The BEST and WORST Fermented Foods for Gut Health (avoid number 3) 

Yes fermented vegetables are really easy. You can do cabbage the traditional way where you smash it up convert and mix it with salt or you can just soak it in a brine and you can do the same with carrots and onions peppers and all kinds of different vegetables. I like to mix a little cabbage and shredded carrots and I put about 2 tablespoons of Redmond real salt in 2 cups of water and a pack the veggies into a quart size jar with a spring that holds the vegetables down under the water and fermenting lid. It’s just a kit I bought to do fermenting. As long as the vegetables stay under the water you just put them in a cabinet inside your house for a week to two weeks, some vegetables take less time but the cabbage and the carrots and the peppers and onions it usually take anywhere from 5 to 14 days depending on how fermented you want them. As long as you don’t have vegetables floating to the top of the water it shouldn’t get mold on top and then you can just put it in the refrigerator and put couple tablespoons on a salad or some thing every day. I found that a lot of the sauerkraut I tried to buy was pasteurized, which means they killed everything good in it and shopping in places like Walmart and Kroger‘s I’ve never seen any that was not fermented. I didn’t realize how easy it was but it’s incredibly easy to make your own you can also control the quality of the vegetables you’re putting in it as well.

I’ve been using “Seed” for some time now and can say I have really noticed a difference. Everything is functioning much smoother ( not too much ) and overall I feel a lot better ( more energy & less blotting ). Very happy with Seed, thanks Thomas

I've been making homemade kefir for my family for months and we've been taking omega 3. There's been a notable difference in my daughter's attention and everyone's health overall.

Yay! THANK YOU for changing the intro music to something upbeat! 🤗❤️💕 Much better fit for the topic / mission of this channel.

Thank you for the recap at the end! Very helpful 🙌

Thank you Thomas. You influenced my intermittent fasting for like the past 8 years. Keep doing what you do, it's awesome

Thomas, great video. It would help to have a text summary of your recommendations people are not going to be able to remember unless they take detailed notes and keep rewinding which is a big pain. It would be best if you can include a list in order showing the best ones at the top and the worst ones at the bottom. and maybe add a column on why you rank them in that order.

I love this guys work he does his research an excellent video.

Thank you for all your efforts to to help humans. Glad I found your channel again

Excellent video. Thank you very much.

Hey Thomas thanks for the reviewing ant the end, I have a short attention span, and the recap really help.

Woww! Great video and great channel. Thanks you

Thankyou…. So helpful💜🧡💛

Water kefir "soda" is also very yummy. 😋💖 I've yet to try the ginger bug. 🧡

This is one more iconoclastic, creative, brilliant video which keeps us subscribing.

Hi Thomas, one other thing that you didn’t mention about natto, it naturally produces vitamin K2-7. When combined with vitamin D3 helps move calcium from tissues or vascular system to bones. Having lived in Japan, I noticed that Japanese tend to eat natto with meals every day. Jay

Only recently discovered you. Keep up the great work. : )

I really like how you cite medical journals.

Excellent! I was curious if you were still going to do the Tongkat Ali review on your experience taking it.

Thank you for the good review - I enjoy eating sauerkraut, now I am planning to try tempeh to boost my protein consumption

I appreciate the use of scientific journals highlighted to show us the pertinent text,,,,,good job.

Interesting video Thomas

Love it! Just made another batch of kimchi today.

fantastic as always!

Unbelievably helpful on a daily basis = legend

Thomas please !!!! Can you do a video on what time of day your metabolism is the fastest and variables that affect it ? Thank you ♥️

Useful vid. Thanks. Which are the two types of khimchi? I know of only 1 type..

Don't forget about The added benefit of K2!! in fermented foods like Raw S kraut and natto

I took H pylori antibiotics treatment. I did kifir, NAC, garlic, honey and sauerkraut. I had no side effects from the antibiotics. Best part, my stomach cramp went away and I am H pylori free!

I applaud you. Good job.

Milk kefir is really easy & inexpensive to make. It cultures at room temperature, eg. on you kitchen counter. It also only requires a one time purchase of the kefir SCOBY, referred to as 'grains'. The 'grains' actually expand & reproduce while culturing the kefir, so you simply add more milk to the 'grains' to culture the next batch. My batches now take about 24 hours to culture.

I liked the format of this video.

I use home made yogurt and kimchi made with leafy greens and beets regularly. I make 3 kinds of kombucha, but have started letting them turn into vinegar before using and only use drops in water or tea. That mostly eliminates the sugar issue. It works out more like acv. I also make lots of fermented veg, lots of home made raw vinegar, and have a home made fermented fish sauce going that should be done by October at the earliest. I easy make over 20 different ferments at any given time. I even have fermented eggs and watermelon rind fermented Dill pickles in my fridge right now. It's amazing how many options there are in the world of fermented food. I also have miso paste I bought in my fridge for tge occasional miso soup.

I love kimchi, it goes so well with beef

I use Kimchi and Sauerkraut regularly ☘️☘️☘️

We have beet kvaas , sauerkraut and 30 hour fermented yogurt on a daily basis . I must say it has definitely improved my quality of life

Do you know of any study done for stinky tofu or miso? Which are also fermented soy product. I wonder about its benefits? No one ever talks about these 2 foods that I usually break my fast with. Thanks

Thanks Thomas, very informative. Have you seen any research data for other non cow dairy yogurt? For example: I ingest coconut yogurt (Cocoyo brand) 1-2 times per week due to its lower carbohydrate amount than regular yogurt.

5:38 It depends on the kombucha you buy. There's a local brand where I live that has less sugar than in any yogurts. They even have some 0-calory flavors that are sweetened with stevia.

I used to nurture my kombucha. So I stopped milk. I feed Water Kefir sugar. What's your thoughts on Water Kefir? When I put WK with juice, it causes an alcohol by product that I don't really like.

You’re killing it lately.

Ok this is good one! 🙌

Greetings from Cairo, Egypt 🇪🇬 Isn't homemade kombucha similar to apple cider vinegar? The sugar is to feed the Scoby/mother?

Good stuff! How does oats do?

I wonder if the Sauerkraut has a similar effect to ACV?

Hi Thomas. Does TEPACHE have any health benefits? I've been making this refreshing drink for my whole family for the past four months. They seem to like it a lot, especially since it's been so hot and muggy in So Cal. But is there any real health benefit consuming this refreshing pineapple drink?

Sourkraut and Kimchi are the only thing that keep antibiotics from wrecking my gut.

I haven't searched the comments so apologize if this was already mentioned. Natto is a great source of vitamin K2, an acquired taste but easily acquired in our family. Our little boys love it!

Interested to know if the tests were done with homemade ferments or if they were sold from a store and "Pasteurized".

Funny you posted this. Just bought stuff to make my own kimchi and sauerkraut

Can these fermented foods help good bacteria in the mouth for nitric oxide production?

Right now I want to begin a journey of repairing my gut health. There’s allot of research on how your gut biome affects every aspect of your life so I want to get a hold of that.

Hi,I am 50 and I am trying to eat healthy and get some vitamins too so it will be nice if you could do a video about "natural vitamins " that are not made in China or are synthetic, thanks

I feel like water kefir (tibicos) should also be included in this video. I would like to hear your opinion about it. Thank you!

Fermented dill pickles work great for me!😊

Thanks for all the good info, Thomas. I appreciate your channel. On a lighter note, what is that contraption the lady has on her head at 5:14? I'm sure it's a legitimate device, but I had a good laugh when I first I saw it. It looks like something from a low budget sci fi movie.

What about raw grass-fed cheeses such as pecorino, Roquefort cheese, etc, as fermented food?

Hi ,what about coconut yoghurt, dairy free .I do coconut yoghurt with fermented ginger honey and a dash of agave syrup. Pretty good 👍

just found have high H pylori and colorectal issues... any suggestions? probiotics, like sauerkraut can help?

Super appreciate this content. Thanks for the hard work you and your team do to bring us these video. A word about Kimchi!!! If you eat it on the regular, it will make you smell like Kimchi. Especially your breath. Even more funky if it's homemade. I was in Korea for a year, and everyone smelled like Kimchi. At first, it would the smell caused me to gag! But after a while, I really loved Kimchi. And there are more types of Kimchi than just cabbage. So try them all!

I love kimchee. I make kimchee regularly...

Home made kefir made from grains bears little resemblance to store bought! Same goes for yogurt cultured for 36 hours! Also Reuteri yogurt - see Dr Davi’s on this

I realise that this is anecdotal, but kombucha has transformed my gut function. I suffered for years with severe inflammation of the gut and kombucha has played a major part in returning my gut health to normal. I drink it every day now. I really notice a difference if I go for a while without it.

another not to be overlooked benefit of Natto is that it has an abundance of vitamin K2 derived from the fermentation process. i was a bit confused he didn't mention it.

I make my own 24 hour fermented yogurt. I don't even bother straining it, it's had enough time for the bacteria to almost completely eliminate the lactose.

its easy to find them if you make them yourself at home. We make Kimchi, Kefir, Sauerkraut, Natto, and other fermented produce.

I have been having nausea and distress ( bloat pressure but, no gas) and food poisoning symptoms my doctor just prescribed more drugs no improvement. I went to the Life Extension Center and spoke to a Naturopath who suggested I use Kombucha for 30 days while I wean off my 2 RX 40 mg Omeprazole ( riddled with scary side effects. ) I was also told to take Orange Peel extract capsules and to add Plant based Kefir, homemade Kombucha and Raw Sauerkraut. I bought the veggie Kefir and Raw Sauerkraut made with beets and cabbage and a Kombucha culture starter kit that took 3 weeks + to start using. So I decided to buy a 12 oz bottle of Kombucha daily for 30 days. I was lucky that every week my supermarket had a brand on sale so I tried lots. Some were sweet like sugary kids drinks and others were nasty ACV with a twist. I noticed some had lots sugar some less. I wish I had seen this video sooner. I'm already 2 weeks and almost $50 into it and I think I feel better but, not enough. So I'll wait for real homemade Kombucha and follow your evidence. TY for clarifying this info that no one else is addressing. I will look for Natto and Kimchi varieties too.

Do the yoghurt cultures need to be "living" or can they be preserved like the yoghurts from the shelf to be effective for the microbiom?

Any recommendations for a good store bought brand or from an Asian market?

What about fermented pickles?

Kimchi is interesting would be good to do further investigations into the ingredients and what benefits they provide.

Any comment on fermented pickles and pickle juice?

I am FERMENTATION JUNKIE and very much APPRECIATE this video, 🙏Thomas!

I know you are talking specifically about gut health but I think it's worth noting that all of these foods/drinks have increased vitamin amounts, e.g sauerkraut has more vitamin c than regular cabbage. All fermented foods have good amounts of K2 which is looking increasingly important not to mention that Natto is one of the best sources of K2 we know about (and one of the very few non-animal based sources of K2).

NATO smells like used Gym socks LOL. But eat and sometimes make Kimchi. Also buy sauerkraut at Aldi's. Comes in a jar.i heat it with some canned diced tomatoes with green chillies. Seems to help

I wonder about short ferment veggies like Japanese pickles (done with a sugar alcohol)

i’m 54 and have been chronic resistance hypertension since my mid twenties. i’m basically on all the classes of BP meds. based on my recent labs i am hyper aldosteronism with low renin production. Been doing keto lowcarb for over 4 years with great success in weight loss but blood pressure is out of control without heavy meds. what’s your thoughts on PA as i believe it’s overlooked. Help!!

I need some recipes for this stuff I never know what to eat it with.

1: yogurt 2: milk kefir 3: kombucha 4: sauerkraut 5: kimchi 6: Tempeh 7: natto

I heard that natto is really good for blood flow and heart health because of an enzyme called nattokinase and might be a reason why there are a lot of centenarians in Okinawa, Japan.

I do homemade l reuteri yogurt. It definitely works and the strain matters

ive been making vegan coconut yougurt out of lactobacillus reuteri 6475, coconut cream and inulin. and i can certantly say my balls have increased in density and size.. also putting on muscle easier. i also make my own fermented purple sourkraut and beets..

Sauerkraut -- You have to distinguish between pasteurized and raw.

This was excellent. Wish I liked kimchi more but there it is.

Sauerkraut has tons of vit C. I love it. I like Kimchi but it's a bit too hot. I can't eat too much of it. But I eat alot of yoghurt and kefir with bifidus and acidophidus bacteria.

I have had gastric bypass and a painful ongoing side effect for me has been reoccurring bleeds due to ulcers. I have had numerous emergency surgeries and am scheduled to have another in 4 plus weeks. This surgeon thinks he can fix it with a revision to make the pouch smaller decreasing the number of acid producing cells. I am trying to eat more gut healthy foods. This will help. Ty.

A couple of products I found at Kroger [both store brands]: 1) Simple Truth Organic Jalapeno Lime Kraut--possibly more similar to kimchi than the average kraut because of the added ingredients (including garlic), and 2) Simple Truth Organic Zero Sugar Lemon Ginger Kombucha (5 calories, 8 grams of carbs, 0 grams of sugar--"a trivial amount" according to the label, and 6 grams of sugar alcohol). The above should be viewed a posted here solely for informational purposes, as I am not a Kroger employee and am not endorsing said products.

I make my own kimchi and sauerkraut and yogurt so I eat some probiotics everyday, but I heard you need a prebiotic fir the probiotic to be beneficial, I believe onions are considered a prebiotic so I try and make it a point to eat some fried onions with my pros.... I don’t knit if any of these helps, I just try and do what I think is good ... enjoy your videos Thomas, keep up the good work 👍

Great one. We eat all of these !

natto is also one of the highest sources of vitamin k2

Natto I buy is frozen not fresh does it work

So kimchi and yogurt…. I eat them both every day with mct and flax seed!

One of my favourite meals is Tempeh with some Kimchi. I'm quite happy about that!

I do carnivore with kimchee and pickles. I will through in green veggies in some days.

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, fermentation aka, controlled bacteria, was how food was prepared and preserved. All humans ate fermented food regularly. We now use artificial preservatives to extend food keeping. The introduction of modern preservatives has been to our great detriment.

Cayenne is not a standard ingredient of Kimchi. I add it because I like the kick but it's not exactly standard.

Does anyone have any info on the fermented Oreos?

Please look at miso too.

Would the sauerkraut that comes in cans and jars (shelf stable) have a benefit also?

Love kimchi