Health Benefits
For thousands of years, healthy humans throughout the world used natural fermentation (or lactic acid fermentation) to preserve their vegetables. Since the advent of industrial food production, however, these foods have nearly disappeared. We choose to make raw, naturally fermented pickles because they taste great and because of the many health benefits associated with them:
- ACTIVE CULTURES & ENZYMES
- As with those found in yogurt, cultures & enzymes in traditional pickles are known to support proper digestion, aid in nutrient absorption, contribute to healthy metabolic function, and inhibit harmful microbes in the intestinal system. (1,2)
- LACTIC ACID
- Lactic Acid (the primary by-product of the fermentation) supports the growth of essential intestinal flora, normalizes acid levels in the stomach, helps the body to assimilate proteins and iron, and stimulates cell metabolism. (1,2)
- REDUCTION OF ANTI-NUTRITIONAL COMPOUNDS
- One study found, after fermentaion, an 87% reduction of naturally-occurring nitrates in cabbage and a 70% reduction of naturally-occurring oxalic acid in beets. (3)
- IMPROVED NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY
- Natural fermentation breaks down phytates, which block mineral absorption. One study found significantly better absorption of iron by humans from a mix of lactic acid fermented vegetables as compared to the same mix of fresh vegetables. (4)
- 1999 LANCET STUDY:
- Regular consumption of naturally fermented vegetables positively correlated with low rates of asthma, skin problems, and autoimmune disorders among children attending a Waldorf school in Sweden. (1)
- POSSIBLE ANTI-CANCER LINK:
- A 2002 study showed that sauerkraut fermentation produces isothiocyanates, a class of compounds which, in previous studies, appeared to prevent cancer growth in animals. (5)
