Today it is rare for anyone to go through a day without eating or drinking something “fermented”. Every day we should be eating this food which is teeming with bacteria, the good kind.
Many think, you must stay away from bacteria, that’s why we use anti-bacterial soap and cleaners to prevent growth of bacteria.
There is a war on bacteria, we are taught to fear bacteria as contamination and dangerous, as sickness and to destroy it! But remember we have good and bad bacteria and our health and immune system works best when continually supplied with the good bacteria needed for the body to function correctly.
You may find this hard to believe but bacteria rich food is very beneficial with the good bacteria our body needs to stay healthy and fight our ills. Around the world, Fermentation has an integral role in our food system; it is like a probiotic but even better! It was used by our ancestors before the 19th century to preserve food before the age of canning and refrigeration. There is now a new revival period for fermented food with new cookbooks and articles about how to prepare.
Many cultures use fermented food, such as, Asian with Kimchi, German with Sauerkraut. Even today you are eating these bacteria filled fermented foods when you consume cheese, breads, cured meat, soy, pickles, olives, chocolate and yogurt!
Also you are drinking the fermented drinks with coffee, beer, wine, and vinegar and todays ever popular kombucha. All of these are full of the good bacteria our body needs to fight the bad bacteria we pick up in our daily life.
Good bacteria helps us digest our food and assimilate (take in) the nutrients our body needs from the food we eat. It helps regulate our immune response and replenish our “good gut bacteria” that our usually depleted by antibiotics and chlorinated water. Many types of bacteria have been found to decompose the pollutants around us, the toxic waste we dump into our land and into our bodies.
Fermenting, soaking and sprouting some of our foods removes natural toxins and increases digestibility allowing absorption of minerals like iron, zinc and calcium and increasing availability of B vitamins.
Try this: Soak Your Oats and Nuts
Soaking grains and nuts in clean filtered water for about 6-10 hours, then drain well and eat like any other; as cereal or treats or with salads. You now have increased its health benefits and your body can absorb those nutrients much better. Remember once soaked they need to be used and refrigerated within 2 weeks. Or you can also dry them again at low heat to last longer, perhaps up to 4 weeks.
References:
Sandor Katz, author of Wild Fermentation
Cynthia Burrows, from Austin, Texas, owns Cindy Burrows, Natural Health Consultant; assisting individuals with health issues they would like to change. She will set up a program giving choices of foods, herbs, teas and homeopathic suggestions. Cindy is past owner of Nature’s Healing Herbs, an Herbal, Green Tea, and Tincture product line, and a rare product line of Green Tea Foods. She has certificates for Herbalist at East West School of Herbology, and as Wellness Consultant with the Wellness Forum in Ohio.
Cindy is also a Medical Technologist, with a B.S. degree from Mansfield University in Mansfield Pa., she has been in healthcare for over 30 years. In 2005, she started using a new device founded in Europe, Quantum Biofeedback, “an energy rebalancing of the body”, by using our bodies electricity or frequency waves it can detect stress points in the body, she has added this to her consulting practice. She now has her Certification as a Biofeedback Specialist. She helps her clients by working with the synergy of herbs, food, homeopathy, and aromatherapy within her practice. She is a speaker, writer, and teacher. Cindy has been interviewed on TV; about the benefits of Green Tea and has been on radio about her small business tour to Ecuador.
Cindy has been an herbalist for over 20 years and has spent 6 years learning through the East West School of Herbology with Michael Tierra. She has studied Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic Herbs with a strong emphasis on nutrition. Along with many other continued studies of alternative and complementary medicine. She is a Certified Wellness Consultant, through a special program, The Wellness Forum, which has its nutrition program, now part of the curriculum at Ohio State University, providing educational seminars and workshops designed to impart relevant nutrition information to individuals to take control of their own health. These programs give healthier options and choices that can impact your longevity and quality of life. Cindy has been a speaker to many groups and has conducted many of her own classes on food and healthy life style programs.
Cindy has been involved with a hands-on healing program for the past 4 years and offers energy healing, through donation only, to anyone who needs her services.
She is Co-president of the Austin Herb Society and a member of the American Herbalist Guild. Cynthia has been a board member on many programs in the past including; La Sertoma, Arthritis Foundation, Toastmasters International, National Association of Female Executives, Handicapped Equestrian Learning Program, Entrepreneurs Association, and Austin Integrated Health Care Program.
Cindy also loves nature, animals, reading, blending teas, juices, etc.; likes to hike, and work with plants and, of course, cooking., mostly vegetarian.
Cindy has an adventurous streak.
She has organized and taken tours with business and artists groups to Big Bend, Texas, New Mexico, USA, and Ecuador, South America.
