Fermented foods

[vintageutopia]

I have been doing some reading about fermented foods, since they delay the emptying of the stomach, and how they can assist with blood sugar regulation, .

Last night, I ate a pickle with my dinner and my 1 hour post prandial BS was lower than my pre-meal. Only by 10 mg/dl, but still.

I was curious if any of you have explored that theory.

 

[Celeriac]

Can't say I've noticed any delayed gastric emptying after eating mixed pickles, cornichons, pickled onions etc occasionally or lower BG. I haven't tried the cider vinegar trick either. I did try lemon in Earl Grey tea an while that helps lower BG for me. it's bad for tooth enamel.

A qualified nutritionist on my Twitter timeline says that fermented foods taken every day for two weeks get rid of bloating. I didn't fancy sauerkraut so I took kefir and that works.

 

[vintageutopia]

Interesting. I have read that it needs to be naturally fermented foods, so no pickles preserved by vinegar and salt, but rather cabbage or cucumbers, water, and salt.

I found a brand called Bubbies that preserves food naturally and that is what I had yesterday. Kefir was highly recommended too.

Do you find that kefir raises your blood sugar? I looked at it yesterday and it looked like the carb count was high. Although, I read that the carbs listed are pre-fermentation and the fermentation process breaks down the carbs and eliminates the blood sugar spikes.

 

[Celeriac]

Bio-tiful organic kefir is the one I buy from Riverford or Ocado. 4.6g carbs per 100ml and I have the 250ml size (so 11.5g carbs) currently 20% off at Riverford. One 250ml bottle contains 134% of RDA for Vitamin B12, 35% RDA for Calcium, 22% RDA for Vitamin B2 and 25% RDA for Phosphorus. http://biotifuldairy.com/cultured-milk-drinks/kefir/

I don't have it every day, it doesn't spike my BG and it's really refreshing. If the carbs are pre-fermentation then it probably does lose a lot of the milk sugars which would explain it.

IMO whether someone considers it high in carbs depends on the carbs they allow themselves daily and the foods they eat. I don't eat any kind of baked goods, potatoes, celeriac (irony), swede (rutabaga), fennel (bulb), carrot, parsnip or artificial sweeteners and not much whole milk.

 

[vintageutopia]

Thanks for sharing. I have seen Lifeway Kefir in the stores, but I have never read the label. I am going to check it out when I go grocery shopping next.

I am having better results with my BS when I eat a 1/4c serving of kraut with my dinner. I adore kraut, so I don't feel like this is a sacrifice in the same of science. Still, I should track and log my findings and then share.

 

[Hedonista]

Delighted to read this because I love sauerkraut. Will be eating it more regularly now!

 

[Larissima]

I did some fermenting on my own a couple of times (cabbage and daikon radish), but I found it a bit boring after about a fortnight of eating the same thing! Unfortunately, my OH doesn't like raw fermented veggies. It might be a good time for a new batch, and this time I'll make sure to eat it with dinner. Thanks for sharing your experience, @vintageutopia

 

[misswhiplash]

This is interesting - I LOVE fermenting and fermented foods

 

[vintageutopia]

@Larissima What water, salt, veggie ratio do you use?

I am curious about making my own.

 

[Larissima]

@Larissima What water, salt, veggie ratio do you use?

I am curious about making my own.

I tend to use just salt at first, rub it into the shredded veg and leave in the plastic bowl for a good few hours (I've done it up to 12 hours, but that was in winter) for the liquid to come out. Then I pack it all into a jar and only top it with lightly salted water if the released liquid doesn't end up covering the veg. Regarding quantities, about 1 Tbs salt per head of cabbage (small/medium). I always end up googling like mad before every batch, though!