Adding fermented foods to your diet: A simple guide

Fermented foods contain large quantities of healthy bacteria. Adding these to your diet can boost your gut health and overall well-being.

If you're new to fermented foods, start small to let your gut acclimate. Then increase quantities to the level of your comfort. 

Diversify consumption. Different fermented foods contain different probiotics.

Try these easy tips to get you going: 

Add a forkful of fermented vegetables to your plate or salad 

Kimchi, sauerkraut, fermented carrots, fermented beets, and the like are great options. They will add flavour, tang, and good bacteria to your meal.

Make healthy breakfasts

There are many ways to have fermented foods at breakfast. Yogurt with fruit, kefir smoothie, sourdough pancakes, and baked oat cake (in the picture) are a few examples. 

For those who prefer a non-sweet option, a savoury sourdough French toast or a savoury sourdough pancake are great choices. 

Note: Live bacteria do not survive cooking. To consume live bacteria, add a few scoops of yogurt or cultured vegetables to your plate (without heating them).

Healthy desserts and pick-me-ups

Here's a quick tip: Yogurt and kefir are superb bases for countless desserts, quick treats, and pick-me-ups. They allow you to keep things simple while boosting your probiotic intake. 

A few scoops of yogurt topped with fruit and nuts, yogurt parfait (in the picture), and yogurt ice cream are simple, exquisite, and microbiome-nourishing choices. 

Probiotic beverages

The kefir family (Milk Kefir and Kefir Soda) are stars in the realm of probiotic-rich drinks.

Ditch store-bought sugar-laden sodas in favour of healthier alternatives: Make a kefir milkshake (in the picture) or berry-banana kefir smoothie. 

Surprise your guests with a refreshing Kefir Soda 'mocktail' in your next get-together.

Peckish for a little something in-between meals? Now you know what to do. A few scoops of homemade yogurt topped with fruit, and you have a healthy snack in under one minute.