Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva Podcast.

This is Monica Reinagel and this week we're going to take a look at a handful of non-prescription

supplements that claim to reduce your cholesterol levels.

Are any of these effective enough to perhaps replace prescription medications or could they

possibly be used in combination with one another?

But before we dig into all that, Nutrition Diva listener Ramsey asked me to clarify

the difference between fermented and cultured foods.

What exactly is the difference between them and do they have the same benefits?

Well, this is kind of a tricky answer, Ramsey, because cultured and fermented foods is

a very broad category.

It encompasses everything from yogurt to kimchi to beer, wine and cheese.

Are a sub-category of fermented foods in which a culture of bacteria and or yeast is used to

jumpstart that fermentation process and also to provide just a bit more control over which microbes

are dominant. Yogurt, kefir, kombucha and vinegar are all examples of fermented foods that are

made by adding microbial cultures to fresh foods.

Now, another option is wild fermentation, and that relies on microbes that are naturally present

in or on the foods themselves or even just floating around in the air.

Sourdough, traditional sauerkraut, kimchi and pickled vegetables are all examples of wild fermentation.

If you've ever had a little dish of fruit salad or coleslaw get fizzy in the fridge when

you kept it for too long, well then you've experienced some wild fermentation in your own kitchen.

Cheese is an especially confusing category. Some cheeses like blue cheese and cheddar cheese

are cultured with various strains of bacteria and they're fermented, but others such as ricotta or

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