Raw Sauerkraut, Probiotics & Fermented Foods

Fermented foods and probiotics make bellies happy. You've probably heard before about the health benefits of them. The yoghurt ads on TV with the flat bellies and the promise of a happy belly are all referring to the power of probiotics. The reason for these claims are basically because the more probiotics in your belly the less chance of the bad bacteria causing you any problems! 

This is why many people like to eat fermented and cultured foods as they are naturally occurring in probiotics. There are many types of fermented foods such as kimchi, pickles, yoghurt and kefir. One of my favourites is raw sauerkraut. 

I thought it would be fitting to mention the benefits of it as we are in the middle of the silly season and I'm sure I'm not the only one that's gotten slightly off track. 

Christmas parties, a few wines here and there all begin to take a toll on your digestive system after a little while. For people that suffer IBS like myself,  it can take only a few meals to get the balance out of whack which can cause massive stomach upsets. I read a blog post recently where the writer talks about how introducing fermented foods helped her with all sorts of health problems [click here to read]

When people say "gut health" they are usually referring to looking after your gut by feeding it lots of good bacteria so the bad bacteria doesn't wreck havoc on your system. I once read somewhere that the key to happiness is to have a healthy gut! Don't you think this to be true? When everything is running smoothly in your digestive system, you don't seem feel lethargic, worn out or depressed, instead you feel full of energy, light and ready to take on the day!

What I had noticed over the past few weeks of parties and unmindful eating and drinking were things like bloating, cramping, being constantly tired and feeling like it was taking hours (which it probably did) for my food to digest. Do you feel that too? 

To help combat any stomach problems I've upped the anty on probiotic rich, fermented foods such as home-brewed kombucha and home made raw sauerkraut and I'm already noticing a huge difference in how I feel and how my belly feels! If you missed my post on how to make your own raw sauerkraut, you can check it out [here]. It is so easy to make, very inexpensive, takes barely any time and has so many benefits. Sarah Wilson has talked about the the benefits of raw sauerkraut and other fermented foods, you can check out her post [here] (I love what she talks about on her blog, you may find her site useful too!).

After speaking to a naturopath about fermented foods she recommended that they are always introduced slowly so you don't shock your system. Start with a tablespoon of raw sauerkraut or a small glass of kombucha and slowly work up your tolerance to it. I usually now have one or two glasses of kombucha per day and when I have some made I have a little bowl of sauerkraut before or with dinner. These foods/ drinks are quite tangy and can take some getting used to but stick with it and after a couple of tries you will hopefully love it! If you don't really like sauerkraut you can always hide in your salad by mixing a few tablespoons through. With kombucha you can always flavour it during the second fermenation stage (more on that here) and that can make it more palatable for some. 

Fermented foods make a huge difference to many people and from personal experience I think they are definitely worth introducing to your diet.

NOTE - store bought sauerkraut is NOT raw sauerkraut, it has been pasteurised which means all of the beneficial enzymes and probiotics are no longer remaining. If you can find raw sauerkraut in a health food store you could give that a try before you make your own, but don't bother with the regular sauerkraut from the supermarket.



TIP - You can add any flavours to my basic sauerkraut recipe. The most recent batch of sauerkraut which was really delicious was just 1 small purple cabbage, a couple of carrots and an apple & pear grated up and all mixed together with salt. You can follow the easy instructions on my post [here]. I have friends that add caraway seeds to theirs and say it's delicious. I am sure there are many other great variations that I am yet to try. 

If you make your own sauerkraut or kombucha, what are your favourite flavours to add in?

Cheers to a happy gut! :)

Bee xx

Here is a great post on the health benefits of fermented foods, if you are interested in having a read from a blog I love by The Wellness Mama.

Basic Homemade Sauerkraut

To very briefly explain why you should try this (a part from it being tasty) is because it is a very inexpensive way to increase your probiotic intake. We all know probiotics are beneficial to gut health and the gut is responsible for so much in keeping us feeling good - so why not feed it with good bacteria! The store bought sauerkraut is not as good for you because it has been pasteurised (meaning it no longer contains all of the beneficial bacteria & enzymes) and it contains way too much salt! And why buy it when you can make so much of it for under $2!


How does cabbage ferment? The lactic acid found in cabbage eats away at the natural sugars causing fermentation. I found some great information on the livestrong website if you would like to read further about the benefits of sauerkraut and what good bacteria it contains click here http://www.livestrong.com/article/413921-does-sauerkraut-have-all-the-probiotics-i-need/.

Don't be turned off by the long list below - it really is super simple.

What you will need

Jars to store sauerkraut
A big mixing bowl
Knife or mandoline to shred cabbage
A wooden spoon or rolling pin
Cooler bag (I just use a cheap, thin one from the supermarket)

 Ingredients
-1 organic cabbage (must be organic or chemical free, the chemicals and pesticides will harm the good bacteria trying to grow while in the fermenting stage)
-1 teaspoon sea salt (I only use Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, but just use whatever you have on hand if you don’t want to buy any)
-Save all of the outer leaves of the cabbage – wash them well

Directions
-First wash everything the cabbage will be touching (including your hands) such as the mixing bowl and the jars you will be storing the sauerkraut in. I use small mason jars but anything with an airlock lid is fine. I wash them in warm soapy water, rinse them and then pour boiling hot water from the kettle all over them to make sure they are sterilised. Pour boiling hot water from the kettle all over the end of the wooden spoon to sterilise; you will be using this to pack in the cabbage-Wash cabbage in filtered water
-Shred or slice the cabbage as thin as possible (this is where a mandoline is great! If you don’t have one though just use a knife)
-Put all of the cabbage in the mixing bowl and pour in half of the salt.
-Crush and mix all the cabbage with your hands (it is quite therapeutic). It will begin releasing some of the water, and then add the remaining salt and keep crushing for a couple of minutes until is the cabbage is soft
-You are now ready to pack the cabbage into your jars
-With your hands, stuff the jars inch by inch with cabbage, every now and then use the end of the wooden spoon to pack it in really tight so there is no space, and continue doing this until you reach about an inch before the top of the jar
-Fill the jars with filtered or spring water to just above the packed in cabbage
-Once you have done this with all of your jars, roll the outer leaves of cabbage that you saved and put on top of shredded cabbage to create a layer between that and the lid. This will help to keep the shredded cabbage submerged in the water (this will help prevent mould from forming)
-Close the lids tight and put all of the jars in your cooler bag, if you don’t have a cooler bag just put in a plastic bag. Some people like to place a plate with weights on top of the jars, I don’t think this is necessary.
-Now it is time to store your sauerkraut to let all of the fun fermentation begin! I store mine in the garage in the cooler bag for 5 days, then transfer to the fridge to enjoy! It lasts for about a month in the fridge.

When the weather is warm, it might be ready after only 3 days so just keep checking on it. Or it might take longer if it is cooler – up to 10 days. You will know is ready when lots of little bubbles form around the jars and the cabbage looks a bit lighter in colour. You can taste it along the way if you want to, it will taste slightly pickled and tangy.

Once it is ready, sometimes the top layer of cabbage (the rolled outer layer) will form a few holes or mould, this is not harmful (as long as you can’t see any in the rest of the jar). Mould sometimes forms on the parts that are not submerged in water - you can just take this off and throw it away.

The sauerkraut should taste tangy but not sour or yeasty at all. If it tastes mouldy or you think something is off – probably best not to eat it.

It is normal for some of the water to bubble up and come out of the lid. This happens during fermentation when the bubbles are forming. This is why I like using a cooler bag as it keeps everything in. Once the sauerkraut is ready to transfer to the fridge you can just pour a little of the water out when you take off the top layers of outer cabbage leaves.
Store for up to a month in the refrigerator and enjoy! I have it most days, a little before lunch or with lunch and then a spoonful or two before dinner. :-)

I will do another post about creating different flavours and different cultured vegetables but this is just a good place to start if you have never done it before. :-)

TIP – If you aren’t a fan of the taste of sauerkraut, you can just add a tablespoon or two on top of your salads. You will get used to the tangy taste and soon enough you will probably crave it like I do. Stay tuned for my next post on flavoured sauerkraut. You can experiment with different flavours like adding garlic, chilli, caraway seeds- anything really – the possibilities are endless. Let me know if you have any recommendations for a different flavour that I should try.

TIP - You can open the lid every day to let out some of the gasses, this helps to prevent it from bubbling out of the jar. You don't have to do this but it makes it a lot less messy! :)

Enjoy!

Bee xx