More people are focusing on gut health. Here’s why they’re adding fermented foods to their diet
They’re tangy, funky, and sometimes spicy. These fermented foods can be good for our gut health. For millennia, cultures around the world have used the microbial power of fermentation to preserve and enhance their food, even before they knew exactly what was going on in here. It actually started off as making our food more portable, but actually what we do find is it helps with our digestion through decreased inflammation, decreases oxidative stress. We are still learning how fermented foods are good for our gut microbiome, lower inflammation, and improve other aspects of our health. But let’s break down the basics. Fermentation essentially does two things. It lets bacteria or fungi pre-digest our food for us, and it also gives us helpful live microbes for our gut, which crowd out harmful bacteria and improve our digestive health. But these foods are not all made equal. Experts say to look for. Whole fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and plain yogurt, and avoid ultra processed probiotic sodas and chocolates. The best yogurt you can have is just plain fermented milk with culture. Let it do its business. Don’t add any sugar to it. Don’t add any chemicals to it. So if you’re new to adding fermented foods to your diet, start slow, listen to your body and get *** variety. Your gut will thank you.
Updated: 10:03 AM CDT Jul 11, 2026
Editorial Standards ⓘ
More people are focusing on gut health. Here’s why they’re adding fermented foods to their diet
Updated: 10:03 AM CDT Jul 11, 2026
Editorial Standards ⓘ
More people are focusing on their gut health, as “fibermaxxing” goes mainstream, colorectal cancer rises among young adults and personalized gut microbiome treatments become increasingly popular.Now, a generation- and culture-spanning way of preserving food is in the spotlight: fermentation. The federal government’s latest dietary guidelines specifically encourage Americans to eat more fermented food.The foods have been further popularized by followers of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement. And while other diet fads championed by MAHA have been questioned by health experts — like unproven claims about raw milk and seed oils — there is some science behind the benefits of eating fermented foods.Fermented foods go back thousands of years in human history, to the days when we needed to keep food from spoiling but did not have refrigerators. Many cultures have traditional fermented foods: yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, South Indian idli and dosa.Dietitians and doctors say they are a great addition to almost anyone’s diet, but they warn against new, mass-produced products.Here is what to know.Not all fermented foods are made equalFermentation is a process by which naturally occurring microbes, including bacteria and yeast, break down and preserve food.The foods are a hot research topic, though many of their health benefits are already clear, experts say.“We’ve been doing this for ages, and we just found out more recently that it’s actually helped our gut health,” said Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, a gastroenterologist with New York University Langone Health.Still, it does not automatically mean something is healthy if it’s fermented.“Beer and wine are fermented foods, but they’re not necessarily probiotics,” she said. “If anything, they influence our own microbiome in more of a negative way.”Barbara Olendzki, director of the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School’s Center for Applied Nutrition, said she recommends people focus on “whole fermented foods” like fermented beets or green beans in addition to foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and tempeh.Fermented foods feed the gut in two main waysThe microbes in fermented foods help predigest them, breaking them down and changing the compounds available in them. The bacteria themselves also help keep the gut in balance by competing with other bacteria — some of them less beneficial — already in your intestines.“What is it that makes the fermented foods so healthy? The answer is we’re still working on it,” said Dalia Perelman, a Stanford University research dietitian.Some fermented foods, like yogurt, give you the live probiotics while you are eating them. Others, like sourdough bread, give you few, if any, because they’ve been baked or otherwise processed in ways that kill the microbes. But there is evidence that some fermented foods are beneficial even without the live microbes, Perelman said.Beware of marketing hypeExperts warn against sodas, chocolate or other processed foods that market themselves as probiotic. Even probiotic supplements are essentially trying to replicate the combinations of beneficial bacteria that naturally grow in many fermented foods, Perelman said.“Consumers are getting excited about it and trying to choose products that are fermented and with the idea that it’s very ‘gut healthy,’ which is not a clinical definition,” she said. “And then the marketing is running with this trend.”Avoid sugary items, too, Ganjhu said. Extra sugar feeds negative bacteria as opposed to the positive bacteria in fermented foods, she said.And look for items that say “live cultures,” not just that they are probiotic.“The best yogurt you can have is just plain, fermented milk with culture,” she said. “Let it do its business.”Can fermented foods be risky?While the category of fermented foods is broad, experts say they are generally safe for most people. And not just for health reasons — they also add interesting and diverse flavors to your plate.Perelman said people who have weakened immune systems and those with irritable bowel disease may want to talk to their doctors before incorporating the foods into their diet. Some people could experience different reactions depending on which type of fermented food they are eating.Olendzki said some people might experience bloating, gas and other discomfort when introducing more fermented foods, especially as their gut adjusts.“If you feel good, keep drinking it. You don’t feel good? Stop,” Ganjhu said. She noted that the same foods affect people differently.Eat a diverse mix of fermented foods consistentlySo which fermented food is the best? You will be hard-pressed to find a scientifically backed ranking that puts sauerkraut over kimchi, or tells you to eat a bowl of yogurt and call it a day.The best way to eat fermented foods is to eat lots of different kinds, and to make them a regular part of your diet, experts say.Ganjhu recommended thinking about the foods in categories, like milk-based yogurt and kefir, and fiber-based ones such as kimchi and sauerkraut.Researchers are also still exploring whether it matters how much fermented food people eat. Just like so many things with diet, the answer is likely very different from person to person, experts said.“We can hedge our bets and just get a variety,” Perelman said. She suggested aiming for two servings a day.And the foods should be one part of a well-rounded diet, so the good bacteria you are introducing to your gut have things they like to eat, like fibrous prebiotics. They feed the probiotics, which are the live bacteria themselves.“Just go slow and drink a lot of water. It also matters what the rest of the diet looks like,” Olendzki said. “It’s not just one thing.”
More people are focusing on their gut health, as “fibermaxxing” goes mainstream, colorectal cancer rises among young adults and personalized gut microbiome treatments become increasingly popular
Now, a generation- and culture-spanning way of preserving food is in the spotlight: fermentation. The federal government’s latest dietary guidelines specifically encourage Americans to eat more fermented food
The foods have been further popularized by followers of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement. And while other diet fads championed by MAHA have been questioned by health experts — like unproven claims about raw milk and seed oils — there is some science behind the benefits of eating fermented foods
Fermented foods go back thousands of years in human history, to the days when we needed to keep food from spoiling but did not have refrigerators. Many cultures have traditional fermented foods: yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, South Indian idli and dosa
Dietitians and doctors say they are a great addition to almost anyone’s diet, but they warn against new, mass-produced products
Here is what to know
Not all fermented foods are made equal
Fermentation is a process by which naturally occurring microbes, including bacteria and yeast, break down and preserve food
The foods are a hot research topic, though many of their health benefits are already clear, experts say
“We’ve been doing this for ages, and we just found out more recently that it’s actually helped our gut health,” said Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, a gastroenterologist with New York University Langone Health
Still, it does not automatically mean something is healthy if it’s fermented
“Beer and wine are fermented foods, but they’re not necessarily probiotics,” she said. “If anything, they influence our own microbiome in more of a negative way.”
Barbara Olendzki, director of the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School’s Center for Applied Nutrition, said she recommends people focus on “whole fermented foods” like fermented beets or green beans in addition to foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and tempeh
Fermented foods feed the gut in two main ways
The microbes in fermented foods help predigest them, breaking them down and changing the compounds available in them. The bacteria themselves also help keep the gut in balance by competing with other bacteria — some of them less beneficial — already in your intestines
“What is it that makes the fermented foods so healthy? The answer is we’re still working on it,” said Dalia Perelman, a Stanford University research dietitian
Some fermented foods, like yogurt, give you the live probiotics while you are eating them. Others, like sourdough bread, give you few, if any, because they’ve been baked or otherwise processed in ways that kill the microbes. But there is evidence that some fermented foods are beneficial even without the live microbes, Perelman said
Beware of marketing hype
Experts warn against sodas, chocolate or other processed foods that market themselves as probiotic. Even probiotic supplements are essentially trying to replicate the combinations of beneficial bacteria that naturally grow in many fermented foods, Perelman said
“Consumers are getting excited about it and trying to choose products that are fermented and with the idea that it’s very ‘gut healthy,’ which is not a clinical definition,” she said. “And then the marketing is running with this trend.”
Avoid sugary items, too, Ganjhu said. Extra sugar feeds negative bacteria as opposed to the positive bacteria in fermented foods, she said
And look for items that say “live cultures,” not just that they are probiotic
“The best yogurt you can have is just plain, fermented milk with culture,” she said. “Let it do its business.”
Can fermented foods be risky?
While the category of fermented foods is broad, experts say they are generally safe for most people. And not just for health reasons — they also add interesting and diverse flavors to your plate
Perelman said people who have weakened immune systems and those with irritable bowel disease may want to talk to their doctors before incorporating the foods into their diet. Some people could experience different reactions depending on which type of fermented food they are eating
Olendzki said some people might experience bloating, gas and other discomfort when introducing more fermented foods, especially as their gut adjusts
“If you feel good, keep drinking it. You don’t feel good? Stop,” Ganjhu said. She noted that the same foods affect people differently
Eat a diverse mix of fermented foods consistently
So which fermented food is the best? You will be hard-pressed to find a scientifically backed ranking that puts sauerkraut over kimchi, or tells you to eat a bowl of yogurt and call it a day
The best way to eat fermented foods is to eat lots of different kinds, and to make them a regular part of your diet, experts say
Ganjhu recommended thinking about the foods in categories, like milk-based yogurt and kefir, and fiber-based ones such as kimchi and sauerkraut
Researchers are also still exploring whether it matters how much fermented food people eat. Just like so many things with diet, the answer is likely very different from person to person, experts said
“We can hedge our bets and just get a variety,” Perelman said. She suggested aiming for two servings a day
And the foods should be one part of a well-rounded diet, so the good bacteria you are introducing to your gut have things they like to eat, like fibrous prebiotics. They feed the probiotics, which are the live bacteria themselves
“Just go slow and drink a lot of water. It also matters what the rest of the diet looks like,” Olendzki said. “It’s not just one thing.”
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