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Fermented foods need to be the next diet fad. The fermentation process acts as a pre-digestion mechanism, breaking down complex structures to be more easily dig

Fermented foods need to be the next diet fad. The fermentation process acts as a pre-digestion mechanism, breaking down complex structures to be more easily digestible. I recently started an oatmeal "starter" similar to a wheat sourdough starter. I began with a 1:1:1 ratio of rolled oats, water, and active yogurt. I let it sit for 36 hours. Then in the morning I take out half, and replace it with a 1:1 ratio of water and oats. It smells yeasty and tastes as if it's been cooked. I have no source on this but I'm hoping that the process nets me more nutrition than cooking. I also don't have to heat or refrigerate it. Everything operates at room temperature. If I ever go out of town I can put it in the fridge.

nanomonkey 4y ago
Any reason why you don't cook your oatmeal after fermenting it overnight? An overabundance of yeast isn't entirely desirable in your digestive system. Also, it tends to improve the flavor and do more digestion. I do something similar with my beans, use some sourdough starter, or slop from the previous soaking of beans. I let them soak, ferment (they bubble) for a few days, rinse and cook as normal. It improves the flavor and I don't get as much gas. It also gets rid of so called "phytotoxins" which bind to minerals, etc. You can also use koji to break down grains and legumes prior to cooking. It's quite amazing how sweet rolled oats will become when you let them sit with some koji rice. Koji is full of amylase and protease (enzymes that break down starch and proteins respectively).
- lapetitejort 4y ago
  I'll try cooking them some time. They only sit for 24 hours and the fermented taste is not overpowering (I've let some sourdough starter sit too long on the countertop and know what that smells like). The oats are completely soft though, as if just boiled. I tried adding steel cut oats, but they're too thick to soften overnight. For flavor I add a pinch of salt, nuts, and raisins. Do you cook the raw beans before mixing with the starter? Or cook afterward? Is the bean starter raw or cooked?
  - nanomonkey 4y ago
    I cook afterwards. The bean starter raw, it contains live bacteria and yeast that help to break down non digestible starches, etc. There are similar methodologies where you ferment cooked legumes, like making natto, miso or tempe. These do similar things but have entirely different flavors.
- adrian_b 4y ago
  When someone can afford to let beans or other legumes or grains or seeds or nuts to ferment for some days, this provides optimal nutritional results. However, when there are no conditions to do this, it is enough to use instead of fermentation just soaking in acidulated water (with lemon juice or vinegar) for a day or a half of day, and then wash the legumes/grains/seeds/nuts, which would still remove most of the phytic acid, which causes the problems described in the article, with the intestinal absorption of the minerals.
no-dr-onboard 4y ago
> Fermented foods need to be the next diet fad. The fermentation process acts as a pre-digestion mechanism, breaking down complex structures to be more easily digestible The argument for fermenting foods is that you introduce beneficial bacterial flora to help the gut microbiome. Additionally, the "pre-digestion" mechanism that you're talking about tends to make the nutrients from the food more bioavailable.
colordrops 4y ago
It's pushed by several health podcasts so already seems like a fad. A good one too.

nanomonkey 4y ago

Any reason why you don't cook your oatmeal after fermenting it overnight? An overabundance of yeast isn't entirely desirable in your digestive system. Also, it tends to improve the flavor and do more digestion. I do something similar with my beans, use some sourdough starter, or slop from the previous soaking of beans. I let them soak, ferment (they bubble) for a few days, rinse and cook as normal. It improves the flavor and I don't get as much gas. It also gets rid of so called "phytotoxins" which bind to minerals, etc. You can also use koji to break down grains and legumes prior to cooking. It's quite amazing how sweet rolled oats will become when you let them sit with some koji rice. Koji is full of amylase and protease (enzymes that break down starch and proteins respectively).

lapetitejort 4y ago
I'll try cooking them some time. They only sit for 24 hours and the fermented taste is not overpowering (I've let some sourdough starter sit too long on the countertop and know what that smells like). The oats are completely soft though, as if just boiled. I tried adding steel cut oats, but they're too thick to soften overnight. For flavor I add a pinch of salt, nuts, and raisins. Do you cook the raw beans before mixing with the starter? Or cook afterward? Is the bean starter raw or cooked?
- nanomonkey 4y ago
  I cook afterwards. The bean starter raw, it contains live bacteria and yeast that help to break down non digestible starches, etc. There are similar methodologies where you ferment cooked legumes, like making natto, miso or tempe. These do similar things but have entirely different flavors.
adrian_b 4y ago
When someone can afford to let beans or other legumes or grains or seeds or nuts to ferment for some days, this provides optimal nutritional results. However, when there are no conditions to do this, it is enough to use instead of fermentation just soaking in acidulated water (with lemon juice or vinegar) for a day or a half of day, and then wash the legumes/grains/seeds/nuts, which would still remove most of the phytic acid, which causes the problems described in the article, with the intestinal absorption of the minerals.

no-dr-onboard 4y ago

> Fermented foods need to be the next diet fad. The fermentation process acts as a pre-digestion mechanism, breaking down complex structures to be more easily digestible The argument for fermenting foods is that you introduce beneficial bacterial flora to help the gut microbiome. Additionally, the "pre-digestion" mechanism that you're talking about tends to make the nutrients from the food more bioavailable.

colordrops 4y ago

It's pushed by several health podcasts so already seems like a fad. A good one too.