I had my first experience with sauerkraut a few nights ago. We are in Colorado visiting our friends, Scott and Sarah, and we’re cooking lots of great meals together! Sarah has this recipe that involves sauerkraut, italian sausage, and some great veggies. I was excited to try the kraut because I’ve heard so much about its great probiotic benefits.
What are probiotics?
They are the good bacterias in your gut flora. Did you know that your gut is full of bacteria? Lovely huh? Some are good, but many are bad. According to Robb Wolf, “the term probiotics refers to a broad and ever-expanding group of micro-organisms that inhabit the intestines and are absolutely critical to the normal functioning of our digestion and immune system.” They also protect the gut lining from further damage. If you’ve been eating a typical America diet, your gut is probably laden with bad bacteria that causes inflammation and sickness. One way to combat those bacterias is to add some good probiotics to your diet.
Sauerkraut originated in Germany, and it is usually found on bratwurst, hot dogs, and gluten-packed buns. But it is delicious and healthy, and should not just be limited to junk food menus!
According to this site, “the key to a healthy stomach bacteria population is diversity. Sauerkraut is awesome because of the huge variety of bacteria and the different density you get with each batch. Other fermented foods such as yoghurt, kefir etc. are also excellent sources of beneficial bacteria.”
You can also purchase probiotic supplements like these: Primadophilus Optima or Jarro-Dophilus.
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