Mark's Daily Apple Blog Dear Mark: How Do Fermented Food and Meat Interact?

For this week's Dear Mark, I'm answering a question from a reader about a topic I thought I'd covered (so did they) already. A quick look through the archives (hey, I can't remember absolutely everything I ever wrote) showed that I had not, so here we go. It's all about whether fermented foods-sauerkrauts, kimchis, pickles, yogurts, and any other food that has been acted upon by probiotic bacteria-make eating meat healthier and more enjoyable. From the start, I suspected that they do, but I had to confirm it in the scientific literature. Let's find out: Hi Mark, I'm trying to find an article on why you should eat ferments with meat, (how it breaks down the fats) our mutual friend Hilary, AKA #thelunchlady ? and I are working on getting some of the high end butcher's around LA to understand this, so they can help educate their customers. I was hoping to find info on your site, but now hoping you might write one for us As for the effect you mention-fermented food breaking down the fat in meat-I'm unaware of any evidence. I am aware of a beneficial effect of fermented food on carbohydrate metabolism though. See, lactofermentation produces acetic acid as a byproduct. Acetic acid provides the "sour" flavor, the acidity of a batch of sauerkraut or pickles. It's also what makes vinegar so sour, and there's a long line of evidence showing that vinegar improves glucose tolerance and reduces the blood glucose load of high carb meals. A 2017 review of the evidence found that vinegar was significantly effective at reducing both postprandial blood sugar and insulin levels. It works in type 2 diabetics who eat vinegar with their high-carb meals, lowering the blood glucose response. Research shows that acetic acid, rather than some other component in the vinegar, is the active component responsible for the effect on blood sugar. Anything with acetic acid should work, like food ferments. That's carbohydrate, and it's good info, but you didn't ask about carbs. You asked about meat. So, is fermented food pointless when eating meat? Not at all. There are many examples of traditional cultures and cuisines making it a point to serve fermented foods with meats: Koreans, kimchi, BBQ. Germans, sauerkraut, sausage. Japanese, pickles/natto/miso, meat/fish. Indians, yogurt/pickles/chutneys, meat curry/tandoori chicken. Italians, cheese, salami (itself a fermented meat). They may not have "known" about the biochemistry. They weren't citing PubMed studies. But over the many hundreds of years, these pairings emerged as combinations that just worked and made people feel good and the food go down more easily. What could be going on here? One thing I've stressed over the years is the importance of consuming foods high in polyphenols, not only for their isolated health benefits but for their ameliorative effects on the potential carcinogenicity of meats-particularly high-heat cooked meats (barbecue, grilling, searing). If you eat foods high in polyphenols, like blueberries or leafy greens, with your meat, that meal becomes healthier. It reduces the formation of carcinogenic ... Continue reading "Dear Mark: How Do Fermented Food and Meat Interact?"The post Dear Mark: How Do Fermented Food and Meat Interact? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.