Fermented Turmeric – Good for Your Guts

How you ever tried fermented food or drinks such as kimchi or kombucha? What about the superfood craze that is turmeric lattes? Did you know you could combine the two together? We bring you fermented turmeric!

Fermenting foods is a great way to enhance the way our bodies function by creating live enzymes and activated nutrients, which naturally help our digestion and metabolism. Fermentation is a kind of pre-digestion where plant materials, which may be tricky for people to digest, break down to be more easily absorbed by the body. The fermentation process also naturally reduces the carbohydrate and sugar content of the food. That’s why kombucha is so naturally low in sugar!

Why Fermentation?

Fermented foods are amazing for improving our gut health and to help boost digestion. They can also help improve the absorption of vital nutrients which supports the functions of the rest of the body. This also reduces the chance of pathogenic bacteria entering the bloodstream and causing inflammation throughout the body (also known as ‘leaky gut’).  Adding fermented turmeric into your diet can be one way to improve gut health and help fight inflammation.

The Golden Spice

For over 4,000 years turmeric has been used for medicinal purposes across Asia, and only now is the western world catching up. It has been a foundation for plant-based and holistic medicine systems such as Ayurveda. As well as being one of the main spices in curry, turmeric is an incredible superfood that is popular due to its anti-inflammatory effect on the body.

Turmeric is also incredible as even at high doses there are no toxic effects on the body. The active component of turmeric, known as curcumin, is poorly absorbed by the human body. The fermentation of turmeric has been shown that it allows for higher rates of absorption into the bloodstream, therefore is more effective than traditional turmeric.

The fermentation process uses micro-organisms, which ultimately delivers the fermented turmeric as a living wholefood rich in enzymes and beneficial bacteria to support our digestive system, as well as improving the vitamin, mineral and curcuminoid composition for whole-body health benefits. By combining fermentation processes with turmeric, we really do create a nutritional match made in heaven!

DIY

Want to make fermented turmeric at home? It’s pretty easy! Simply add a tablespoon of grated turmeric, a tablespoon of sugar and water to a jar, stir, and store in the shade. After 24 hours, add more turmeric and sugar, plus ginger if you like. Every 24 hours add more turmeric, sugar and ginger. This allows for the fermentation process which can take several days. Click here for the full recipe.

This article was supplied by BellyUp. BellyUp create sparkling probiotic and superfood drinks, including their fermented Turmeric Pineapple flavour. BellyUp will have their drinks available to try at Sydney’s MindBodySpirit Festival this March! Check out their exhibitor listing to get a sneak peak of their show specials.