Skin From Within, Integrative Wellness & Beauty, LLC

Health Benefits of Fermented Foods Happy Thursday everybody!  I know many of you are getting ready for the long holiday weekend ahead.  Want to wish everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July! It's time to go further down the fermentation rabbit hole.  For the newcomers, my #fermentationbadass partner, Herbalist Jennifer Mather, (www.balancehomebliss.com) and I have united to showcase our bread making adventure.  Yesterday Jennifer shared the recipe we are both using and touched upon some of the health benefits of fermentation; while I took it back to Egypt circa 4000 BCE to get to the roots and history of bread making and fermentation.   I'm going to ride Jen's coat tails today and discuss why eating more fermented foods are good for you. The whole fermentation process is really cool because the magic is happening pretty much out of thin air, right before our eyes. All around us are good and not so good bacteria and yeasts.  When those bac...

THE HISTORY OF FERMENTATION Fermentation.  It is part of the bread making variety, along with many other fermented foods, but what is it and how long have cultures and civilizations been using this method of incorporating heathy microbes into our foods? What does fermentation actually mean?  It is the " the oxidative decomposition under anaerobic conditions, of complex substances through the action of enzymes or ferments, produced by microorganisms.  Bacteria, molds, and yeasts are the principal groups of organisms involved." Reference - Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. There are a ton of foods that are fermented.  For instance, sauerkraut, beer, vinegar, kimchi, chocolate and so many more!  For the purpose of our bread making journey, lets just keep the focus on grains and gluten to see how far we have come throughout the years. The first known archaeological evidence of leavened breads dates all the back ...