The Surprising (Nearly Magical) Food You May Be Missing

I was sitting around a table in Mongolia as my Kazakh Eagle hunter friend scooped brains out of a goat head and offered it to me. Did I eat it? Yes! Was it easy? No!

I’ve traveled all over the globe, so you’d think I’d be used to eating foods with strange tastes and textures. But not everything is easy to swallow. My palate is very Americanized because I was born and raised in the U.S. on a diet made up of a LOT of processed foods (stuff like boxed cereals, fish sticks, and frozen dinners). So I’ve had to work to educate my palate so that it embraces unusual foods that nourish deeply.

Some of the most nourishing foods are worth the work. Organ meats like liver or heart or the aforementioned brains are on that list. That said, not ALL nourishing food takes that kind of investment of palate-training.

Happily, there is a food that I have found not only tickles the tastebuds but is a delight to the body, health-wise. And I want to bring it your attention because it very well may be missing from your diet.

I’m talking about fermented foods! I was just at a fermentation conference in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I was reminded about this amazing, alive, magical kind of food!

I consider ferments nearly magical because although we can intellectually understand the process of fermentation (microbes from the environment alter food from its current state to a preserved and more “alive” state), it’s not something we have much control over. Fermentation is a process driven by nature. The microbes take over. They do their thing, with very few inputs from us. They transform food into a more nutrient-rich form and we get to watch in awe, enjoy it, and then benefit from the results.

Ancient peoples fermented their food as a means to preserve their food but we now know that fermentation enhances the bioavailability of the nutrients in the food. It’s a win/win/win x 1000!

Me so (miso) hungry for ferments!

Why should you include fermented foods in your diet?

Here’s just some of what they can do for you, health-wise:

- probiotics (from the microbes that do the transforming)

- enzymes for digestive support (both the process and absorption of good stuff)

- improve mood and behavior

- support a healthier heart

- diversify the microbiome in the gut, which in turn supports the immune system

- stabilize weight

What foods are fermented and are an easy place to start?

- kombucha, kefir as beverages at any meal

- yogurt, as a dessert or side dish

- krauts, as a condiment or taco or salad topping

- miso, as a soup or even mixed with butter

- pickles for that extra probiotic-rich crunch with your lunch

Pick any of the above at your local grocery store or farmers market. And if you’re adventurous, you might want to try making your own! Let me know if you’d like me to share a simple recipe for my fave ferment in the days ahead! And tell me in the comments below what ferment you’re most likely to include in your diet in the days ahead!