by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN
Are you looking for a secret solution to supercharge your workouts? Look no further than your refrigerator! Fermented foods, once considered niche health products, are now emerging as powerful pre-workout fuel. But what makes these tangy treats so special?
Fermented favorites like kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir aren’t just tasty — they’re packed with performance-boosting potential. These foods are packed with probiotics, the good bacteria that can boost your gut health. But their benefits go far beyond digestion.
In this article, we will dive deeper and learn more about fermented foods and their benefits — especially as they relate to pre-workout fuel.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, changing your daily nutrition, or adding any supplements to your regimen.
What are Fermented Foods?
Whether you are aware of it or not, fermentation is a process that is used to make some of the world’s most popular beverages and foods. It is an anaerobic process where microorganisms break down food components, such as sugars, into other products like alcohol and lactic acid.
In ancient times, fermentation was used to extend the shelf-life of items such as dairy and vegetables and change their flavor. This provided people the option of extending the freshness of vegetables, grains, and milk that were available to them during different seasons, and before, there were refrigerators that kept spoilage away.
Can Fermented Foods Be a Good Source of Pre-Workout Fuel?
Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir are excellent pre-workout options because they boost the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. These probiotics enhance nutrient absorption, improve metabolism, and strengthen the immune system, all of which are essential during exercise.
Additionally, fermented foods produce lactic acid, which has a positive role in workouts. While lactic acid often gets a bad reputation, it actually serves as an important energy source for your muscles during physical activity, helping improve endurance and performance.
Including fermented foods in your routine can support both your gut health and workout results.
4 Benefits of Fermented Foods
Besides being a pre-workout fuel, here are some other benefits of fermented foods.
1. Gut health
Research shows that eating fermented foods can significantly improve your gut health. These foods boost the growth of helpful bacteria in your digestive system.
Kefir, a drink made from fermented milk, helps increase the number of good bacteria like Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Bifidobacteria in your gut. Even short-term yogurt consumption, lasting about six weeks, can raise the levels of Lactobacilli in your intestines.
Tempeh, a food made from fermented soybeans, may increase Akkermansia muciniphila bacteria and boost immunoglobulin A. This molecule plays a key role in your gut’s immune defenses.
Surprisingly, chocolate can also support your gut health. It provides short-chain fatty acids and special fibers that feed the good bacteria in your digestive system.
2. Athletic performance
Probiotics from fermented foods can boost athletic performance in several ways. They improve recovery, reduce fatigue, and strengthen the immune system. This allows athletes to maintain consistent training schedules without interruptions from issues like respiratory infections or digestive issues.
Studies support these benefits. Endurance swimmers and rugby players who consumed probiotic-rich foods experienced fewer upper respiratory illnesses. Swimmers showed improved performance, likely due to better health and increased peak oxygen uptake (VO2 max).
A 2014 study on runners revealed striking results after just four weeks of probiotic use. Participants improved their running endurance, had less inflammation, and reported fewer digestive problems compared to those taking a placebo.
3. Mental health
The gut and brain are linked through the gut-brain axis. Your gut bacteria can affect your mental health in surprising ways. Scientists have been looking at how probiotics might help reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.
These microbes can change how your body makes neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that affect your mood. They also influence how you respond to stress and improve communication between your gut and brain.
4. Improves exercise tolerance
Research sheds light on the stress the body goes through during physical activity, which shows that probiotics can play a significant role in helping the body adjust to exercise.
Athletic activities often take place in hot conditions, or heat is generated through intense movement. Training in the heat can lead to quicker fatigue, which can lower performance compared to working out in cooler environments.
It’s also known that intense exercise can disrupt normal gastrointestinal (GI) function, and heat can make this worse. This combination puts extra strain on the immune system.
Over time, this stress may weaken the GI tract’s walls, leading to a condition known as ‘leaky gut,’ where harmful bacteria can pass from the GI tract into the bloodstream.
Studies show that probiotics help athletes perform better in the heat by reducing fatigue. More importantly, athletes who consistently take probiotics experience less GI permeability. These benefits can be seen both immediately (improved gut barrier function) and over time (better recovery, reduced illness risk, and enhanced gut-brain health).
