Eating a balanced diet of carbohydrates, fats and fibre is not enough to keep your gut in check, some researchers say. Fermented foods have been part of human diets for thousands of years, and are another critical ingredient in healthy diets.
Today, fermented foods are included in the U.S. government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans and are increasingly popular among Canadian consumers.
And yet, Canada’s food guide does not explicitly mention fermented foods.
Some experts are now advocating for this to change.
“Other countries … are perhaps a little bit further ahead of us in terms of promoting fermented foods,” said Raylene Reimer, a professor at the University of Calgary who is the co-founder of a new national fermented foods initiative.
“We do really good with fermented dairy in Canada. I think we have a ways to go with more diversity in fermented vegetables and fermented grains,” she added.
Fermentation
Fermentation is the process where bacteria or yeast break down a food’s sugars and starches. Fermentation not only increases a food’s shelf life, but also enhances its taste, texture and nutritional value.
Some of the most familiar examples of fermented food include yogurt and cheese. But beverages and vegetables can also be fermented to create products such as kombucha and sauerkraut.
The fermented foods industry in Canada has been “growing crazily,” said Tony Savard, director of research, development and technology at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, a federal department.
When Savard started working at the department over 25 years ago, there were no starters for fermenting vegetables, just ones for dairy products, he says.
Today, there are vegetable starter cultures produced for both commercial and household use.
Savard says that, when prepared correctly, “fermented foods are by nature safe, maybe the safest food in the world.”
Fermented foods are also increasingly recognized as being good for humans, as fermentation changes the structure of foods in ways that make them easier to digest.
For example, fermented dairy products, such as cheese, are generally well-tolerated by those with lactose intolerance because the bacteria breaks down the lactose during the fermentation process.
Recent studies have also shown consuming fermented foods may enhance the gut-brain connection — where the bacteria in the digestive tract release neurotransmitters that enhance mood.
They may also support immune function in ways dietary fibre cannot. A 2021 study from Stanford University found that daily consumption of fermented foods over a period of 10 weeks reduced inflammation and increased gut microbiome diversity compared to those who consumed dietary fibre. Those changes may be beneficial for fighting infections.
Consuming fermented foods can also help regulate immune dysfunction, which can lead to autoimmune disorders, allergies and skin conditions, potentially due to the diverse microbiome that fermented foods may cultivate within the gut.
‘Draw attention’
While this body of research shows potential, larger studies are now needed to prove their benefits.
That is where the Canadian Fermented Foods Initiative comes in.
Launched in late 2025, the initiative exists to conduct research into the benefits of fermented foods, create clinical guidance and educational tools for health professionals, and advocate for the inclusion of fermented foods in Canada’s food guide, a set of dietary recommendations that Ottawa has been publishing since 1942.
“We want to draw attention to fermented foods and hopefully inspire more research to be done to really investigate: Do fermented foods have an effect on preventing chronic disease?” said Reimer, a co-founder of the initiative, which is funded by the Weston Family Foundation.
“There are pockets of research with specific fermented foods and specific chronic diseases, but what we need — if this were ever to have a more prominent feature in Canada’s food guide — we need way more studies than that,” she added.
Reimer says there need to be studies on different types of fermented foods for various health conditions and diseases. But it is also crucial to examine how fermented foods support healthy populations, because “Canada’s food guide is for all Canadians.”
“So many Canadians are struggling with their gut health, and we know that if the gut and gut microbiota are not healthy, you likely are experiencing some other health challenges, be that a chronic disease or just digestive symptoms that don’t make you feel optimal,” she said.
Findings from a Canadian Fermented Foods Initiative survey on fermented food consumption found that Canadian consumers who were better educated and wealthier ate more fermented foods — an unexplained statistic because fermented foods are not necessarily expensive, says Jeremy Burton, the initiative’s other co-founder and an associate professor at Western University.
Burton says that getting fermented foods mentioned in Canada’s food guide is no simple matter.
Currently, 35 countries directly mention fermented foods in their guidelines. But none provide recommendations on how much fermented food to consume to maximize health benefits.
Health Canada, meanwhile, is not yet convinced of fermented foods’ health benefits.
Health Canada conducts an evidence review cycle for its dietary guidance approximately every five years, says André Gagnon, a spokesperson for Health Canada. These reviews are meant to “provide updates on the evidence underpinning Canada’s food guide.”
Health Canada’s review process has not identified any convincing evidence related to fermented foods and health, Gagnon says.
Gagnon also notes that, “While the food guide doesn’t have a specific recommendation to consume fermented foods, some foods that are fermented are promoted as healthy options, such as lower fat yogurts and kefir.”
Reimer acknowledges the need for more evidence.
“Canada’s food guide is for all Canadians, so they want to make sure that any recommendations they put into Canada’s food guide would have very solid evidence,” she said.
Burton notes that some of Health Canada’s priorities centre on minimizing the consumption of ultra-processed foods. He says that one way to encourage Health Canada to add fermented foods to the guide is by recommending it as an alternative to ultra-processed foods.
But Burton also agrees that more research is needed to demonstrate how fermented foods impact the gut microbiome and disease-specific factors.
Large human clinical trials will be critical for solidifying these research findings.
“Ultimately, we want to, you know, get people eating more fermented foods and we want to show the benefit of eating fermented food,” he said.
