ON FERMENTED FOODS
Alternate Title: On the Definition of Living Foods - Prelude


The following is material originally posted on the veg-raw e-mail list in the
Summer of 1995. It deals specifically with the topic of fermented foods, and
whether they are really living foods. The significance of this article is that
it was the spark that made me address the topic of trying to develop an actual
definition for the term living foods (a term that means different things to
different people.) There are two more articles, to be published in future
issues of the newsletter, that will address that topic more directly.

Fermented raw foods, such as raw sauerkraut, pickles, seed "cheese", rejuvelac,
sprout milk yogurt, and even raw miso, raw soy sauce, are important foods for
many raw fooders. On the other hand, some raw fooders refuse to eat fermented
foods, or limit their consumption of fermented foods to one or two specific
food items.

The object of this article is examine the topic of fermented foods, and their
role in raw food lifestyles. To save typing, will use FF as an abbreviation for
the term: fermented foods. Will begin by specifying some of the positive and
negative points of FF, with questions noted.  Note that only lacto-bacillus
based FF are of interest; yeast based FF (e.g., alcoholic drinks) are ruled out
and are not relevant.

Positive:
+ most FF contain lacto-bacillus (Acidophilus) and promote good intestinal
  bacteria populations
+ very high in enzymes
+ reported to be pre-digested (by bacteria), hence easier for your digestion
+ most FF, except for rejuvelac, are considered tasty
+ seed cheeses and almond cream reportedly help underweight raw-fooders gain
  and maintain body weight (see Ann Wigmore, "Rebuild Your Health", pg. 49, for
  almond cream recipe; her recipe is FF)
+ FF are a major part of Ann Wigmore's living foods program, which has been
  used by many people in healing and overcoming serious illness
+ raw cabbage and cabbage family vegetables can cause severe flatulence if
  eaten unfermented. The same vegetables fermented do not cause flatulence.

Negative:
- most FF are very acid-forming foods; ref: Gabriel Cousens, "Conscious Eating",  pg. 129.
- soy sauce contains about 1% natural MSG, mono-sodium glutamate; ref: Glutamic
  Acid, Advances in Biochemistry and Physiology; L. J.  Filer, Jr. et. al. eds.,  pg. 27. Soy sauce,
and possibly miso also, can be 0.5-2% alcohol. The MSG and
  alcohol are products of natural fermentation.
- except for yogurt (made from dry culture, not rejuvelac/seed cheese), FF are
  considered "tamasic" by yoga/Ayurveda. Here tamasic means that in the long
  term, the food has a depressing effect. Yoga recommends avoiding tamasic food.
- rejuvelac, if fermented a few more days with honey added, becomes alcoholic;
  ref: Ann Wigmore, "Rebuild Your Health", pg. 52.
- although often referred to as "living foods", FF can be seen as "dying foods".
  Fermentation is the process of bacterial growth in a base food that ultimately
  dies. For example, a pickled carrot or beet will not sprout if planted in
  the earth; a raw one will.  Wheat sprouts that are decaying in water
  (rejuvelac) will not grow if planted, but regular wheat sprouts will grow.
  In a FF, the base food eventually dies; ultimately, the only living part is
  the bacteria culture that is growing on the base food. It is thus reasonable
  to ask: does a living bacteria culture on a dead/dying base qualify as a
  "living food"?

Q: Is sprout milk yogurt different from other fermented foods?

A: Maybe:
* yogurt (dairy yogurt) is considered "sattvic" - balancing, soothing, by yoga/
  Ayurveda. It is the only sattvic FF recognized in yoga/Ayurveda, all others
  are tamasic.


* yogurt culture growth time very short; growth of culture normally stopped, by
  refrigeration, before culture growth by-products (i.e., acids) are at level
  that is toxic to bacteria (that is how fermentation serves as a natural
  preservative - e.g., sauerkraut, pickles). Yogurt has the shortest culture
  time of any FF.
* also as a result of short culture growth time, yogurt is very similar in
  nature to original base food - sprout milk. Indeed, the base food may still
  be "alive" after only 6-10 hours of culture growth. For many other FF, base
  food is clearly dead.

My personal evaluation of fermented foods is that they can be useful in a raw/
living foods diet, provided one uses them in modest quantities. Their primary
advantage is that they allow one to eat certain raw vegetables, like cabbage,
and avoid the painful flatulence that can otherwise occur. Additionally, they
may be helpful to people with impaired digestion. Their biggest drawback is
that they are acid-forming, and it is easy to overeat them, due to their taste.
They also stimulate digestion, which is a plus for many people, and a minus for
others. Also, they are some work to prepare.

If one is not concerned with whether FF are living foods or not, then the most
important factor in deciding whether to consume them, is how you react to them
when you eat them. If the reaction is bad, avoid them, if it is good then there
is no problem.  Here reaction refers to both the immediate effect and longer
term effects, as well as side effects

P.S. those seeking recipes for raw FF are referred to books by Ann Wigmore,
Viktoras Kulvinskas, Gabriel Cousens.

Tom Billings