Ferments Written by John Joseph Immel, Asheville, NC

For many people fermentation and probiotics are the key to easier digestion and getting complete nutrition. Ferments helped humans survive cold winter temperatures before refridgeration and shipping. Now we can eat bananas in the middle of winter and the home canning industry has completely disappeared.

Do you know how to make a pickle? Ferments are easy. Simply submerge any vegetable you want in water! If you want crunchy pickles add grape leaves or any astringent herb. Add a little salt and your favorite seasonings.

Ferments are predigested food. Predigestion makes foods easier and simpler to digest for humans. The result is high nutrient absorption rate pacifying vata but increasing kapha. Bacteria also make vitamins for us including important B12.

Ayurveda uses many ferments but only medicinally. Predigested foods contain the metabolic waste products of bacteria (ie. bacteria poop). These waste products are generally acidic, sour and irritating. They require processing and burden the liver. Overuse of ferments increases pitta and spoils the quality of the blood.

Takra, which is fat free yogurt mixed with water, is an Ayurvedic probiotic used in IBS. For a probitoic to work correctly, the beneficial flora should be fed with plants and vegetables that are high in inulin, a polysaccharide. Examples are burdock root, dandelion root, jerusalem artichokes, and root veggies like parsnips, and sweet potatoes.

List of Fements on Joyful Belly