Tag Archives: anti-inflammatory

Fermentation is the process by which one substance is broken down into simpler, more basic substances that are easier for the body to process making them more bioavailable. The catalyst for fermentation is normally lactic acid, yeast, bacteria, and/or enzymes. During this process B vitamins can be created and helps your body’s microbiome to produce also the Bs and as well, vitamin K. Fermented supplements are especially helpful for those who are suffering from digestive issues as they increase the good bacteria in your microbiome. This can help mood and support your overall health, as the nutrients in fermented foods are more easily available. Therefore, they may be more effective.

Soy is a great food/supplement to add to your diet. In addition to all the nutrients it contains, soy also contains anti-nutrients. These anti-nutrients prevent your body from absorbing essential minerals and trace elements and many times release unwanted agents that contribute to disease. Unfortunately, cooking will not destroy these anti-nutrients. Only the fermenting process will.     

When you ferment a food, you’re basically using beneficial microbial cultures to pre-digest it. Those cultures transform large, hard-to-digest molecules into small, easy-to-digest ones. Not only that, fermented soy also reduces its allergic qualities. (Soy is one of the most common food allergens.) According to two published research papers, tests in samples of human blood showed that when soy is fermented, its potential to produce an allergic reaction is reduced by as much as 99 percent. The most important benefit of fermenting though, is that the process is thought to convert certain phyto-nutrients, into their active anti-cancer forms, genistein and daidzein. Both genistein and daidzein are powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents that have been shown in voluminous laboratory studies to work in multiple ways against cancer. Soybeans contain numerous cancer-fighting compounds that work synergistically so it is necessary to keep the whole food intact rather than isolate the genistein and diadzein as stand-alone supplements.

Fermented soy also has an incredible anti-inflammatory ability. Since most disease is caused by inflammation in the body this is a needed food to keep the body healthy. A mountain of evidence shows that populations who eat fermented soy regularly (tempe, miso, fermented soy powder) have lower rates of breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and leukemia. Raw soybeans, tofu, soymilk are examples of unfermented soy products. These have an enzyme that prevents conversion of the soy into digestible form and therefore may not have the health-creating effect we see in fermented soy. The enzyme is disabled in the fermenting process thereby enabling the release of health-giving properties. When paired with anti-inflammatories such as curcumin, we have a super beneficial addition to our natural medicine cabinet.

Extracted from the book Prevent Cancer, Strokes, Heart Attacks and other Deadly Killers by Dr. Vijaya Nair. Go to www.foreveryoungcooperative.com to read about the Jiva Extra fermented soy powder with curcumin and medicinal mushrooms.