Dr Manal Mohammed, Lecturer in Medical Microbiology, wrote an article for The Conversation about how eating fermented foods can help improve your gut health. The article was also republished by Metro.
In the article, Dr Mohammed how fermentation has long been used as a method to preserve foods and enhance shelf life, but many people are unaware of the health benefits of eating fermented foods.
She wrote: “Fermented foods are rich in beneficial microbes and useful metabolites (substances produced during fermentation by bacteria for a good and healthy gut). Several prominent research groups have suggested fermented foods may offer many health benefits, encourage weight loss and reduce risk of some diseases.”
Discussing the reasons why fermented foods are beneficial, she added: “During fermentation, bacteria can produce vitamins and useful metabolites. Fermented foods contain potentially probiotic microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria. And, despite the short time these bacteria spend in the gut, they help with food digestion and boost our immune system.”
In her concluding remarks, Dr Mohammed wrote: “Over the centuries, many people have eaten fermented for convenience without realising their health benefits. Luckily, many fermented foods are cheap and not complicated to make, giving us an easy way to improve our health and wellbeing.”
Read the full article on The Conversation’s website.
