A fascinating – and often forgotten- aspect of “Ancestral Wellness” is the utilization of probiotic (“good bacteria”), easily digested fermented foods.
But there are different catalysts for fermentation that yield vastly different products. With regards to alcohol, yeast acts on sugar to create beer.
But there’s an entire world of fermentation that we don’t often discuss. This is the world of lactic acid fermentation, and you may want to get to know this world a little better – especially those athletes gearing up for competition and looking to optimize recovery in every way possible. I’ve talked about traditional foods like liver as an athletic enhancement food; fermented food & drink may be in the same category.
Bacterium thrive on carbohydrate, and transform it into other beneficial substances as they work. Lactic Acid fermentation is the process by which lactic-acid-producing bacteria act on sugars to create lactic acid. (This lactic acid is separate from the lactic acid produced in the cells via athletic exertion). The LA we’re discussing is in the intestinal tract – a healthy IT will have lactic-acid producing bacteria working diligently to enhance and optimize digestion and assimilation of minerals. The term you’ll hear is “probiotics” – lacto-fermented foods add “good flora” to the gut and alleviate much of the digestive load. Gut flora is the next frontier of nutritional research.
Lactic Acid fermentation is also a preservation and enhancement technique – the process increases the vitamin content of foods (fermentation multiplies the vitamin C content of sauerkraut, for example) and also supplies digestive enzymes, taking much of digestion’s energetic burden off the body. Pickles are traditionally lacto-fermented, as are Kefir and Kombucha, which are fermented beverages.
There’s even a company – PicklePower.com – that supplies a pickle juice drink based on its ability to combat muscle cramps better than water. The key is the vinegar, which is yet another fermented product!
Fermented beverages contain minerals and electrolytes. They were traditionally thought to quench the thirst of physical activity better than water alone. The same attributes of the ingredients in Gatorade (a formulation based on research indicating that mineral replacement and electrolyte delivery is more efficient in the presence of sugar) are present naturally in lacto-fermented foods and drinks, and the Gatorade has none of the digestive or vitamin-enhancing benefits. Again: Gatorade’s formulation is based on evidence that small amounts of sugar increase the uptake of electrolytes and minerals. Lacto-fermented beverages do this in a additive-free context, without industrial processing, better – with added digestive benefits.
You may want to add some fermented beverages to your recovery regimen (once you’re sure you digest them properly). If you’re using dairy as a post-workout drink – and I would caution you to use raw, grass-fed dairy products only – you should absolutely consider using Kefir.
While standard chocolate milk has become popular as a recovery drink, the only studies I’ve read that aim to prove this strategy effective are sponsored by dairy industry advocates.
Consider the following from the Winter 2010 issue of Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation:
The nutritionist for the Washington Redskins recommended “whole grain cereal, skim milk, energy shakes, low-fat chocolate milk (after workouts), lean meat, egg white omelets, peanut butter and jelly, and lots and lots of whole wheat bread. By Thanksgiving [2010], the Redskins had the longest list of injured players in the league…by contrast, the Philadelphia Eagles, whose trainers recommend a more caveman-like diet and pickle juice during practice, have one of the lowest injury rates in the league.”
Eagles fan I’m not (Go Chiefs!) but if a caveman-style diet and traditional beverages give a team that added edge, I’m convinced.
Sources:
American Gastroenterological Association: Physiology of Intestinal Fluid and Electrolyte Absorption.
Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions
Wise Traditions V. 11 No 4, Winter 2010
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