Eating well, exercising and drinking water are three actions that we have heard throughout our lives to stay healthy. Many times we ignore them and ‘delight’ in our tastes.
Nutrition is a fundamental part for the correct functioning of the human body and by doing it properly it can contribute to the various bodily processes and to the prevention of diseases.
Although good nutrition is partly associated with a weight loss process, this is not always the case. Within the trends linked to organic, fermented foods have been opening a space and are increasingly more accepted.
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In Ecuador, The Greenest Me is one of the brands that sell this product. Its creator Catalina Vallejo was linked to this world due to gastrointestinal problems.
In 2017, the 43-year-old from Guayaquil decided to apply everything she was learning in her search for comprehensive well-being. This is how this virtual store was opened and whose products, which are made by hand, are found in various shops in the city.
“We started with three fermented foods and now we have more than 25 varieties. Our type of food we try to be zero kilometer, this means that you are going to eat, what is around you, as close as possible and that leads you to consume local first and station second, ”he explained.
Vallejo reports that the fermentation is an ancient art of food preservation and that this creates microorganismsIn turn, this proliferation of bacteria and yeasts create molecules that mutate and multiply. After this, lactic acid is generated, generating acidity so that the permanence of bacteria is beneficial.
“These fermented products are made in an ancestral way, they do not have an industrialized process and they are not pasteurized, so they have their beneficial bacteria, their load of live microorganisms, their digestive enzymes are alive and apart from that they have a large load of prebiotic fiber,” he said.
One of the techniques used by the health and nutrition coach is brine, a mixture of water and salt, the latter product enhances the flavor and preserves the food “because it helps you to generate that the turgidity of the vegetables is preserved and that makes last longer over time. That ecosystem of the brine plus the load of microorganisms of the ingredients creates a synergy, a symbiosis that causes the vegetable to ferment and not rot”.
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Fermented foods, he says, improve digestion and their processes, such as the disposal of fecal material, become a complement to food. Vallejo says that incorporating it into the daily diet should be done progressively because if you are not used to it and abuse it, it can cause bloating and gas. You can start with two tablespoons a day or spend a day and the body will get used to it between 9 and 12 days, although this must also be accompanied by a change in lifestyle.
“Our microbiota and intestinal mucosa can be repaired and can be changed in three to five days and they get used to this intake of these foods, of these fibers, then there you begin to see that reception that calms your belly, that improves digestion , you erupt less, less gas, you go to the bathroom more and there it also depends on the symptoms of each person, that is, there are people who have problems with how to manage their emotions, there are others who do not sleep well, everything is improving, “he said.
The shelf life of fermented foods is between months and years, by legalization in the products it is specified that it can be kept for up to three months in refrigeration. Its consumption is not recommended for those with gastritis (who have not managed their symptoms), colitis or those who are undergoing chemotherapy or have recently left it until they are symptomatologically stable.
“We try to work with the greatest diversity of fermented products, which is why if you don’t like cabbage, well, go for cauliflower and I don’t like broccoli either, well we have fermented almonds, fermented red fruit jam.”
Precisely the taste is one of the difficulties for the acceptance of this type of food since they are acidic and sour, that is why he suggests that they give small strips, for example, of sauerkraut (fermented cabbage). He explains that acidity, but not acidifying foods, improve the generation of gastric juices for the irrigation of bile fluids, which in turn better metabolize proteins and fats.
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It currently has three products with health notification, which are kimchi, liquid fermented vegetables called GutShot, and kefir cream cheese with vegetables. In addition there are two restaurants that order their products.
Within the stock that it markets through its website are vegetables, liquids, vegan cheeses, sauces, dips and vinaigrettes, all fermented.
through the instagram profile You can find videos explaining the process, in addition to offering workshops to bring interested people closer to fermentation.
How did you enter the world of fermented?
Catalina says that in 2015 she was in search of general well-being in the face of gastrointestinal problems that had affected her for years. Poor digestion and constipation were part of her daily life and she was restricting herself from foods that caused her bloating.
He says that after a colon cleanse for an exam he started feeling better.
“I ended up leaving with the gastroenterologist’s diagnosis of irritable colitis and gastritis, so he had told me that I had to continue with digestive enzymes and omeprazole, to use it when I needed it. So I began to investigate this and I realized that most of the things he sent were in the food”, adds the Tourism graduate.
For 25 years she worked in the world of aviation until the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming head of on-board service on long-range aircraft.
In 2015, she studied to be an integrative health and nutrition coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. When he met the gynecologist Iceland Paredes he reconnected with the world of the fermented, since in the training obtained, although it was talked about, he had not yet had the “connection”.
At that time, she was taking probiotic supplements and the specialist recommended that she include fermented foods to boost her immune system. In turn, for two weeks in 2016 she studied a specialization in raw vegan cuisine at the Natural Gourmet Institute and due to the benefits she had within her work, she was able to travel to destinations to learn about and learn how to ferment food like in India.
Catalina says that fermentation is an ancient technique and that although food has evolved, the intestines have not. She considers that with The Greenest Me they seek to be a rescuer of that ancestral art.
“We want to rescue this ancient art of food preservation because it is almost lost. Very few people take that time and work to process vegetables and wait long enough for these foods to be generated that are totally beneficial for our intestines… What we do is provide people with this type of ancestral food that is already available,” he added. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
