This week's mission: Introduce fermented foods
Welcome the final week of the Open Your Mind Challenge! This week, we're diving into one of the most powerful ways to introduce beneficial probiotics into your diet—fermented foods.
Skip right to the food:
The Gut-Brain Communication Boost
Fermented foods, which include yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and kombucha, naturally contain live microbes that can help replenish, diversify and strengthen your gut microbiome.
Research shows that regularly consuming fermented foods not only boosts gut health but also reduces inflammation and supports better communication between the gut and brain.
Tips for Adding Fermented Foods (Gradually)
Start small: Add a spoonful sauerkraut on your lunch salad
Breakfast upgrade: Top scrambled eggs with kimchi for a flavor + probiotic punch
Perfect snack: Plain Greek yogurt + berries = protein + probiotics in one bowl
Dinner boost: Add a forkful of fermented veggies to grain bowls or tacos
Track your wins: Snap a photo of your fermented-food-rich meal and tag @lifealivecafe + @drumanaidoo to be entered to win prizes this week!
Try adding one serving each day and gradually adding more if your body responds well.
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Focusing on Ferments at Life Alive
Each meal recommendation below includes a probiotic-boost from fermented foods:
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Dr. Uma’s Pickled Okra
Vegan, gluten-free, dairy free
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Like most pickled vegetables, this okra must be made ahead of time, but once it's made, it keeps very well in the fridge for at least a month if stored in a glass mason jar with a tight fitting lid.
2 cups fresh okra
Juice of ½ lemon
¾ teaspoon sugar
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons nigella seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
4 thick slices lemon
Place the okra in an extra-large mason jar.
In a medium stainless-steel pot, health the lemon juice, sugar, vinegar, water, and slat over medium heat. When the liquid is warmed through, add the remaining spices, garlic, and lemon. Allow to simmer over low heat for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly before pouring over the okra. Cover tightly and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Dr. Uma’s Miso-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Vegan, gluten-free, dairy free
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
This is one of my favorite recipes to share and teach. Fermented miso paste gives both a great probiotic benefit and wonderful depth of flavor to the richness of the sweet potatoes. Once you taste the umami from the miso paste, you may enjoy using it to brighten other roasted vegetable dishes too.
½ cup white miso paste
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled, sliced into discs
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Mix the miso paste, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss in the sweet potatoes and combine.
Place the sweet potatoes on a sheet pan, making sure they are arranged in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender (a sharp knife should cut through easily).
Recipes excerpted from CALM YOUR MIND WITH FOOD by UMA NAIDOO, MD. Copyright ©2020 respectively by Uma Naidoo. Used with permission of Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.