Why should you make fermented foods a part of your daily diet?

by | Mar 27, 2019 | Fermented

What is it?

Fermentation is the conversion of carbohydrates into alcohol and carbon dioxide(CO2) or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria etc. without the use of oxygen (anaerobically).  Wow, carbs and sugars into alcohol sounds really beneficial for the slow carb diet followers but there is more to that.  Fermentation is used to make wine, beer, kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, yogurt and more.

 

Benefits of fermented foods?

  • Preservation – it is a natural way of preserving foods and increasing substantially the shelf life of some foods.
  • Fermentation is an all natural process provided no artificial ingredients are used.
  • Tasty and inexpensive – I love the taste of almost all fermented foods (even sauerkraut:) ).  Moreover, it is easy to ferment foods inexpensively.
  • Fermentation eliminates toxins from the food.
  • Improves digestion as the food is easier to digest and assimilate due to the fermentation process.
  • Friendly probiotics and bacteria in fermented foods that balance the bacteria in the intestines.
  • Many studies have shown that fermented soy, helps in preventing and reducing the effects of many diseases including cancer and heart ailments.  The macrobiotic diet is a big proponent of miso, made from fermenting soy beans, has many benefits including lowering high blood pressure.

Time for a serving of sauerkraut!

– Gary Saggu 

(My tech blog)

BAT – Brown adipose tissue or brown fat a lesser evil?

by | Mar 3, 2019 | General

BAT or brown adipose tissue is one of the two types of fat found in humans.  It is abundant in newborns and contains many smaller droplets of lipids with a lot of mitochondria with iron hence the brown color.  As infants grow up, this tissue becomes similar in appearance to white fat but there have been many articles and research  that relate BAT to skeletal muscle.

Functionally, BAT has a primary function – to generate body heat by burning fat.  That explains why BAT is present in hibernating mammals and also animals that do not shiver.  Based on reading research articles, BAT is a fat burning fat cell so it maybe good for us.  BAT growth maybe stimulated by cold and therapies like hydrotherapy as well as books like the “The 4 hour body” by Tim Ferriss talk about the benefits of cold water and showers. Refer to article here.

Therefore, BAT maybe a good fat and stimulating its growth could be a valuable aid in burning fat.  IMHO, cold showers in the morning, encouraged by yoga and other eastern philosophies did have  BAT research behind it Smile!                                 

– Gary Saggu