These days, so much research focuses on the importance of having a large variety of microorganisms in the gut for different health outcomes. Many people are turning to probiotic supplements, but fermented foods can also be helpful in many cases. However, there are also people who should proceed with caution when trying fermented foods. If you have SIBO, or if your acupuncturist has mentioned that you may have Dampness, start small. If fermented foods make you feel gassy or bloated, you may need to treat the root cause of the issue before trying to increase the variety of organisms in your gut.
All kinds of factors can harm the balance of organisms in the gut in the first place. Some medications, alcohol, sugar, stress, and pollution are just a fraction of the these factors. A lack of balance in gut flora can lead to all sorts of health problems.
Sauerkraut that has been properly fermented can help balance gut flora, in the absence of SIBO and other similar issues. But why make sauerkraut when you can conveniently buy it at the supermarket? Unless otherwise specified, the jarred stuff you buy at the grocery store doesn’t have the probiotic benefits, especially if it’s on a shelf at room temperature. So, if you’re interested, let’s get started!
Probiotic Sauerkraut
What you need
1 cabbage (red or green)
Non-iodized salt (I use 1 tbsp, but work to your tastes)
A large bowl (or two)
Jars – I reused two pickle jars
Patience
How to proceed
Quarter the cabbage. Remove the really thick ribs and the core. Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible. Put the shreds into a large bowl. Add the salt.
This is where the fun begins. Start “massaging” the cabbage. Basically, you’ll be grabbing handfuls of shreds and making a fist with your hand, squeezing the cabbage. This helps squeeze the juice out of the cabbage and soften it. The salt helps speed up that process. Repeat until there’s enough of the cabbage juice to cover all the cabbage once you pack it down in a jar, which is precisely what you’ll need to do at this point.
Make sure the cabbage is packed down as much as it can be in the jar so that the juice level stays higher than the cabbage level. Any cabbage which isn’t covered runs the risk of developing unwelcome bacteria. Close the jar and set aside for a few days to allow it to ferment. It can take as little as 4 days, or can be left to ferment longer, depending on your taste.
Open the jar once a day to release the gasses. If your home is too warm, you may start to see mould. You can skim a thin layer of sauerkraut from the top without having to discard the whole batch, if that happens.
When it’s done, the finished product will be a different colour than the cabbage was when you bought it. A few days after it’s started fermenting, taste it once a day to decide when it’s at the point when you like it. When it gets to that point, transfer it to the fridge.
Because I dislike the taste of sauerkraut, I add a generous amount of olive oil and black pepper when I dish it out, and it actually turns out to be quite tasty. You can cook it or fry it or whatever it is that people do with it, but that gets rid of the probiotic benefits.
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