Fermentation isn’t limited to the process of making your favorite beer or wine.
It’s actually used to produce a wide array of heath foods like yogurt, kefir, and kombucha.
In fact, fermentation is even used to produce the ever-loved sauerkraut.
What Is Fermentation?
Fermentation is the process of allowing naturally-occurring yeast, mold, and bacteria to break down carbohydrates in an oxygen-deprived environment to convert them into ethanol or lactic acid.
The fermentation process isn’t very complicated, all it takes is a bit of time, a carbohydrate-rich veggie, and the right kind of bacteria. In fact, most fermented foods can be made in the comfort of your own home very easily.
The results is a probiotic and prebiotic-rich food that fills your gut with beneficial bacteria (1). These bacteria boost your body’s immune response and can even affect your mental health.
It’s important to replenish your gut bacteria regularly as they are sensitive to medication, antibiotics, stress, and lack of sleep.
It’s also a good idea to make your own sauerkraut and other probiotic foods since the store-bought stuff may expose the bacteria to damaging light and heat during fabrication and distribution. Plus, many store-bought probiotic food products contain additives or flavoring agents to increase their self-life or improve their taste.
Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe
Drink the juice too or use it in your favorite vinaigrette.
- 1 medium shredded cabbage
- 1 tablespoon of fine Himalayan salt
- 4 tablespoons of freshly grated turmeric root
- 1/8-1/4 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and put them aside for future use.
- Slice the cabbage into long, thin pieces using a sharp knife or food processor
- Place the cabbage in a large mixing bowl and add the salt. Using latex gloves, mix and squeeze the cabbage using your hands. Continue until the cabbage is limp and juicy.
- nce cabbage juice accumulates at the bottom of the bowl, add turmeric and pepper and mix well.
- Pack into a large mason jar and pack down the cabbage as tightly as you can. The cabbage should so tightly packed so that the leaves are entirely covered in their own juice. The leaves must be covered to properly fermented.
- Once packed, cover the sliced cabbage with one of the outside leaves you set aside. If you own one, use a fermenting rock over the leaf to keep the slices submerged in the liquid.
- Screw on the lid or kraut kap over your jar to keep air out. Store in a room temperature place away from direct sunlight.
- Leave the jar for 4 weeks to 6 months for the mixture to ferment. The longer you leave it, the more bitter and powerful it will be.
- ature for up to 8 weeks, keep the lid screwed tight. Alternatively, keep it in the fridge for up to 6 months. it, the more bitter and powerful it will be.
Fermentation can be a complicated process, so make sure to keep an eye on the jar. The cabbage should be submerged it the sauerkraut juice throughout the process. Remove any scum floating in the juice and throw it away if it starts to smell.
What It Does
Sauerkraut improves digestion thanks to its high quantity of beneficial bacteria. It’s also very nutritious, being particularly vitamin C and K (2).
Vitamin C boosts immune response while also maintaining skin, tendon, ligament, cartilage, bone, tooth, and blood vessel health. It even promotes wound healing as well as scar tissue formation (3). On the other hand, vitamin K, which is produced by bacteria, plays a role in blood clotting and the maintenance of bone density (4).
The lactic acid in sauerkraut also has anti-allergic effects, as well as antidiabetic, and antifungal properties (5,6). And if that wasn’t enough, the food also promotes weight loss and heart health.
Turmeric has the ability to treat cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and depression better than drugs. It can even reduce heart attack risk as effectively as exercise.
Plus, the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry has found that turmeric fights obesity by modifying fat-storing cells into metabolically active brown fat cells (7).
The spice even has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral properties (8).