Why I Don’t Have Fermented Foods on My Blog
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This site is focused on health and wellness, so why do I not talk much about fermented foods?
I've got posts about going sugar-free, about the dangers of gluten, and about heavy metal toxicity and the burden of toxins on our health.
But aside from one post about homemade sauerkraut, there's just not much about cultured foods here.
Read on to find out why.
Remember my series on Candida and Gut Health from a while ago? If you didn't read it, hop on over there. You'll get to see up close and personal the way that candida wreaked havoc on my body and my life.
I had candida in a bad way and if you look around the internet, many people say that kombucha and fermented foods are one of the key ways to rid oneself of candida.
But they didn't work for me; here's what happened instead.
The Candida Diet and Fermented Foods
When I first started to address my candida mess, I went on a pretty strict dietary regimen that excluded all sugary foods, and limited starches. The program included fermented foods in the “restricted” category, stating that often when folks were dealing with systemic candida, their bodies were sensitized to yeast products and fermented foods. Instead of the body responding positively to the introduction of such “beneficial foods,” their bodies might react negatively instead.
So I followed that prescription and ate no:
- kombucha
- kefir
- vinegars
- mustard
- yeast
- nutritional yeast
The whole thing was pretty complex, but overall I was getting better. Sort of. Actually, there is are reasons why the Candida Diet didn't “do it” for me, but I'll touch on that in a future post. So make sure you subscribe if you haven't already.
Anyway, I always wondered about the exclusion of fermented foods from the list of allowed foods, because there are many who tout cultured foods as being key to overcoming candidiasis (systemic candida).
Trial #1: Super Fermented Drink
After a while of “doing the Candida Diet,” I was hitting a wall. So I talked with a man who had a lot of experience in candida, heavy metals, and the like, and he recommended my doing a “flush the bad guys out” protocol.
The Plan? Buy a boatload (about 5 2 liter bottles) of heavy-duty probiotic drink, and drink a bunch of it over the course of a few weeks.
It was expensive, but I was desperate to get better.
So I bought it and started to drink.
What followed was very unpleasant and my symptoms worsened a LOT.
Itching everywhere. Intense and uncomfortable, and even frightening.
I really didn't think I could go on and see where this might lead. I felt like my body was rebelling against me and I was ready to surrender.
I packed up the unused portion of the boatload and paid to return it.
Trial #2: Kombucha
Fast forward a few years. I'd made a lot of changes: tightened up my diet and worked on adrenal healing, heavy metal toxicity, and more. It was a hard, hard time for me but I was starting to have more energy and wanted to start making kombucha for my family (and I hoped for me as well).
So I did. And I drank.
Not good. More itching. Lots of it. Skin, scalp, ears, and the dreaded feminine itching thing (sorry for the TMI).
I talked with my practitioner and she said that maybe I was reacting to the fermentation, or perhaps I should just go with fermented veggies since they have no sugar that can remain in them and that I could try again down the road.
Now, to be clear, I fermented my kombucha 'til it tasted like a strong vinegar, so I think there was little to no sugar in that stuff, but I still wasn't tolerating it.
I ended up trying to ferment some carrots, but they didn't turn out well.
So since I couldn't tolerate it, and I was still pretty low on energy, the SCOBY died and I left the dream of fermented foods alone for awhile.
Trial #3: Fermented Superfood Probiotic
I started taking a new fermented superfood probiotic in July of 2012.
I went right into a full serving, but I ended up having some ear itching again and thought I needed to back off. The symptoms went away immediately, so I thought I was having a reaction to fermentation. Again.
I decided to back off, but tried again around October.
Same thing. Ear itching and sinus issues.
I figured fermented foods and I just didn't get along.
Trial #4: Fermented Superfood Probiotic
In March of 2013, I decided to try one more time to see if I could handle the fermented food probiotic.
I really really wanted to add this stuff to my diet and felt like the probiotic was really great for my gut.
There are so many probiotics out there and I've tried A LOT of them. With most of them, I couldn't tell if they were working, but with this one, I could tell for sure that it was.
So I tried.
I started with 1/8 of a teaspoon and then 1/4 and was tolerating it pretty well.
Then I upped my dose of the probiotic to 1/2 teaspoon and my eyes started itching, so once again, I backed off.
Trial #5: Lots of Fermented Foods
By mid-April, I was trying again, determined to get this stuff into my system.
I ramped my dosage up to 1 teaspoon per day and felt great (tons of energy and great digestion), but I ate some other foods with yeast in them on April 15 and woke up with INTENSE itching in my ears.
Well, I know this is kind of gross, but my ears were peeling inside a little and the discharge from one of my ears smelled like yeast.
Was this my body trying to get rid of candida?
Or was this a reaction to the fermented foods?
Regardless, it seemed I was doomed.
Trial #6: The Big Guns
Just 3 days later, I was given the chance of a lifetime.
The chance to talk with someone who really knows his stuff about probiotics: an expert in the field of probiotics and superfoods.
I figured he'd be super busy and I'd get about 5-10 minutes, but I got over an hour.
And this was not just some health food guy who thinks probiotics are important.
This is the man who developed the fermented superfood powder that I'd been taking since July 2012.
His name is Czerral, and here's just a peek at his resume:
- in 1979 became well known for his role in bringing spirulina to the world market
- in 1994, he introduced the first and only “Certified Organic Spirulina” to the
Southern Hemisphere
Pretty impressive, no?
I went through the whole story with him about my adrenal and candida issues, and how I'd tried over and over again to add fermented foods to my diet with no luck.
His thinking?
Histamine or Die-off?
Czerral said that it was unlikely that I was reacting to the powdered superfood probiotic (or that I would react to the liquid one) because:
1. The probiotic powder and the drink are made up of foods.
2. They are fermented in a similar manner to how the foods are dealt with in the body, so the resulting product is predigested foods that have been acted upon by bacteria similar to how our body digests them.
3. The probiotics are both fermented in carefully controlled environments to make sure the resulting products are pure and not contaminated with stray yeasts or bacteria.
So unless you react to the foods in the probiotics, you shouldn't react to the probiotics.
(And even then, since the foods are predigested, people often can tolerate the foods in these products even if they are sensitive to them.)
The Plan for Introducing Fermented Foods
Czerral said I should “pound the heck out of my gut with a heavy saturation of good bacteria (yes, those were his exact words).
The powder I was already taking was good, but he recommended a liquid drink (formerly called Fast Tract) that has higher bacteria counts so it would have a more intensive effect on my gut.
Here are the nuts and bolts of his recommendation:
1. Buy 4 bottles of Fast Tract
2. Drink 1 bottle per week. Each bottle is supposed to last for 1 month so this was very intense.
His thinking was that my gut is still really overrun with the “bad guys” and that I needed to totally overwhelm them with beneficial bacteria to get my gut back in balance.
Well, I was pretty nervous about:
- spending that much money
- about what I might experience (I'd had enough bad experiences with itching and the like. If I drink a whole bottle in a week, what might happen to me? Might I become one giant itching, flaky mess?)
I talked it over with my husband, and we decided to purchase 1 bottle for a trial run to make sure it didn’t kill me.
So, I bought it and drank it.
The Results of Intense Fermented Food Trial
I started with about 1/2 the daily dose.
I had a pretty intense reaction immediately.
Terrible itching in my ears, but then nothing. No other itching or side effects.
The bad itching happened once or twice over the next few days, immediately after taking the probiotic drink. But after about 2 weeks, the ear itching was almost gone.
I kept upping the dose a little and eventually got brave and just downed the daily dose plus a little.
Then I added in a full dose of the fermented superfood powdered probiotic on alternating days, with no bad effects.
I also had a few swigs of water kefir (homemade) now and then.
I had some constipation (sorry for the TMI) and some fatigue and nausea that was resolved by liver support and zeolite.
So it seemed that Czerral was correct and that I just needed to really be aggressive to get the “bad bugs” out and the “good bugs” in.
Conclusion
Healing is a balance and determining what is going on with your health can be tough. However, good bacteria are important for sure and fermented foods are a great option for just about anyone.
A few things to keep in mind, however, is that sometimes, when dealing with histamines, one should be cautious. Histamine intolerance is something that you can recover from, but while you're dealing with the condition looking into low-histamine probiotics can be helpful.
But now, I DO have fermented foods on my site: Easy Homemade Sauerkraut and Gluten-free Sourdough Starter, and there will be more to come!
Fermented Foods Teleseminar
While all of this was going on, I had a teleseminar with Czerral about this whole topic.
Czerral and I were joined by Lacey of KV Organics. She's a gem of a gal and she and I have talked about probiotics and gut health and natural clean products for a long time.
When you sign up for the teleseminar, you might get communications from Lacey, but she isn't sending any or many emails out these days as she's very busy doing ministry in the UK these days.
Have you had reactions to fermented foods?
By the way, the photo up there was taken by Michaela of Vicariously Vintage.
I am a candida survivor. I have studied Candida deeply as a nutrionist and have helped many people with yeast overgrowth. I was pretty shocked recently when I learned that fermented veggies were giving me a yeast infection. I stopped eating them. This is not die off, it’s full on yeast. WTF? There is still much to be open to learning.
Hi there. Can you tell me where you heard that? According to this article it’s only if there are wild cultures in the mix. https://bodyecology.com/articles/can-fermented-foods-help-to-eliminate-candida
you are correct
yea i can’t do fermented foods, at all. I am glad I found this article. Its a fad and hype. If someones body rejects something, that is the first all-tell all sign that you shouldn’t force it. I believe that I and people that have gastrointestinal issues have damage and should avoid these foods. Once the body is damaged, if damaged bad enough, it may never return. I am just very, very skeptical and don’t believe that eating and drinking fermented foods are beneficial. I believe that we are made up of microorganisms and good bacteria, but i don’t believe just downing a bunch of them is going to fix issues or make someone better. I just don’t buy it, from my personal experiences and from what else I read about others dealing with similar things online.
By far one of the most annoying things I have ever read. If it didn’t work the first two times why the hell would you try it again? You know what insanity is? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result… Why didn’t you just look up a vegan diet and something herbal? I don’t see how in six trials throughout like six years you could fail so hard and still not think to research something different. I’m sorry, but you’re quite stupid.
Sorry to have annoyed you, Jay. Actually, it does make sense and now I tolerate fermented foods quite well — if you continue to the next post you can see how things turned out. Thanks.
Stay classy, Adrienne. 😉 Some of us appreciate it.
The key is to start small: ½ cup of cultured vegetables or 2 oz. of your favorite probiotic liquid is a good place to start.
You may experience symptoms of “die off,” as the “bad guys” (candida, pathogenic bacteria and parasites) die and leave your body. These symptoms can include digestive pain like gas and bloating, headaches, flu-like symptoms and skin eruptions.
As your body gets used to fermented foods and drinks, you can start to add 1 additional serving at a time. For example, you may add another ½ cup cultured vegetables or 2 oz. of probiotic liquids with 2 or more meals per day.
Eventually, you can work up to having a serving of cultured vegetables and probiotic liquids at every meal or possibly, as a between-meal snack.
I am loving the way they are enhancing my health and have had no side effects. However it is estimated that 15% of the population may not be able to tolerate them for several possible reasons.
I am going to be working on it again. I am taking a fermented probiotic now and doing pretty well.
Sorry if I have posted on your blog before this , but I really can’t remember 🙁 But I have never seen this topic that I know of .I’m truly amazed that someone has had the same reactions to fermented foods as I have through my life. When I seen that your son had broken out with eczema at 6 months old I knew there had to be a connection some how . For I too broke out at 6 months old , with a sever case of eczema after my Mom took me off store bought formula & put me on Raw cows milk. ( parents were farmers ) She said , my little body was so raw & irritated she was afraid to hold me , due to it being so painful. Anyways long story short Dr. placed me on Goats milk , but my eczema never went away & back then Dr’s just gave her salve to calm it. At age 5 I started with asthma & hives – pollen & grass allergies . More pills potions & I never felt any better . BTW my Mom had eczema too as a child , but sort of grew of of it . Oh I also have numerous animal allergies .
Really trying make this short . Since I’ve been doing Lchf for a year & cutting out . Fruits , wheat , sugar then adding slowly different veg. All by myself – I figured out that Tree & grass pollens are associated with food allergies . Cruciferous & nightshades if not cooked or not can make me brake out more. Anything with vinegar too, Hives & itch so much I want to ripe my skin off. My stomach gets painful & bloated . Tomatoes sauce in any form makes me get stuffy – sneeze & cough . I did the same as you & took plant based organic -non Gmo Probiotics pills . Made me feel ill so I stopped . Yes my ears itch a lot , but I always assumed it was because of my allergies to foods . Which I was tested & have fructose & histamine intolerance . This is as far as my journey has taken me . Thought of going to a holistic Dr. but my insurance won’t cover most tests , unless it can be proved it’s of dire need . My Dr. just is writing it off as allergies can be controlled with diet & meds . But now that I have read what your going through it’s probably much deeper & my body maybe full of toxic substances. I’m a big mess with GERD & IBS . On the other hand -happy to have found some relief with Lchf , because I have lost weight & have more energy . That’s it don’t want to go into my whole life history WOW scary ! You’ve found a new reader & I can’t wait to hear more on your journey !! Best of luck to you & yours 🙂 Diana
Wow- you have been through a lot. It is a lot of work- I’m trying new things too – homeopathy now. My ears got quite bad and I am using this balm on them and it really helps. https://us.nyrorganic.com/shop/wholenewmom/area/shop-online/category/special-treatment/product/2362/wild-rose-beauty-balm-1-76oz/ (it’s quite pricey, but I only need a very small amount in my ears and I’ve had it since the end of Jan and there’s a whole lot left. I’ve tried all kinds of things but this is the best so far. Is your itching only down in the canal or does it go out farther than that?
I hope that the homeopathy is successful and that I can share that down the road.
Yep you are right. I went through this. It gets better. For people who are working, this could be a problem however. I am retired (RN nurse)
I am happy to come across this article. VERY helpful to my issues.
So glad!
The evidence showing benefit of fermented foods is becoming vast. All food traditions have fermented foods, as they were the rule for food preservation pre-canning and refrigeration. They have been in our diets for perhaps a hundred thousand years, since our genesis. Other animals also flock to fermented foods, as fermentation brings out odors that tell the natural world that dinner is served.
I’m not bearing a burden of proof here for the benefits associated with consuming fermented foods, however running a Google search for “fermented food research” will bring up a great and growing body of research supporting consumption of fermented foods. As per candida, I would question seriously anyone suggesting that you limit your intake of whole-food sources of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are also where “fiber” exists. If you take away carbohydrates, you are in effect eliminating fiber from your diet, as well as prebiotics (indigestible carbohydrates that feed our gut flora). The key to a healthy gut is a high fiber, nutrient-dense, plant-based diet, a moderate intake of fermented foods, exclusion of processed foods, and limited consumption of overtly fatty or protein heavy foods.
Who would have thought fermented sauerkraut could cause so much misery? I added fs to my diet about 2 months ago – 1/2c daily. Actually, I really liked it and in no time I was buying more. After 3 weeks of consuming fs, I got up one morning to find my face and neck broken out in red blotches. Visited my dermatologist, and he thought it was from my vitamin c serum, so gave me a steroid cream. Being the inquisitive type, I started my own research on the web, and after many hours of searching, I came across “histamine intolerance.” Well, it began to add up, fermented sauerkraut was the culprit, not my vitamin c serum! You really have to be careful with all foods high in histamine.
Ugh – so sorry that happened to you!!!
Are you on a low histamine diet how? I wonder why it took 3 weeks?
Thanks for creating this great blog.
A word of caution about die-off….it’s very individual:. some can eat kraut, some can’t, some can drink jucies, some can’t.. Die-off depends entirely on your personal toxic content. Note, among the toxins given off, is alcohol. Be sure you get your Kidneys and Liver an A.O.K. before drastic and prolonged probiotics. After all the previously mentioned symptoms and diagnoses…and even more…I am now end stage kidney failure and I queston…..I just question….
Oh my goodness. Thanks for the comment. Yes, any kind of toxin release can be hard on the body.
Sounds like die-off. Did you give it a few weeks?
yes – if you read the next post you can see- thanks!
Many of these posts sound so much of what I have experienced. I have been battling Candida for about 20 years. After having different doctors telling me they didn’t know why I was having recurring vaginal issues, along with dry skin, itchy scalp, hair falling out, brain fog, worriness, memory loss, grinding, palm eczema…to name a few, I decided to do my own homework. I came across Dr. Crook’s “Yeast Connection” and realized I was eating high levels of sugar. Over time, I read here and there and tried many things to change my diet. Saw some improvements but yeast not completely gone. I came across heavy metals as (lot of info of this on youtube/web) probably being the culprit. I had 10-11 mercury fillings in my teeth for about 25 years. Took only 5 on right side out 5 years ago but left the rest in there to do later. About 7 months ago, I was told I have fibroid size of a grapefruit in my uterus and few in my breasts. Starting seeing a holistic doctor who is detoxing my body. I have been eating sauerkraut 3 times a day for about 4 months but yeast came back though I ate more sugar than should have…..so my body is still not healthy. I have seen many improvements but I do feel I am very sensitive to fermented foods. Tried vinegar in water and made it worse!! I decided 2 weeks ago to rid my other mercury fillings.
I think metal toxicity is culprit for my continuing issues. I’m so excited they are out and waiting to see how my body improves. I feel my body is very sensitive to certain foods, especially fermented ones. I sent a hair analysis to be done through Trace Elements. Will update what lab reports say.
I hope things go well for you. I worked w/ those hair analyses for a long time but never felt it was getting my anywhere. I wish it had. I have mixed feelings about them. I don’t have any idea how they determine what the levels should be and how it really reflects what is going on in the body. Hope to hear that you have good news.
Herxheimer reaction.
That is what it sounds like to me and that takes a few weeks ( at least).
a holistic doc told me that colloidal silver takes away the flu Herxheimer reaction.. Now I find out!