Hi guys! I wanted to write a blog post on one of my favorite foods that offers a ton of benefits! Not only does it jazz up any Buddha bowl, salad, or entree, but the health benefits are huge! I have really grown to love fermented foods. If you follow my instagram at all (naturallytruebeauty btw!) then you know my love for kombucha. But now I've also grown to love kimchi, kraut, kefir, any type of fermented food!

What is fermented food? Basically the food (usually carrots, cabbage, sauerkraut) goes through a process called lactofermentation. This means that the natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch which creates lactic acid. This process creates beneficial enzymes, b-vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and tons of probiotics.

What are the benefits? Basically eating fermented foods have been shown to preserve nutrients that we consume and also break down the food to make it easier to digest. So-totally helps with digestion! Which in turn will help numerous health concerns, issues, and will make your life easier! So many issues stem from the gut so adding fermented foods into your diet will help with so many aspects of your life & health. You're giving your body a HUGE dose of probiotics so digestion will go easy breezy, and it'll give your body more time to produce collagen, elastin, and increase cell regeneration which means-beautiful skin! If we can give our digestive system a little break from constantly breaking down and digesting our food (which I hear takes up 80% of its energy all day!!) our organs can focus on producing other things that will help hair growth, cell regeneration, and other steps to give us our natural beauty! Other great benefits are-obviously improved digestion, bowel health, decrease disease & boost immunity! There are so many auto-immune issues that stem from an unhealthy gut and taking any form of fermented foods can really improve these issues!

Eating fermented foods or drinking kombucha or kefir will give your body beneficial bacteria to your digestive system and it will in turn, help balance the bacteria in your gut. I would definitely suggest amping up a healthy lifestyle once you add fermented foods into your diet because while you increase your digestive health, fermented foods will also help your body absorb more nutrients from your food! So, it's just the perfect time to increase veggies & healthy foods into your lifestyle.

There are so many benefits & I have really loved adding in kimchi & kraut into my foods but I haven't been steady with it until I started watching one of my favorite health bloggers on her insta-story. She was mentioning gluten intolerance, which so many of us have. And she had mentioned keratosis pilaris-which I have had for as long as I can remember! I HATED my arms for years because it was so bad! I used to tan (gasp! I know, I know) in high school just to hide those red bumps. I just hated them! When I was in aesthetic school we would put all sorts of crazy acids on my arms to try and help with it & nothing worked. It wasn't until I got older that I realized when I eliminated gluten in my diet, the keratosis pilaris (KP for short) went away! It was a huge discovery & I was thrilled to see some change! So, just out of health I cut out more gluten. I still would eat it from time to time and my KP would show back up. I've just kinda been back and forth, but when I watched this insta-story from whatcaitate ( I love her!!) she was mentioning gut health & the connection with gut health & auto-immune issues. She was mentioning KP and how obviously that shows you do react to gluten, so much so that your body starts showing the inflammation. If your body is that sensitive to gluten that you get KP, then this could show you your gut could be out of whack. Not acknowledging this could lead to auto-immune diseases like leaky gut, which I do not want!! So, I really started taking this gluten thing seriously. Instead of eating it from time-to-time I decided this needs to really be reigned in!! Also, while really being particular about watching the gluten intake, I also decided what other steps do I need to do to keep my gut healthy! That's where I saw so many suggestions about adding in fermented foods. I have drank kombucha for years so that's a start! But now I am making a point to consume fermented foods 3 times daily! I just take a spoonful and add it to every meal! I also heard that a heaping spoonful of fermented foods has just as many probiotics as a taking a probiotic supplement! Simple!

I have some homemade kombucha fermenting as we speak (or as a type, lol, corny I know) in my cabinet in the kitchen. I also made a point to stop at a local farmer who has numerous pick-up locations around Nashville & surrounding towns called "The Fermented Farmer." He sells so many types of ferments! He ferments hummus, salsa, guacamole, he also makes kefir, kombucha & fermented granola! That is just scratching the surface! Check out his website (www.fermentedfarmer.com) this is such an easy way to incorporate fermented foods into your lifestyle. They are delicious and when you study the health benefits, it's a no-brainer! Check out his website and add some of this delicious, healthy goodness into your daily routine!!

 Health & happiness!

  Andy