3 Tips for Eating Ferments Without Regretting It: #1: Take It Slow
Does your belly hurt after you eat sauerkraut?
Over years of teaching people how to incorporate authentic traditional foods such as properly prepared ferments, I have heard my share of stories. This is the first of three blog post with tips and stories about how to make integrating sauerkraut into your diet fun for your gut as well as your tastebuds.
Tip # 1: Start S-L-O-W-L-Y when introducing ferments.
Often times, folks are so delighted to eat new deliciously sour fermented foods that they do not heed my warnings and dive right in to devouring sauerkraut in MUCH larger quantities than I ever advise. Several years ago, a friend of mine heard all about the beneficial aspects of traditionally fermented foods and decided to try some. He started with a taste and his eyes lit up. So good! He decided to have a half cup (4 oz) of sauerkraut with his dinner. He then thought, “If some is good, more would be better!” and ate about that...
3 Tips for Eating Fermented Foods Without Regretting It: #2 Give It Time
More fermented food fun! Here is your second tip to help make integrating this delicious traditional food into your daily life more enjoyable and more beneficial:
Tip #2: Make sure your sauerkraut (or other ferment) has fermented long enough.
(If you missed my first tip CLICK HERE. For basic sauerkraut info and recipe CLICK HERE.)
Some of my more sensitive patients have trouble digesting sauerkraut purchased from the store, but find that they have no difficulty digesting it when they make their own. This is likely due to the store bought kraut not being fermented long enough for someone with gut impairment issues. It has not completed enough of the fermentation process, in which lactic acid accumulates in the cabbage to suppress microbial activity and stop the fermentation. If the cabbage and other vegetables in the ferment you consume are still fermenting, they will continue fermenting inside your digestive system, producing gas and giving you unpleasant symptoms....
