At first thought of fermented food may sound unappetizing, actually many of us already are eating them on our daily diets.

For those who may ask, fermented food are things like sauerkraut, yogurts, some kind of cheese, natto, kefir: milk, yogurts, and drinks, fermented vegetables: kimchi, pickles, soybeans and etc.

Whether you are American, European like German; eating cheese, yogurts and sauerkraut (fermented cabbages), Asian like Korean and Japanese; eating kimchi (fermented Chinese Napa or cabbage) and natto (fermented soybeans), or other nationalities, you may already have been eaten fermented foods on your daily diet. Furthermore, the by-products of the fermentation processes often create many necessary nutrients; like Vitamin B12 from a plant based diet through the bacteria and more importantly, perhaps in these days with the pandemic, PEPTIDES (Short chain amino acid like protein, according to some research, may block and interfere with virus attachments and replications through a host cell).

Bacteria get flu too!

Interestingly enough, bacteria also get sick like people. In fact, most viruses do attack bacteria due to the sheer number of them exist. So how do bacteria deal with viruses throughout the ages (probably since the birth of our planet)? 

Fermenting our food

Dairy products, as an example for yogurt; required heating the milk over 180 degree F, or produce (vegetables), kimchi and sauerkraut; brining with heavy salt water, to get rid of bad bacteria and germs before the beneficial bacteria can start.

For more recipe and details on making your favorite type of fermented foods, please check back to this post.

Whatmenu’s take on our diet

Our diet, quintessential to understand the symbiosis between us and the microbes in our guts, this may provide a first glimpse to the window on the insight of the balance of nature with men in it!

References:

Perspective of Use of Antiviral Peptides against Influenza Virus  – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4632391/

Microbial Fermentation of Dietary Protein: An Important Factor in Diet–Microbe–Host Interaction – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352118/