NUTRITION PRINCIPLE 7 – Eat foods that contain naturally occurring enzymes and your gut will be happy and your health will benefit.  

Foods that naturally contain enzymes include raw honey, raw dairy, raw meat and raw fish (think steak tartar and sashimi), cold pressed olive oil and lacto-fermented foods.  The best raw honey is local honey. You get the additional benefit of local pollens and desensitizing your system to these exposures and less allergies.  Make sure your olive oil is truly 100% cold pressed olive oil.  Often this wonderful food is cut with cheaper oils, and it does not even have to be put on the label.

What is a lacto-fermented food?  Fermentation does not only occur with beer and wine.  “Lacto” refers to the Lactobacillus bacteria, which occur naturally on plant surfaces and in our bodies.  Lacto-fermentation of foods helps to preserve them, increases or preserves the vitamin and enzyme levels, as well as their digestibility.

Examples of lacto-fermented foods include yogurt, kefir and cheese, sauerkraut, kimchi and pickles, sourdough bread, miso, kombucha and water kefir.  Beware that not all foods with these names are actually fermented, and are not a good source of enzymes.  You want to choose sauerkraut and pickles that contain live cultures (not vinegar) and will be found in the refrigerated section, or make them yourself.  “Sourdough” bread today is typically white flour soured with chemicals, and not truly made with a sourdough starter and a long leavening time.  Look for a good local bread that actually lists sourdough starter on the label.

All traditional cultures included these kinds of food in their diet, and you should also.  Look for whole milk plain yogurt, or even better make it yourself with raw milk.  Fresh sauerkraut and local raw local honey are not hard to find these days.  It only takes a few tablespoons of an enzyme rich food at each meal to get the benefit.  If you have never eaten these foods, go slowly at first so you body can adjust.

Read last weeks article here:  Nutrition Principle 6 –Carefully prepare seed foods.

Dr. Veronica Tilden can be your ally in regaining vibrant health and feeling the divine in the moment.  She uses traditional hands-on osteopathy to diagnose and treat.  She helps you take responsibility for your health and guides you in making better choices in your life.  Her office is in North Fork.  You can find out more and schedule an appointment at DrVeronicaTilden.com.