Don't just go Raw, go super Raw - go Sauerkraut

First, why raw?

I am as of now in a place in my wellness journey where my focus is not to adopt a diet that is extreme and completely different from what I grew up with but to strive for a balance and try to eat food as close to its truest form and without too much processing…as far as possible.

There are many benefits of eating raw food:

• It is nutrient dense since all the nutrients that would have otherwise been destroyed by the heat are now intact
• It lowers inflammation
• It reverses or stops the advance of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer (cooking creates free radicals and which are the major cause of cancer)
• Can protect from acute diseases like cold, flu, measles etc. as raw foods maintain a healthy body with better defenses.

However, plant based foods also have lectins/anti-nutrients that not only inhibit the absorption of nutrients by your body, but in fact cause harm to the body. For details you can refer to this article by the Weston A. Price Foundation. Additionally, some vegetables when cooked are more nutrient dense; for example carrots, tomatoes, spinach, asparagus and pumpkin. Cooking reduces certain antioxidants but enhances others. So if you are now as thoroughly confused as I am, here's what I am going with - Balance and Moderation. Not all cooked and not all raw. I try to go with a combination of cooked and super raw vegetables. By super raw I mean fermented vegetables.

How my journey of fermenting vegetables began..

During my usual Wednesday milk, eggs and grocery pickup from Carlton Farms I would see a number of products from Lupa’s kitchen and Sauerkraut caught my attention. Sauerkraut has its origins in Germany and literally means "sour cabbage". I was tempted to try it and I am so glad I did because it was so delicious. Now, I just had to meet with Lupa Irie of Lupa’s kitchen to know more.

Lupa Irie is a naturopath, author, teacher, natural food chef, entrepreneur, artist and the creator of 'Lupa's Kitchen'.  She is a powerhouse of information having journeyed through various diets of raw foodism, juicing, paleo, veganism… you name it. I was so happy to have the opportunity to meet with her and learn from her.

So here’s why you should not only go raw, you should go super raw, go Sauerkraut.

Cultured raw food is basically raw food with a superhero cape. Through the fermentation process, microorganisms like bacteria or yeast convert carbohydrates to alcohol or organic acids under anaerobic conditions Through the process the bacteria create vitamin C and certain B vitamins as by-products of their metabolism. The vitamin C levels of sauerkraut for instance is 7 times that of raw cabbage. If this was too technical, just remember "huge vitamin c booster".

Thus fermented foods contain natural probiotics that enhance the flora and fauna of your gut that helps better digest food and increase the bio-availability of nutrients in your food. In fact probiotics not only help balance the good bacteria in your gut but also "tune up" the immune system as 70% of the cell receptors of your immune system actually lie in your gut. Fermented foods are also known to have anti-cancer effects and to reduce symptoms of arthritis.

The practice of fermentation has been around since ancient times where people ate fermented foods with every meal. The most popular fermented foods are yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, Kombucha, but really the list is endless and interesting including salsa and ketchup.

There's a story about Captain Cook who carried 60 barrels of sauerkraut with him on his voyage and none of his men died of scurvy, the disease caused by a lack of vitamin c in the diet that was very prevalent at that time; that’s how powerful Sauerkraut can be.

Making Sauerkraut is easy!

I am comfortable with making fermented Indian foods like dosas and idlis out of different grains, millets and legumes but have never until now delved into fermenting or culturing vegetables. Lupa explained and demonstrated the much touted super food – Sauerkraut which is ironically super simple to make.

Making sauerkraut at home is not only beneficial as you can control the ingredients, but also the sauerkraut sometimes available in the market have been fermented for only a week vs. the preferred 4-6 weeks of fermentation.

Here’s how to make make traditional sauerkraut in 6 easy steps

• Wash the cabbage thoroughly and cut into halves
• Grate the cabbage in a mandolin or on any grater you might have. We need to make it medium thickness, not too thick not too think

• Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 pounds of cabbage (preferred himalayan salt or sea salt which has all the minerals), juniper berries(optional) and caraway seeds (optional)

• Let it stand for a couple of hours or so, so that the cabbage breaks down a little. You can also pound the cabbage to help with breaking it down.

• Transfer layer by layer to a mason jar or kraut pot, pounding it down each time to remove the air (remember fermentation takes place in an anaerobic environment)
• Once you have filled the jar, cover it with cabbage leaves to further reduce the air from interacting with the the cabbage, put a little water over it to block off the air
• Close the lid and DO NOT OPEN for 4-6 weeks else you will begin to see mold

My favorite - Sauerkraut made from red cabbage

Tips

• If you master making sauerkraut and are sure you will continue, invest in a kraut pot else a mason jar works  just fine
• The ideal temperature to ferment is around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. At temperatures over this it might ferment faster but not produce the most beneficial bacteria.
• In terms of fermenting cabbage you can also use red cabbage, which gives all the benefits and in addition flavenoids and K2 (which is produced only when fermented up to 6 weeks). K2 keeps the calcium in your bones and there are very few vegetarian sources of K2.

Sauerkraut is versatile

Sauerkraut can be used with appetizers, as an accompaniment to your meal, in salads and pretty much any way. The Kraut juice is great too and can help relieve cramps, so don't throw it away.

¼ cup Sauerkraut a day keeps your gut happy and keeps inflammation at bay

Consume at least 1/4 cup per day of sauerkraut and experience the benefits! My family loves sauerkraut and all the other products of my culturing experiments like salsa, cultured beets, cultured carrots etc.

Stay Healthy!
This blogpost was created by Ayesha@Choose WellThee and Lupa Irie.




Choose WellThee is about making choices that enhance your Mental, Physical, Emotional and Spiritual wellness.