11 Fermented Foods That Will Benefit Your Gut—and Your Overall Health
Put simply, fermentation is the process of transforming food by live bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms. It's a natural phenomenon that humans have been using for culinary benefits for centuries, and fermented foods play key roles in diets all over the world. Whether it's kimchi in Korea, Kefir in the Middle East, or sauerkraut in Germany, people across the globe have long recognized both the deliciousness and nutritional benefits of fermenting both foods and drinks.
Fermentation is also used to produce some of our most beloved and well-known foods, including alcohol, yogurt, and sourdough bread. In the past 15 years or so, fermented foods of all types have begun to gain popularity in the U.S. for these same reasons, and they're particularly notable for their advantageous role in supporting a healthy gut microbiome. If you haven't yet, it's time to tap into the ancient wisdom of fermentation.
Best Fermented Foods for a Healthier Gut
There are a lot of fermented foods out there, so where do you start?
Below is a list of healthy fermented foods that are commonly found in
grocery or health food stores and support a healthy digestive system.
Kefir
Kefir is a cultured, fermented milk drink that tastes like an extra-tangy yogurt drink. It has even more probiotics and protein than typical yogurt, and can be made with dairy milk or alternatives like almond or coconut milk.
Sauerkraut
You were probably introduced to sauerkraut, a German super-food of fermented cabbage, at a summer BBQ as a hot dog topping. What you might not realize is tha-t naturally fermented kraut—essentially cabbage in a saltwater brine—is chock-full of gut-friendly probiotics, fiber, and vitamins. One study even found a single batch of sauerkraut to contain upwards of 220 distinctive strains of gut-healthy bacteria. Talk about a healthy condiment!
Kimchi
Kimchi is a staple side dish in Korean cuisine made from fermented cabbage and/or any number of other fermented veggies, as well as fermented fish. This condiment shares many of the same health benefits as sauerkraut, including beneficial probiotics—plus a fiery kick from the traditional mix of ginger, garlic, and gochujang (a Korean chili paste). Kimchi is a seriously flavorful addition to any meal with a wealth of healthy nutrients, to boot.
Tempeh
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Most people are familiar with tofu, a mild-flavored soybean product, made from the pressed curds of cooked soy milk. Tempeh, on the other hand, is made from fermented whole soybeans- but it can be swapped in place of tofu in many recipes. To make it, the soybeans are fermented and then formed into a dense cake that can be marinated, baked, grilled, or stir-fried. The fermentation process breaks down the soybean's proteins into amino acids that our bodies can use more readily, making tempeh a plant-based nutritional powerhouse.
Kombucha
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Kombucha is a lightly fizzy drink made with a blend of sugar and tea that is fermented and transformed into kombucha by a symbiotic culture of live bacteria and yeasts (S.C.O.B.Y.). This tangy tea is delicious, easily found at most stores or online, and comes in a variety of fun flavors and varieties. (It can even be used as a cocktail mixer!) In addition to probiotics, kombucha has additional health benefits due to the polyphenols present in the green or black tea it's made from. Polyphenols are present in all tea, but the fermentation process increases their potency, making kombucha a fantastic source of these powerful antioxidants.
Miso
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Miso, or miso paste, is a deeply flavored fermented paste made with a starter culture called koji, soybeans, salt, and lots of patience. To reap the most probiotic power from your miso, use it raw or add it at the end of your recipes. It's hard to beat the rich, umami taste of miso-marinated veggies and proteins, miso-based soups, or miso-infused dips and dressings.
Yogurt
All dairy yogurts, including regular yogurt and Greek yogurt, are fermented dairy products made by adding bacteria to heated milk and letting it be for several hours to do its thing: turn the lactose (sugars) into lactic acid so it gets thick and tangy. (Greek yogurt is just extra-strained yogurt that's even thicker in texture.) Therefore, yogurt that’s derived from dairy milk is an excellent source of probiotics for a diverse and thriving microbiome. Yogurt is also high in protein and minerals like potassium and calcium.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is a dairy milk product that deserves more attention than it gets! Extremely high in protein and calcium, this soft, cultured cheese is mild and creamy, almost like the inside of burrata, and is delicious accompanying fruit medleys and savory dishes alike. Not all cottage cheese brands contain probiotics, however—make sure you can see “Live Active Cultures” on the container or nutrition label.
Labneh
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Labneh is an ultra-thick and -creamy Middle Eastern cheese made from strained yogurt (strained even more than Greek yogurt). You can buy labneh ready to dip and spread, or make it yourself by straining plain, whole-fat yogurt, preferably overnight, until it reaches a luxurious, cream-cheese-like texture. If your labneh has been made from yogurt with live active cultures—and hasn’t been heated in any way—you’ll get a boost of probiotics with every bite.
Buttermilk
Did you know you can drink buttermilk as is—or that doing so provides a hit of gut-healthy microorganisms? Not many people realize! Back in the day, during the process of churning milk to make butter, the leftover liquid that never solidified into butter—aka the buttermilk—naturally became slightly thicker and tangier thanks to the presence of live bacteria. Now the buttermilk you see on the shelf is made intentionally, and on a much larger scale, of course, by adding bacteria to milk. As long as you’re consuming it without heating it—try it in smoothies, dressings, or dips—this cultured milk byproduct will contain good-for-you probiotics, calcium, and protein, plus it’s often fortified with a variety of other vitamins and minerals.
Fermented Pickles (or Sour Pickles)
Not every pickle out there is fermented, but instead pickled or brined in some acidic combination of salt, vinegar, water, sometimes sugar, and other seasonings and flavors. They're utterly delicious, but lacking in live bacteria. However, pickles that have undergone lacto-fermentation, such as sour pickles, do make for a probiotic-rich snack. How can you tell the difference? The jar or packaging should clearly state that they've been naturally fermented.
Benefits of Fermented Foods
Fermentation occurs naturally when bacteria are given the chance to transform the carbohydrates (sugars) in food into more elemental forms, such as alcohol or acid. In the case of fermented foods, the live, lactic-acid-producing bacteria pre-digest the food, making the nutritional elements more readily available to the body while also producing probiotics.
Probiotics have shown to support a healthy gut microbiome, making fermented foods one of the most powerful ways to support your digestive health. What's more, since your gut health is linked to your overall health in myriad ways, including your immune system and your brain and nervous system. Regularly consuming gut-healthy fermented foods can play a role in protecting against health conditions from heart disease to arthritis.
Fermented Foods vs. Pickled Foods
A key distinction is that these purported health benefits are tied to naturally fermented foods, as opposed foods that are just pickled with vinegar. While both methods are ancient food-preserving techniques, only foods and liquids that have undergone fermentation with live organisms will provide the boost of beneficial probiotics for your digestive health. You'll always find fermented products in the refrigerated section of your market and they should have a label stating that they were fermented naturally. They may also state that they were made using "live, active cultures."
How Often Should You Eat Fermented Foods?
One study found that those who ate about six servings of fermented foods per day showed improved microbiome diversity and lower inflammatory markers. But six servings is a lot—not everyone can tolerate that quantity or frequency.
“If you haven't been consuming probiotics previously, it's important to start slowly,” advises registered dietitian Christina Manian, RDN, who recommends starting out with one to two servings of fermented foods a day. Ideally, however, the more the merrier, and several daily helpings of fermented foods will be even better for you. “Three or four (or more) is really going to support better gut health,” she says.
In the New York Times bestseller The Art of Fermentation, Sandor Katz advises readers: "Enjoy fermented foods and beverages in moderation. They have powerful effects and strong flavors and need to be respected. Eat them often rather than in large quantities."