Fermented Foods
Live Microbes, Real Nutrition

12 fermented foods compared — what strains are inside, what they deliver per 100g, and what to watch on sodium and sugar.

12 Foods · 30+ Strains

Probiotic CFU Ranges

Sodium & Sugar Watch

Sortable Table

What Counts as "Fermented"

Foods transformed by living microbes (bacteria, yeast, mould) into something more nutrient-bioavailable, easier-to-digest, or shelf-stable. Not all fermented foods contain live probiotics — sourdough bread, beer, soy sauce are fermented but cooked/filtered so no live cultures remain. The table flags which are live-culture.

	Food	Cal/100g	Protein	Sodium	Key Cultures	Caution
	🥛 Greek Yogurt (plain) Live cultures	100	10g	36mg	L. bulgaricus · S. thermophilus	Generally safe
Strained yogurt — higher protein, lower lactose. ~10⁸ CFU/g live culture in fresh product. Look for "live and active cultures" label. Often the easiest fermented food for kids and dairy-tolerant adults. High proteinLow lactoseCa 110mg/100g
	🥛 Kefir Yogurt's wilder cousin	60	3.3g	49mg	10-30 LAB strains + Saccharomyces yeast	⚠ Histamine-sensitive
Far more strain-diverse than yogurt (kefir grains contain both bacteria AND yeasts). Often well-tolerated by lactose-intolerant people because microbes consume most lactose. Water kefir is dairy-free. Most diverseBacteria + yeastLow lactose
	🥬 Kimchi Korean napa cabbage	23	1g	670mg	L. plantarum · Leuconostoc · Weissella	⚠ High sodium
Live cultures only in raw / refrigerated jars (heat-pasteurised varieties are not probiotic). Add to bowls after cooking. Cohort studies in Korea associate daily kimchi with diverse gut microbiome. L. plantarum dominantDon't cook itWatch sodium
	🥬 Sauerkraut German cabbage	19	0.9g	660mg	L. mesenteroides · L. plantarum · Pediococcus	⚠ High sodium
Same caveat: shelf-stable jars are pasteurised (dead microbes). Buy refrigerated, raw, unpasteurised. High in vitamin C (sailors used it against scurvy). 2 tbsp side serving is the practical dose. Refrigerated onlyVit C heritage
	🍾 Kombucha Fermented sweet tea	30	0g	10mg	SCOBY (Acetobacter · yeast · LAB)	⚠ Sugar 2-12g; trace alcohol
SCOBY = Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast. Brewed from sweet tea — residual sugar varies wildly (2–12g/240mL). Always < 0.5% alcohol commercially. Home-brewed batches can exceed this. Pregnant people: skip home-brewed. SCOBYSugar varies wildlyTrace alcohol
	🟫 Miso (1 tbsp) Fermented soybean paste	56	3g	643mg/tbsp	Aspergillus oryzae (koji) + LAB	⚠ Very high sodium
Foundation of Japanese cuisine. Add to soup OFF the heat (boiling kills live cultures). White (shiro) miso is mildest, red (aka) most umami. 1 tbsp = a serving — don't scale up unthinkingly because of sodium. KojiOff-heat add
	🟫 Tempeh Whole-soybean cake	192	18g	9mg	Rhizopus oligosporus (mould)	Generally safe
Whole-soybean — keeps fiber, isoflavones intact. Complete protein. Mould fermentation increases B-vitamin content (some sources of B12, though debated). Almost always cooked, which kills live cultures but preserves nutritional benefits. Complete proteinWhole soybean
	🟡 Natto Japanese sticky soybean	212	18g	7mg	Bacillus subtilis var. natto	⚠ Warfarin (high Vit K2)
Highest known dietary source of vitamin K2 (MK-7 ≈ 1100 mcg/100g). K2 routes calcium to bone & teeth, away from arteries. Acquired taste (pungent, sticky). Anti-warfarin interaction is real and substantial. K2 MK-7 highest knownWarfarin watch
	🧀 Cottage Cheese Cultured curds	98	11g	364mg	LAB (varies by brand)	Generally safe
High protein (mostly casein — slow-digesting). Some brands add live cultures post-cooking; check label. Excellent bodybuilding food. Casein-dominantCheck live label
	🥛 Cultured Buttermilk Fermented skim milk	38	3.4g	105mg	L. casei · L. acidophilus	Generally safe
Modern cultured buttermilk is fermented skim milk, not actual buttermilk. Common in South Asian (chaas) and Southern US cooking. Lactose mostly consumed by bacteria. Low fatChaas / buttermilk
	🍞 Sourdough Bread Slow-fermented	230	8g	460mg	Wild yeast + LAB (then baked)	⚠ No live cultures after baking
Live cultures die in the oven, but the long fermentation breaks down phytic acid (mineral absorption ↑) and some gluten (better tolerated by non-coeliac gluten-sensitive people). Lower glycemic response than commercial bread. No live culturesLower glycemicMineral availability ↑
	🍎 Apple Cider Vinegar (raw) w/ "mother"	22	0.1g	5mg	Acetobacter (mother culture)	⚠ Tooth enamel · GERD
"Raw, unfiltered, with the mother" = visible cloudy strands of Acetobacter. Limited evidence: 1–2 tbsp before meals may modestly blunt post-meal glucose spikes. Always dilute (1 tbsp in 250 mL water) — undiluted erodes tooth enamel and oesophagus. Always diluteModest BG effect

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"Live and Active" Matters

The biggest separator between brands isn't fancy strain names — it's whether the product was pasteurised after fermentation. Pasteurised jars on the shelf at room temperature contain no live microbes. Buy refrigerated, raw, unpasteurised when you want the probiotic effect.

Salt & Histamine — Two Real Watch-Outs

Kimchi, sauerkraut, miso and natto are very high in sodium per serving — keep the rest of the day's sodium budget in mind (UC14 has age-by-sex ranges). Histamine-sensitive people may react to all fermented foods because microbes produce histamine; symptoms include flushing, headache, hives.

If You're Immunocompromised

Skip raw, home-fermented foods and unpasteurised kombucha. Risk of pathogen contamination (Listeria, mould toxins) is higher than for healthy adults. Commercially-pasteurised yogurt is still fine. See disclaimer.