Have you been watching the price of food climb over the last few years? Today more than ever before, we have to watch costs and do what we can to keep them level. Did you know that lacto-fermented / fermented foods save you money? Yup, it not only preserves the food so it lasts longer, but it actually helps to wring out more nutrition per bite! Add to this that you can stay healthier, and save energy at the same time, and it is a great combination.
Preserving food while prices are lower has always been a good way to keep your budget even throughout the year. When prices go up, or a product becomes hard to obtain, you can just eat off the set aside food. Lacto-fermenting is also a great health supporter as it helps to supply lactobacilli to your intestinal track. This good bacteria builds your immune system, letting you fight colds, the flu, and diseases. Read more here… Avoiding the Flu and Cold Season!
Boosts Nutrition & Enzymes
Don’t forget that lacto-fermented / fermented foods also helps turn on, or boost the levels of digestive enzymes in the foods. Now, when you eat that carrot that has been lacto-fermented, it is easier for the body to break down. So you get more of the nutrition out of the carrot, so to speak. What does this do for you? Digesting food is one of the biggest energy expenditures the body does everyday. If you eat more nutritious meals, and your body works less to digest the food, it will have more energy for other uses. One great use of that energy would be fighting disease. This is an easy way to help your body to heal faster. 5 Ways To Help Make An Immune System Strong! Just eat better!
Eat Less Weightloss
With all that great nutrition you’ll be getting from fermented foods, you may find you eat less. This is something I hear constantly from people after they have taken our classes. Some people find they eat half of what they used to eat. Now, it makes sense that if you eat less you will loose weight. You have to admit that is a neat way to diet, by not going on a diet.
How does this really work? Fermented foods are nutritional rich foods. Keep in mind you eat for the nutrition food contains. Calories which the health industry always mentions, is just a number value attached to the food. But calories tell us nothing about the nutrition contained in a food, so a hot fudge sunday can have the same calories as a healthy meal, (vegetables, meats, grains). If you are hungry often it could be you are eating foods that don’t contain much nutrition.
The Original Veggie Fermenter (starter kit).
Just add the food and a jar
Saves Time
Lacto-fermenting / fermenting helps you keep some foods stored for months, which helps your budget to make it through the bumps in produce costs. Don’t forget that we often hear “time is money”. Fermented vegetables last for months, so you won’t be having to ferment every spare moment. I have eaten peppers that were fermented last year and they were still crisp.
Get Started
Sounds like a good time to learn about lacto-fermenting. We put in an extra few batches this week, so we will have lots of good salsa, sauerkraut, and other condiments. We have some great articles that can help get you up to speed quickly; Lacto-fermentation: The Methods, Lacto-fermented Vegetables & Fruits…Give Them a Try, and Homemade Yogurt “The Easy Way”.
Here is a neat fact. Did you know that many lacto-fermented / fermented foods don’t require cooking to make? No need to get that stove heated up! And lacto-fermenting requires no electricity for the fermenting process, either.
One thing I did not mention about lacto-fermenting is the taste. It sure can add a nice bang to some vegetables, and they are just within reach for snacks. We often have to chase the kids out of the fridge so they don’t eat so many vegetables to spoil their dinner. Haha, is that a switch from when I was a kid. It is great to see kids wanting to eat all the vegetables on their plates. Talk about developing healthy lifestyle habits that will save them a lifetime of trouble. I bet lots of us wish we would have been on that road as a kid.
Well, it is never too late to start! Have fun and do some lacto-fermenting this week to save some money, health, & energy.