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New Month.  New Topic.  Fermented Foods. 
Future proofing your brain through what and how you eat is fundamental to my Food for Thought programme with fermented food being one of the topics we cover.

The current group on my Premier Live programme had an animated discussion about fermentation and were keen to learn more. I invited some fermentation experts to join one of our sessions to answer questions and generally share their knowledge. It was so fascinating that I wanted to share it with you and am making May the month of fermentation and the microbiome.

Why are fermented foods and drinks so beneficial?
Fermented foods and drinks act like probiotics. The word probiotic means “for life” and it is generally used to name the bacteria associated with beneficial effects for us. They help to feed our microbiome which is important for overall health as well as specifically for brain health through the gut-brain axis.

When foods are fermented certain properties change which has benefit to us, these include:

• Higher anti-oxidative properties
• Higher anti-inflammatory properties
• Higher vitamin content (folate, B2, K)
• Higher bioactive peptides (which may directly influence gut-brain axis)
• Fewer anti-nutrients

Now I have whet your appetite for fermented foods, there is plenty to look forward to this month.

• Videos showing you how to ferment kimchi and sauerkraut
• An Instagram live with a fermenting guru who will show us how to ferment and will answer your questions. Follow me on Instagram HERE 
• Later in the month I will be sharing the results of some research I have been undertaking on the impact of plant based diets on the microbiome.  It has been an exciting project and I look forward to sharing it with you.

Stay tuned for these and if you have any questions please pop them in the comments below and I look forward to chatting with you about all things fermented!