Cultured sauerkraut provides incredible health benefits!

Cultured vegetables are highly beneficial for maintaining a healthy gut but did you know that cultured vegetables help your body make glutathione (also known as GSH), boost Vit C, are full of digestive enzymes, and a great source of the powerful probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum?

Glutathione
Glutathione has many important properties and functions that contribute to your health.
– GSH is known as the master anti-oxidant and one of its many functions is to protect the cells from environmental and chemical toxins.
– GSH also repairs our DNA and is responsible for detoxification and reduction of free radicals but its main function is to protect your cells from oxidative damage and tame inflammation.
– Oxidative stress is caused by exposure to toxins which include heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, fuel exhaust, household chemicals, pharmaceuticals, BPA, GMOs, and literally hundreds of additives in our foods.
– It’s main function being to protect your cells from oxidative damage. Another word for oxidative stress is INFLAMMATION.

Unfortunately, the production of GSH declines as we age. And to add insult to injury, other factors like medications, poor diet, infections, and physical and mental stress reduce GSH production.

Homemade sauerkraut not only delivers digestion-enhancing enzymes and probiotics, helps increase the vitamins and minerals you absorb but is an incredible natural source to help you body produce Glutathione.

VITAMIN C
Cabbage has about 30 mg of Vitamin C per cup, but guess what happens to cabbage when you ferment it? Cornell University found that fermented sauerkraut can have as much as 600 to 700 mg per cup! You also get the boost of probiotics that gives cultured kraut super powers!

Vitamin C is one of THE most important nutrients we need to sustain health. The body rapidly uses up available Vitamin C during infection or stress. My life has more demands on me than ever and extra vitamin C keeps our adrenals functioning properly. There’s no better way I can think of to get my Vitamin C than in this powerful food.

PROBIOTIC- Lactobacillus plantarum
Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) is abundant in cultured veggies and has anti-inflammatory properties. I have found it significantly helps when dealing with a cold flu or virus.

* RAMPS UP the glutathione production
* Stops diarrhea & constipation
* Support adrenals
* Helps with weight loss
* Reduce candida
* Reduce or eliminates allergies
* Help ease the symptoms of bowel disease
* Reduce inflammation
* Combat colds & flu
* Alleviate the symptoms of food poisoning

-Lactobacillus plantarum expresses and secretes oxalate decarboxylase, which breaks down oxalates and prevents renal calcium oxalate stone deposition.
-L. plantarum is a transient resident of your body, which means it doesn’t last long. It fiercely attacks pathogenic, bad bacteria in our bodies. It helps our own native bacteria grow stronger, and helps us be more resistant to future invasions of pathogens.
-Your immune system loves L. plantarum and with good reason, it keeps order in your gut and will greatly assist you in staying healthy, or helping you recover more quickly if you do get sick.
-In a large scale study done on mice, when they were administered Lactobacillus plantarum, it led to a significant improvement in mouse health and inhibited the virus from proliferation in their LUNGS.

ENZYMES
Eating a variety of cultured foods on a daily basis, provides the body with a tremendous amount of digestive enzymes can be a real game changer. Check out my previous post, ENZYMES THE SPARK OF LIFE, to learn more about the power of enzymes!

“Do you know that when you eat cultured veggies they work to help you digest your foods with ease? When you eat them with other foods, they help you receive more vitamins and minerals. All day long they work on repairing your gut, removing pathogens and TOXINS that over time will change the world inside of you and make you feel great. Just a spoonful can do this, plus you have a special side dish that has tons of probiotics. You don’t need those bottles of probiotics when you eat cultured foods. You get billions more probiotics in cultured foods and your body can use them far more effectively.”
– Donna Schwenk

 
Frequent consumption of cultured aka “fermented foods” like kefir, kombucha, yogurt and cultured fruits and vegetables support and enhance overall health. If you’re new to cultured foods start slow and gradually work your way up to 6-8 small servings, spread throughout the day to open door for colonization of other healthy microbres in the gut and provide long-term impact to your overall health!

HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT

INGREDIENTS
1 head of green cabbage
Salt

*2 Tbsp salt per 4 lbs of cabbage which should fill a 1/2 gallon jar

DIRECTIONS

1. If using the starter culture place the culture in a little water and let the mixture sit while you prepare the following ingredients—around 10 minutes.
2. Remove outer leaves of cabbage – set aside 3-4 large leaves to cover kraut in jar.
3. Finely shred the cabbage using a food processor or a hand shredder. Place in large bowl.
4. Add salt and begin massaging your cabbage or use a wooden pounder to macerate the cabbage. This helps it make its own cabbage flavored brine. This step is not necessary but most definitely helps the process. Let it sit for at least 1/2 hour- 1 hour is preferred to produce the most brine. Mix at least once during that time. If you like the taste of caraway in your kraut now is the time to add.
5. When ready, place 1/2 an apple on the bottom of a gallon jar, one with a clamp down lid or use an airlock lid- this helps the fermentation process.
6. Begin adding cabbage to jar, pressing cabbage down as you go. You need to pack the cabbage very hard to squeeze out all the air. The cabbage will release enough of it’s own juices that you won’t need to add any water at all, if done properly.
7. Cover with cabbage leaves and add the Cutting Edge Culture water (if using), leaving at least 2-3 inches of air space at the top which allows kraut to expand.
8. If you find you need to fill the sauerkraut jars but don’t have leftover brine from previous batch, use a 50/50 mix of lemon juice and water to top off.
9. Place filled jar(s) on plate or cookie sheet to collect overflowing brine water; place brine in jar and refrigerate. Use later to fill jars as needed.
10. Check the vegetables every day to make sure they are fully submerged in the water.
11. Set in a cool place, out of sunlight for 6 to 7 days. Refrigerate when done. It will last at least 9 months or longer in your fridge.

NOTE
-If using the starter culture (I strongly recommend that you do)… I recommend CUTTING EDGE CULTURES – this is the starter culture Donna Schwenk highly recommends. ** You don’t have to use a starter culture every time. You can reuse the brine from previous batches of cultured vegetables several times.

-Caution: Chlorine in tap water can kill a ferment, so use either non-clorinated water or boil the tap water and let it cool to remove it. That goes for water used to top off the jars, too!

-If they have risen above the water, simply push them down so they are fully covered by the water.

-If any white spots (kahm yeast) formed because the veggies rose above the water, do not worry. This isn’t harmful. Just scoop out the vegetables that have the white spots on them and push the rest back under the water.

-After 6 days place in the refrigerator.