14 Fermented Foods You Should Be Eating

Fermented foods have been around as long as food preparation has been recorded in modern history. But for whatever reason, it feels like knowledge of their health benefits has only reached mainstream attention relatively recently. And pound for pound, there are fewer foods that offer as much nutritional bang for their buck as some fermented foods readily available, particularly for your gut. "The fermentation process produces bacteria that are believed to be good for our health and may also have a higher content of certain vitamins," says Eve Kalinik, nutritionist, gut health specialist, and author of "Be Good To Your Gut" in Cosmopolitan.

But while most people might think there are just one or two fermented foods out there (we're looking at you, kimchi and sauerkraut), the fermentation process is involved in a huge amount of food products. And while each of them can help provide the gut-healthy bacteria so prized by fermented food lovers, they also have their own nutritional benefits. Here at Health Digest, we're unscrewing the lid and releasing the potent powers of these fermented friends.

Once upon a time, kombucha was a little-known product in the United States. Nowadays, kombucha is virtually everywhere you look, and can provide powerful health benefits to boot. The fermented, sweetened drink, made through fermenting tea with a SCOBY, has ample nutritional content, according to Forbes. Like other fermented food and drink, kombucha's production creates a multitude of probiotic bacteria, which registered nutritionist Jo Lewin states can have a positive effect on your gut and digestive health (per BBC Good Food).

What's more, the fact that kombucha is made from tea, a drink high in antioxidants called polyphenols, means that its antioxidant content is pretty high. These antioxidants can have positive effects on heart health and the balancing of cholesterol to healthy levels, advises Lewin. Kombucha is generally drinkable by most people, but as the beverage is high in histamine (which is the case for other fermented food products), anyone with histamine intolerance should watch out when drinking it. Drinking large amounts of kombucha may also occasionally produce side effects like dizziness or stomach ache in some individuals, Lewin adds.

As with other fermented foods, kefir has taken center stage recently, but as Healthline notes it's been a fixture of menus worldwide since time immemorial. But more and more people are cottoning on to the health benefits of kefir, which can provide even more of a probiotic kick than its dairy sibling yogurt. The probiotics present in kefir can also have antibacterial properties and may help inhibit the growth of foodborne bacteria.

Kefir's composition, made of dairy, also gives it many benefits that other fermented foods may not deliver. Kefir is high in protein and both calcium and K2, the vitamin that helps your body process calcium, and these combined allow the drink to play a vital role in the maintenance of bone and tooth health. Unlike other dairy products, kefir is relatively low in lactose, and so may be easier to digest for those with lactose intolerance. It's worth pointing out, as well, that dairy-free versions of kefir exist, for those with more severe lactose intolerances or following diets that omit dairy. These versions, however, may not have the same nutritional profile as dairy-based kefir.

It's pretty likely that if you've ever been to a football game or a fair, you've had sauerkraut — it's usually piled onto a hot dog. But you may not be aware you were eating a fermented food that your body will love you for. Sauerkraut has been observed to have several potential positive effects on health, as noted by research published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine. In addition to its fiber-rich composition that's packed with vitamins and minerals, sauerkraut may also help to support the immune system through its promotion of gut-friendly bacteria, and the cabbage that it comes from is full of antioxidants that have powerful disease-fighting potential, according to Healthline.

The fermented nature of sauerkraut — and the healthy bacteria and boost in gut health that come with that — may also help to support brain health and reduce stress and mental health conditions, according to research published in Gut Pathogens. One thing to bear in mind with sauerkraut though is its sodium content. As salt is added to initiate the fermenting and flavoring process, it's useful to check the label of any brand you buy, so you know exactly how much you're getting.

As a regular fixture of pretty much every fridge around the country, it's easy to forget that pickles can be fermented. And while your average dill pickle off the shelf may not be the fermented kind, we'd recommend trying to seek out versions that have been through the fermentation process, for their powerful probiotic benefits, as dietitian Cynthia Sass states to Health. Lactobacillus, the good bacteria that are presented in fermented pickles, helps to support immune function, and your body process nutrients more efficiently. Not bad for a former cucumber.

However, when you're shopping for fermented pickles, choice is everything. The first thing to do, naturally, is to make sure your pickles are labeled as probiotic or fermented, but you should also take a look at the ingredients list, Sass advises. Try and buy pickle varieties that use as few ingredients as possible in their production process. Additionally, keep an eye on the sodium content of any pickles you buy, as pickles that come in brine tend to be loaded with salt, according to WebMD. With an association between sodium intake and kidney conditions and higher blood pressure, you'll want to try and keep your sodium sources from food as low as possible (per the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health).

For individuals who don't eat meat, there is a wide range of alternatives ready to take its place in dishes, and tempeh is stepping up to bat. Believed to have its origins in Indonesia, this millennia-old food is made from lightly fermented, cooked soybeans, which are then usually shaped into a blocks, according to The Spruce Eats. But while tempeh has found fame in the West as a meat substitute, it's far more than that. Not only does it have its own mushroom-like flavor, but tempeh is also nutritional "gold dust," high in protein, low in carbohydrates and fat, and packed full of essential minerals like phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, states registered nutritionist Nicola Shubrook for BBC Good Food.

As tempeh is made of soy, it's also particularly high in isoflavones. This compound, when occurring in soy products, is potentially beneficial for the reduction of cholesterol, according to research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that soy isoflavones were particularly associated with the reduction of "bad" LDL cholesterol, as well as cholesterol in general, but didn't seem to affect the "good" HDL cholesterol levels.

Cottage cheese is the unassuming MVP of the kitchen, as far as we're concerned. The high-protein, low-fat, super-versatile snack is also the fermented-food-dream and is up there with the best fermented foods to include in your diet, as UMass Chan Medical School advises. While much of cottage cheese's buzz comes from its protein levels, we want to shine a light on its unparalleled vitamin and mineral content, with the cheese boasting almost 40% of your daily selenium content, and a whopping 59% of your vitamin B12 daily recommended intake (per Healthline). Selenium helps to properly process the antioxidants you ingest, and vitamin B12 is particularly important for the formation of DNA, nerve cells, and red blood cells, as the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health states.

That's not to say that we don't have a lot of time for cottage cheese's protein content, though, with the high levels helping to support muscle gain, as well as cell formation and recovery from exercise. Bear in mind that cottage cheese is higher in lactose than other aged cheeses, and as such, may not be suitable for those with lactose sensitivities or lactose intolerance.

Although miso has long been the most well-known soybean paste out there in the United States, doenjang might soon present a challenge to its leadership. Doenjang, created by fermenting soybeans with salt, is widely used in Korean cuisine and has a complex flavor that works with a huge variety of dishes (per Bon Appétit).

And doenjang isn't just useful for its ability to add depth and vibrancy to a meal — it's also pretty darn good for you. As research published in Nutrients discusses, doenjang has been perceived to have some anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-hyperglycemic effects in clinical trials. And what's particularly interesting is doenjang's effects on blood pressure. Given that doenjang, like many fermented foods, is high in salt, you might assume that eating it would result in increased evidence of hypertension. But the Nutrients study found that rats that were given doenjang in addition to a high-salt diet actually demonstrated an improvement in blood pressure, compared to rats that were just fed a high-salt diet on its own. As this was an animal study, however, further research may be needed to confirm its universal effects.