Christmas market food staple could help lower your cholesterol

There is one Christmas market food, that is a favourite of holiday visitors, that could help lower your cholesterol this winter.

Traditionally, fermentation has been a method to preserve foods, enhance their shelf life, and enrich flavours. However, there are also many hidden health advantages of fermented foodstuffs.

The list of fermented foods includes items like pickled cabbage or sauerkraut, sourdough bread, and certain pickles -- specifically those that are lacto-fermented.

Sauerkraut is frequently seen atop festive dishes associated with Christmas market favourites such as the Bratwurst. If you've been to Birmingham Christmas market recently, you'll no doubt have noticed its popularity with those who love traditional German cuisine at this time of year.

According to Manal Mohammed, a Senior Lecturer in Medical Microbiology at the University of Westminster, fermented foods are teeming with beneficial microbes and useful metabolites. These are compounds created during the fermentation process by bacteria which are advantageous for a healthy gut. And they may grant a multitude of health benefits, facilitate weight loss, and lower some disease risks.

Manal informed The Conversation: "Food organisations and groups such as the Association of UK Dietitians now recommend eating fermented foods more often. Fermented foods contain potentially probiotic microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria. And, despite the short time these bacteria spend in the gut, they help with food digestion and boost our immune system. It has also been found to contribute to prevention and treatment of diseases such as allergies and eczema.", reports Gloucestershire Live.

"Probiotics in fermented foods have health-promoting properties such as lowering cholesterol; one study demonstrated that several lactic acid bacterial strains have properties to lower blood cholesterol."

"Over the centuries many people have eaten fermented food for convenience without realising their health benefits. Luckily many fermented foods are cheap and not complicated to make, giving us an easy way to improve our health and wellbeing."