Quest for better gut health sparks rise in DIY fermenters, who preserve everything from garlic and cabbage to strawberries - and hail digestion, skin and energy benefits

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Fermented foods are firmly in fashion, with demand for kimchi, kefir and sauerkraut soaring in recent years, as evidence grows about their health benefits.  

The trendy preserving process has garnered 67.2 million views on TikTok, with social media creators giving followers advice on how to ferment a host of fresh ingredients from carrots to cucumbers and strawberries.

Science has long told us that the fermenting process enriches food with 'good bacteria', which subsequently feeds the microbiome - the community of bacteria and other microbes that live in the gut, and can improve overall health.

On TikTok, Creators claim that eating fermented foods has helped ease conditions such as acne, bloating and fatigue - and, they say, can even improve mental wellbeing. 

There's plenty of experimentation too, with TikTokers focusing on some less obvious foods - including crisps - to see if they can harvest the reportedly gut-loving bacteria.

One popular TikToker creator, who uses the name @cripanddip, (pictured) has created an entire brand based around experimental pickling, trying out pickled strawberries, potatoes, chillis, and even crisps

Pictured: One TikToker seen discussing how to make fermented sodas. Social media creators give followers advice on how to ferment fresh ingredients to create good bacteria that's helpful for our microbiome 

One creator, who goes by the user name @lisa.beautify, exclaimed in a video where she makes kimchi, a traditional Korean dish made with salted and fermented vegetables: 'If you aren't eating your skincare, what are you doing?' while spooning handfuls of the bright red ferment into her mouth. 

'One big reason Koreans have such beautiful complexions is food and because they eat kimchi every day, I thought I'd share this skincare recipe,' she said, introducing the clip.

She claimed that the selenium found in the recipe even offers an anti-ageing benefit by 'preventing wrinkles'. 

In another video, an equally keen pickle promoter started their video by exclaiming: 'Don't die folks, go and ferment your foods'.

The creator insisted that fermentation is the safest form of preservation since it locks in all the good bacteria favoured by our guts.

Another popular TikToker creator, who uses the name @cripanddip, has created an entire brand based around experimental pickling, trying out pickled strawberries, potatoes, chillis, and even crisps.

Meanwhile, other creators offer recipes that claim to improve on other parts of health, with one user sharing a recipe for honey fermented garlic which she described as a 'super immune booster that fights cold and flu'.

And the popularity of preserved foods isn't just a secret kept in social media users' kitchens.    

Fermented foods have become household staples, according to a report last December by Waitrose, which found that sales of kimchi had rocketed by 44 per cent from the previous year.

On Tiktok, creator @lisa.beautify, has evangelised about the benefits of kimchi for a clear complexion, saying: 'If you aren't eating your skincare, what are you doing?'

Meanwhile, other creators offer recipes that claim to benefit other parts of health - including a recipe for honey fermented garlic, described as a 'super immune booster that fights cold and flu'

Pickling mania has seen numerous bold claims made about miraculous medical benefits of fermented foods. According to gut health expert Nishtha Patel, social media might actually be right on this one. 

Nishtha told FEMAIL: 'Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that help feed the gut microbiome.'

'Fermentation has been around for hundreds of years and is a fantastic way to enhance the flavours of food while also boosting their nutritional benefits. We know that they play a crucial role in all important gut health too.   

'Whether it's kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir or kombucha, the process involves allowing beneficial bacteria to break down sugars in the food, creating a tangy and rich flavour.' 

The acclaimed fermented foods are made using bacteria or yeast to break down natural sugars. Some, such as yoghurts and kefir, contain probiotics which are strains of bacteria that are good for gut health, and in turn, the rest of the body.

Other fermented foods go through pasteurisation, smoking, baking or filtering. Although this destroys the live bacteria, there may still be health benefits; for example, kimchi contains lactic acid, which boosts the immune system; while sourdough bread contains fibre, which is important for gut health.

Miami-based holistic nutritionist, Grace Terrell, told DailyMail.com that she believes good gut health does have a positive impact on skin.

She said: 'Just like our gut has a microbiome, so does our skin, and the foods we eat greatly influence it.

'Bacterial or yeast overgrowths, food sensitivities, and inflammation can cause things like acne, psoriasis, and eczema,' she continued.

'That's why it's so important to look at gut health when addressing skin issues.

Emily Leeming, author of Genius Gut: The Life-Changing Science of Eating for your Second Brain, has written extensively about the benefits of promoting better gut health, not only for our physical health but for the role it can play in stress, memory and mental health.

She explains in her book that research has suggested the gut microbiome is linked to brain health, with certain gut bacteria being tied to how much happiness, gratitude and contentment you feel.

According to Emily, disruptions in the gut can result in symptoms in the brain; for example, up to 80 per cent of people with Parkinson’s suffer with constipation, a key signaler of poor gut health.

She said the condition can appear as much as 20 years earlier than other key signs of the neurodegenerative condition develop, such as slowness of movement or tremors. 

When the gut microbiome is nurtured, it can lead to an increase in serotonin, the feel-good hormone, and neutralise chemicals that lead to stress.

Emily even suggests that a healthy gut microbiome can make us more sociable and lead to a reduction in anxiety. 

One creator sharing a recipe for homemade sauerkraut. A gut expert told FEMAIL: 'Fermented foods are rich in probiotics which are beneficial bacteria that help feed the gut microbiome'

The popular TikToker, cripanddip, pictured with a jar of curry flavoured fermented cucumbers 

A TikToker revealing her fermented strawberries. Gut health expert Emily Leeming suggested that a healthy gut microbiome - cultivated by eating healthy foods with good bacteria like fermented foods - can make us more sociable and lead to a reduction in anxiety

A Tiktoker shows off an experimental pickled crisp recipe. Fermented foods are made using bacteria or yeast to break down natural sugars. 

There are tips for ensuring you're choosing the optimum bacteria though. She told FEMAIL: 'When shopping for a live fermented food, make sure that you're getting it from the refrigerated section, as if it's on the shelf it'll likely have been heat-treated to make it shelf-stable.'

'You can make your own fermented foods too. One of the easiest fermented food to make is kefir. You can buy kefir grains online, which you add to whole milk and leave to ferment in a covered jar over night. Or if you'd rather not make it you can find it in large bottles in most supermarkets.'

'If you're fermenting your own veg at home, make sure to add enough salt - it should taste as salty as the sea. This salt helps to keep the bad bacteria out by stopping them from growing.'

'When you're making kombucha at home, the SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) needs to be fed sugar to help feed it, most of which should have have been used up by the SCOBY by the end of it's fermentation time. White sugar rather than brown or coconut sugar is best as it's easier for the SCOBY to use to be able to do its job.'

And hygiene is everything too: 'When you're making ferments at home make sure that you've sterilised the jars or containers by standing them in boiling water for 10 minutes or running through a cycle in the dishwasher. Likewise, make sure your hands are clean before you start, so that you're not introducing any bad bacteria that can then grow and spoil the food.'

'If you're making kombucha or fermented veggies, make sure to 'burp' your sealed container once a day to release the gas that the bacteria and yeast make as a side effect of the fermentation process, otherwise you're at risk of your ferment having a nasty explosion.'