You’ve probably heard about the health benefits of fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt . But many of us eat other fermented foods every day without realizing they are fermented. For example, coffee , soy sauce, chocolate, and red wine are all fermented foods.
But lest you think that means you have an excuse to guzzle all the coffee and red wine you can, think again. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There are actually two types of fermented foods: one that is fermented to improve flavor, and another that contains active probiotic cultures .
And only one of them is said to have the probiotics that have a positive effect on health. Can you guess which is which? Well, despite the fact that coffee and cocoa do possess health benefits, they do not typically contain probiotics so they belong to the former category. Kimchi and sauerkraut, on the other hand, have probiotics and thus belong to the latter.
As a rule, beneficially fermented foods are those that are only slightly processed and have a distinct, fermented flavor. Some other fermented foods that contain beneficial live cultures include yogurt, miso, sourdough bread, tempeh, and certain cheeses. What is fermentation? Food fermentation was born out of necessity and has been used for thousands of years.
Before there were refrigerators, this was how perishable foods—such as vegetables—were preserved in order to retain most of their nutrients. It has only been in the last century that scientists have started studyi.