Sacred Cows: Can fermented foods make you sick?

Posted Fri, 04/09/2010 - 10:42 by Melissa

Kombucha. It's a magical fermented health drink that cures everything because it was developed by wise ancient Chinese monks or something. It's fairly tasty once you get used to it, perhaps even delicious and refreshing. It doesn't have much sugar either.

Recently I had been drinking it habitually after finding out the 711 right around the corner carried my favorite flavors. Since I can't have beer anymore (*cries*) except the gluten free kind that tastes awful and a tablespoon of wine makes me blind drunk, Kombucha became my flavorful and refreshing drink of choice.

The problem was that around that same time I started feeling kind of sick in the afternoon. I just couldn't believe my beloved kombucha was the problem, so I initially blamed seasonal allergies.

At some point I looked at my spending habits and figured I shouldn't buy a $4 bottle of kombucha every day. I planned on buying a kombucha starter kit eventually. Miraculously, not only did my pocketbook get heavier, but the afternoon sickness went away.

Lots of people ascribe fairly magical powers to fermented foods and many sick people down barrels of sauerkraut and kefir believing they will provide them health. But we have to remember that people with food sensitivities also often have cross reactions to pretty much EVERYTHING. Yeast is a fairly common sensitivities for those sensitive to gluten, but fermented foods also contain other potentially irritating ingredients like amines and histamine. In the end, while paleolithic people would have probably consumed lots of bacteria and yeasts, modern fermented foods have them in very high amounts. 

So if you are having a problem, don't blame it on "detox." Take a good look at your diet, even at foods you think are healthy. Fermented foods can help heal, but they can also cause reactions.

Comments

I'm sure more of us have

by Erin (not verified) - 04/10/2010 - 00:16

I'm sure more of us have leaky gut than we realize and yeast certainly is a big sensitivity-causing food.
I (luckily) have no sensitivity to it (unlike cow's dairy and raw eggs) so I am able to drink kombucha with no issues. In fact, if I feel run down, I've consistently noticed that the plain GT's makes me feel better within an hour. It also makes a noticeable difference in my digestion.
I can see how it would be verboten for a lot of people, though.

I can not remember where, but

by Anonymous (not verified) - 04/09/2010 - 20:38

I can not remember where, but I read that kombucha, etc should be consumed in very small quantities at first. I made my own and never got past the first day or two at about 1 ounce! I love kraut though. I've read that kraut and other fermented veg should be eaten frequently but in "condiment" sized portions.

Have similar problems with

by Mark (not verified) - 04/09/2010 - 17:04

Have similar problems with other fermented foods (kefir, yogurt) and other foods that seem to be high in amines (hard cheeses). Being polish, recently I bought a ton of sausages for Easter (the small polish place I sourced it from had a "no preservative" sign up, so I thought it would be safe bet), and had similar reactions to when I react to, say, kefir. Apart from nausea, which you seem to be having too, I also get headaches, sleepiness, feel unmotivated and depression, retain water, and also get constantly insatiably hungry. (I heard MSG provokes disregulation of appetite, so I'm guessing free glutamate in general, and maybe other amines, provoke similiar reactions.)
My hypothesis--not a terribly original one--is that it's all linked to the high in whole grain, low-fat diet I'd had followed in years prior to my now 6-month-old switch to roughly paleo eating; I don't remember ever being as sensitive to sausages and cheese as I am now.

there was recently an article

by emily (not verified) - 04/09/2010 - 12:52

there was recently an article in the nyt which quoted dr weil as saying homemade kombucha is dangerous because of uncontrolled molds or some such thing. i havent ever made it myself, i just buy gts and enjoy it occaisionally. i hear your point about the histamines and amines but LOTS of foods, many of those considered "paleo" foods contain naturally occuring amines too.

I've been a little nervous

by sr (not verified) - 04/09/2010 - 12:31

I've been a little nervous about Kombucha since reading this:

" Transferring post-mitotic yeast to water containing physiologically relevant concentrations of acetic acid, but not other acids, suppresses this lifespan extension, indicating that acetic acid is both necessary and sufficient to cause chronological ageing"

from http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v464/n7288/full/nature08981.html

Kombucha is loaded with acetic acid.

Not to say that it's necessarily bad for you (humans aren't yeast), but it's worrying.

The evidence for kombucha, pro or con, is weak.