Today I am talking about fermented & predigested options and healthy food strategies with Sarica Cernohous. She is a Traditional Chinese Medical Doctor, Wellness Strategist and best selling author of The Funky Kitchen, and its accompanying online course, “Fresh, Fun and Flavorful in The Funky Kitchen.”
Sarica guides people toward developing an enhanced and individualized understanding of how to eat in harmony with their constitution (body/mind/spiritual makeup) and to stay well or get well from disease and stress.
Sarica and Dr. Berkson engage in a lively discussion on what is fermented food, what is “authentic” or “fake” fermented food. How today’s wine and beer are different than hundreds of years ago. What fermentation does to proteins, carbs and food structure and why this makes a huge difference in health and allergenic load.
They discuss how not eating in-between meals is a huge healing habit, yet most Americans “nosh” themselves into excess calories, obesity, disease and dementia.
Sarica and Dr. B go into depth about candida organisms. We discuss the different states when candida is in harmony with us versus at war with us. We discuss eating to “humanize” ourselves, rather than promote dehumanizing ourselves.
The American cultural is addicted to excess. If a little is good, then more is better. This addiction to excess even applies to smoothies. We discuss why more food simplicity is critical for us all, adults and young kids alike.
Turns out that eating food is part of good food hygiene. Not eating food for long enough is also part of it. We usually don’t look at food from this critical perspective.
Sarica and Dr. B. debate bone broth, which is quickly growing in use, it is nearly neck-and-neck with coffee as an American beverage. Yet, bone broth has both light and shadow sides. You’ll learn about these.
Berkson shares her in-depth Kimchi whore house experience, and if you don’t laugh till your cry, you must already be on to your next incarnation. If you write Dr. Berkson, you can get this famous, healthy and tasty recipe ([email protected]).
You’ll also learn:
- How to use a Snapple bottle top to help promote healthier circulation and promote body/mind integration through upping “Gua sha” — and why should you care.
- What is “predigestion” and how do traditional fermented foods play a role in chronic disease.
- Why fermented food is a healthy choice.
- How to take baby steps if you are just beginning to clean up your diet and consume fermented foods.
- What are the “real” and “non-real” sour doughs.
- What should labels say to tell you what’s good for your gut or if the food is truly fermented.
- Which fermented foods,like sauerkraut should you never eat, and where do they “live” in grocery store.
- And why isn’t this information widely discussed if it’s so important?
You will be pretty stunned to learn that almost everybody has some degree of “leaky gut” after most meals, but the issue is the degree. This natural phenomena, that drives nourishment into our blood stream so the gut wall has to open up to a certain degree, is scientifically called “post-prandial bacterial translocation” and sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. Fermented foods can reduce the “bad” version.
PS: Gua Sha means “scraping till you create bruising” and is a traditional Chinese medical treatment in which the skin is scraped to create light bruising which stimulates blood flow and healing. Best news, you can do this on yourself or your loved ones. The benefits, according to Sarica, are pretty instantaneous.
Show Resources and Links
Sarica Cernohous shares recipes and health articles on her website, NaturallyLivingToday.com
Related Episodes and Blog Posts:
Episode 22: The 8 Benefits of fermented Foods, and How to Eat Them in a delicious Way