The Nutritional Institute

Sauerkraut is a form of fermented cabbage. It is packed with significant levels of Vitamin A, C, K and various B vitamins. It’s a great source of iron, manganese, copper, sodium, magnesium and calcium. It is absolutely jammed packed with healthy, naturally produced live, active, probiotics. These probiotics are superbly nourishing to our digestive system and play a vital role in our overall health. After reading this blog you may want to grab yourself a bottle and make it an everyday ‘multi vitamin’…

Sauerkraut combines one of the healthiest foods (cabbage) with one of the most beneficial and time-honoured food preparation methods ever used (fermentation). Fermentation naturally alters the chemistry of cabbage, creating live and active probiotics that are linked to improvements in immune, cognitive, digestive and endocrine function.

Be careful not to be fooled by imitation krauts. Standard store bought krauts have been heated to kill the beneficial bacteria and have vinegar and sugar added, with no fermentation process. This product holds none of the listed benefits below. Always read the label before you purchase.

The probiotics found in sauerkraut nourish your digestive tract and therefore the rest of your body. That’s because a huge portion of your immune system lives within your gut and is run by bacterial organisms that are part of your intestinal flora. Microbial imbalances have been linked with various diseases, so fortunately, through well selected foods, we have the option of ingesting good bacteria to restore our gut health.

After consuming authentic kraut, these good bugs take up residence around the gut lining and in the folds of your intestinal walls where they communicate with your brain via the vagus (relax and repair) nerve. They also act as your first line of defence against various toxins and diseases that enter your body.

Antibiotics, immunosuppressive therapy, and radiation can annihilate your good bacteria. Consuming sugary foods can also alter this good flora; therefore, the introduction of beneficial bacteria helps re-establish the microbial equilibrium, preventing illness/disease.

One of the major benefits of consuming sauerkraut is that it helps with your digestive health. Sauerkraut can help with digestive disorders like leaky gut, IBS and ulcerative colitis. It also promotes regular bowel movements because of its cleansing effects.

The Journal of Applied Microbiology states that the probiotic benefits from cultured foods include lowering the risk of: brain disorders and mental illness, mood disorders like depression and anxiety, cancer, asthma, hormonal imbalances, food allergies and sensitivities, metabolic conditions such as diabetes, obesity or weight gain, and various autoimmune diseases. This is due to the probiotic’s direct and indirect influences on various organs and systems, especially at the rate at which your body produces inflammation and controls hormone production.

The good bacteria and all the other healthy organisms living in your gut should really be termed an organ in their own right because they are vital to the health of your brain, hormones, heart, lungs, liver and digestive organs.

To make your own sauerkraut please see our recipe on page p138 of our book Wholesome Nutrition. If you don’t have the time to make it, the Nutritional Institute offers delicious authentic probiotic packed kraut at R100 a bottle. Our flavour of the month is our out-of-this-world curried kraut - it is simply delicious with authentic Indian flavours! We also stock plain cabbage and cabbage and kale flavoured krauts. Please send me an email to place your order.

To read a whole article on fermented foods, click here. 

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