all at once. If you do, it likely won’t stick. Take it one step at a time.

If you want to build life-long, healthy habits for  your family, slow and steady wins the race.

More Healthy Food Habit Resources:

• Whole Food on a Budget: 5 Tips to Eating Healthier (and Cheaper)
• A Skeptic’s Guide to Whole Foods
• Quick Start Guide to Healthy Family Meals
• Gluten-Free for Beginners

If you use fermented foods in your diet regularly, where did you start? If you haven’t started yet, what is the first step you’ll likely take?