Pickles are made from fermenting fruits and vegetables naturally in a salt brine, vinegar and with seasonings like garlic, onion and sugar. The bacteria on the vegetables’ surface converts into lactic acid, preserves them, kills off bad bacteria and gives the pickles their sour taste.
Pickled foods are so beneficial to overall health that some of these ‘functional foods' are considered to be probiotics. They are beneficial in increasing your overall nutrition, promoting the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria, and aiding digestion and supporting immune function, including an increase in B vitamins (even Vitamin B12), omega-3 fatty acids, digestive enzymes, lactase and lactic acid, and other immune chemicals that fight off harmful bacteria.
Pickled foods can also help boost immunity and suppress inflammatory responses linked to allergies, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Some of the best examples of pickles are umeboshi, sauerkraut and olives.
Umeboshi
Nature’s Glory Umeboshi are pickled ume plums that are carefully harvested, then pickled with sea salt for one month, and then sun-dried for days and nights during summer.
Umeboshi (Japanese Plum) has a powerful acidity that provides a paradoxical alkalinizing effect on the body, neutralizing fatigue, stimulating the digestion, and promoting the elimination of toxins.
Umeboshi can help to:
- Break down lactic acid and normalize blood pH
- Strengthen the digestive system
- Relieve colic, flatulence, diarrhea, food poisoning and constipation
- Neutralises toxins in the liver
- Increase body’s natural healing effects
- Boosts immunity
Nature’s Glory Umeboshi are pickled ume plums that are carefully harvested, then pickled with sea salt for one month, and then sun-dried for days and nights during summer.
Shiso Leaf
A member of the mint family, Red Fresh Shiso Leaves have been used as herbal medicines traditionally in the East to help with a variety of diseases. They contain calcium, iron, vitamin A and inorganic compounds. Shiso leaves bear anti-inflammatory properties to strengthen your immunity and improve your skin.
Eat them with rice, meat and other dishes or just on their own.
