Fermentation Preserves and Adds Vitamins and Enzymes

Despite all the media hype concerning germs, contaminated foods and ill health, microbes are our friends. When we are living in rythmn with nature, illness... especially the degenerative diseases, are rare. Industry is trying to take control of our food supply and wants to convince us that only sterilized food is safe. However, if food is processed and sterile.... without life, we lose our capacity to resist disease. The friendly microbes in our digestive system are essential in protecting us from the overpopulation of unfriendly microbes. We all have "dangerous" germs in our bodies but if the different types of bacteria are in balance, we will remain healthy. Of course other factors are involved if we are to maintain vibrant health.....but fermenting our foods plays a very large role. Fermentation of foods is an ancient practice which has been used by cultures all over the world. It is a form of predigestion. Humans have a much less sophisticated digestive tract compared to the herbivores and so man has learned how to prepare foods properly to destroy anitnutrients and to increase digestive power and friendly bacteria.

When the news tries to scare us with contamination of vegetables, peanut butter...etc, it is rarely for our protection in the end. There is usually a profit goal they are working towards. The following paragraph is from the article "Lacto-Fermentation" by Sally Fallon

"Scientists and doctors today are mystified by the proliferation of new viruses--not only the deadly AIDS virus but the whole gamut of human viruses that seem to be associated with everything from chronic fatigue to cancer and arthritis. They are equally mystified by recent increases in the incidence of intestinal parasites and pathogenic yeasts, even among those whose sanitary practices are faultless. Could it be that in abandoning the ancient practice of lacto-fermentation and in our insistence on a diet in which everything has been pasteurized, we have compromised the health of our intestinal flora and made ourselves vulnerable to legions of pathogenic microorganisms? If so, the cure for these diseases will be found not in vaccinations, drugs or antibiotics but in a restored partnership with the many varieties of lactobacilli, our symbionts of the microscopic world."

About the Author
Sally Fallon is the author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats (with Mary G. Enig, PhD), a well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods with a startling message: Animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. She joined forces with Enig again to write Eat Fat, Lose Fat, and has authored numerous articles on the subject of diet and health. The President of the Weston A. Price Foundation and founder of A Campaign for Real Milk, Sally is also a journalist, chef, nutrition researcher, homemaker, and community activist. Her four healthy children were raised on whole foods including butter, cream, eggs and meat.

Read More about the ancient practice of lacto-fermentation at
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/lacto.html