The health benefits of sauerkraut - BBC Good Food

It's packed with vitamins, fibre and probiotics, but can sauerkraut boost your overall well-being? We look at the surprising research on this fermented food.

• By Nicola Shubrook

Sauerkraut is essentially fermented cabbage. Fermentation is a method of preserving food that dates back more than 2,000 years. During the fermentation process, beneficial probiotics, or ‘live bacteria’, are produced, and these probiotics are what give sauerkraut most of its health benefits.

Sauerkraut is a good form of dietary fibre and contains vitamins C and K, potassium, calcium and phosphorus.

Try our simple sauerkraut recipe to make your own at home. One serving of sauerkraut is approximately ½ cup or 50g.

What are the health benefits of sauerkraut?

The beneficial probiotics found in sauerkraut are important for good digestive health, and whilst more research is needed into the exact types of beneficial bacteria found in sauerkraut and other fermented foods, we do know that they ‘feed’ the good bacteria in your gut and can help to combat inflammation.

Research has shown that probiotics help to reduce some digestive symptoms such as gas, bloating, constipation and may be beneficial to those suffering with conditions such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.

There is increasing research on the importance of good gut bacteria in supporting overall long-term health, including how probiotics from cultured foods such as sauerkraut may reduce your risk of conditions such as depression and Alzheimer’s.

Sauerkraut also contains enzymes that help the body to break down food into smaller, and more easily digestible molecules which in turn helps the body to absorb more nutrients.

Can sauerkraut help to support your immune system?

Most of our immune system is found in our gut, so with its gut-supporting properties it’s easy to see how sauerkraut can also be of benefit to your immune system too. The good bacteria from sauerkraut helps to keep the lining of your digestive system healthy. A strong gut lining stops any unwanted substances or toxins from ‘leaking’ into your body and thereby causing an immune response. These same bacteria may also support your natural antibodies and reduce your risk of infections.

Read more about how to avoid catching a cold and how to treat the common cold naturally.

Can sauerkraut help with weight loss?

Some research has shown that consuming probiotic-rich foods such as sauerkraut can reduce your risk of obesity and aid weight loss, although more research needs to be done in this area. Sauerkraut is a good source of fibre which helps to keep you fuller for longer.

What about the salt content in sauerkraut?

Sauerkraut is high in sodium. Just one ½ cup/50g serving will provide approximately a third of your RDA sodium intake for a UK adult, so keep an eye on your salt intake if you add sauerkraut to your diet.

Try our simple sauerkraut recipe or read our health benefits of fermenting.

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This article was last reviewed on 4th July 2018 by Kerry Torrens.

A nutritionist (MBANT) Kerry Torrens is a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food magazine. Kerry is a member of the The Royal Society of Medicine, Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT).

Nicola Shubrook is a nutritional therapist and works with both private clients and the corporate sector. She is an accredited member of the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT) and the Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). Find out more at urbanwellness.co.uk.

All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.

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mafigrub

11th Jul, 2017

Recipe: Sauerkraut - Spaghetti cook 350g spaghetti al dente. drain 2 tins sauerkraut. dice 200g bacon & fry until crisp. add drained sauerkraut & 400ml single cream. When heated through, add cooked spaghetti, season & mix well. food of the gods!

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-sauerkraut

Simple sauerkraut - BBC Good Food

The simplest way to make classic sauerkraut - a fermented food that's great for your gut. It's extra tasty served with sausages and mustard

PREP: 30 MINSplus at least 5 days fermenting, no cook

EASY

MAKES 4 X 450ML JARS,

By Jane Hornby

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/simple-sauerkraut

Ingredients

• 2kg very firm, pale green or white cabbage (any leathery outer leaves removed), cored
• 3 tbsp coarse crystal sea salt (or 6 tbsp flaky sea salt)
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 tsp peppercorns

Method

1. Thoroughly wash a large tub or bowl (mine was the size of a small washing- up bowl), then rinse with boiling water from the kettle. Make sure that your hands, and everything else coming into contact with the cabbage, are very clean. It’s wise to use a container that will comfortably fit the softened cabbage, allowing several inches of room at the top to avoid overflow.
2. Shred the cabbage thinly – a food processor makes light work of this. Layer the cabbage and the salt in the tub or bowl. Massage the salt into the cabbage for 5 mins, wait 5 mins, then repeat. You should end up with a much-reduced volume of cabbage sitting in its own brine. Mix in the caraway seeds and the peppercorns.
3. Cover the surface of the cabbage entirely with a sheet of cling film, then press out all the air bubbles from below. Weigh the cabbage down using a couple of heavy plates, or other weights that fit your bowl, and cover as much of the cabbage as possible. The level of the brine will rise to cover the cabbage a little. Cover the tub with its lid (or more cling film) and leave in a dark place at a cool room temperature (about 18-20C) for at least 5 days. It will be ready to eat after 5 days, but for maximum flavour leave the cabbage to ferment for anywhere between 2-6 weeks (or until the bubbling subsides).
4. Check the cabbage every day or so, releasing any gases that have built up as it ferments, and give the cabbage a stir to release the bubbles. If any scum forms, remove it, rinse the weights in boiling water and replace the cling film. You should see bubbles appearing within the cabbage, and possibly some foam on the top of the brine. It’s important to keep it at an even, cool room temperature – too cool and the ferment will take longer than you’d like, too warm and the sauerkraut may become mouldy or ferment too quickly, leading to a less than perfect result.
5. The cabbage will become increasingly sour the longer it’s fermented, so taste it now and again. When you like the flavour, transfer it to smaller sterilised jars and keep it in the fridge for up to 6 months.

6. Recipe Tip

   CABBAGE KNOW-HOW

   Weigh the cabbage once trimmed, so that the proportion of salt to cabbage (15g per 500g) is correct. 
7. 
   

   THE PERFECT BRINE

   If your cabbage isn't submerged in about 1cm depth of liquid after 24 hours, add some extra brine. Dissolve 1 tsp salt, (always use pure sea salt), into 250ml water and add, or multiply and add enough to cover the cabbage
8. 
   

   WHEN TO EAT

   As long as your sauerkraut isn't mouldy or discoloured, it's safe to eat at any point. 
9. 
   

   SOURCE OF VITAMINS

   Being uncooked, fermented vegetables have their vitamins locked in, providing a great dose of vitamin C in particular. Lactobacillus, meanwhile, supports the guy and immune system.
10. 
    

    SERVING SUGGESTION

    Serving your sauerkraut fresh from the jar is the best way to maintain all the goodness packed in there - it's like eating a pot of friendly-bacteria yogurt every morning.
11. 
    

    COOKING WITH SAUERKRAUT

    Heating does kill the bacteria, but don't let that put you off some of the delivious recipes you can make with sauerkraut - you'll still be getting an excellent source of vitamins and fibre, as well as that homemade flavour.
12. Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2016

Five Probiotic-Packed Fermented Foods

A few days ago we told you probiotics may help you prevent high blood pressure. It could be one of the easiest things you do to help protect your heart.

 INH ResearchAugust 29, 20141 Comment

 But the benefits of probiotics go way beyond heart health… It’s a long list of perks—from a whiter smile to easing allergies.

Getting enough probiotics isn’t always easy. Most people rely on yogurts. They don’t provide nearly enough and are usually loaded with sugar. This deletes all the benefits anyway. Some people take supplements. It’s a good idea. But fermented foods are another option. Lucky for us, their rising popularity is making them easier to find.

Here are our top five probiotic-packed fermented foods:

1. Kimchi: This popular Korean dish uses fermented Chinese cabbage as its base. But it gets mixed with probiotic-feeding foods like garlic and onion. This means more potent germs. It also comes with a lot of heat from hot pepper flakes. But studies show that kimchi can help obese subjects lower their blood pressure, shed body fat, and even stabilize blood sugar.1

Another study found that men who ate kimchi helped lower LDL cholesterol. And the more they ate, the lower their numbers dropped.2 This fiery food is also rich in vitamins A, B, and C. But most important of all, experts claim it has 1,000 times the amount of probiotics you’ll find in most yogurts.3

2. Sauerkraut: Think of it as kimchi’s helpful—but less exciting—cousin. It might not have the added flavor and benefit of ingredients like garlic and onion… But sauerkraut may be just as valuable as kimchi when it comes to supporting your health. It may even help reduce breast cancer risk. That’s because it’s rich in glucosinolates. These are potent anti-cancer enzymes.

A study of Polish women found that their breast cancer risk nearly triples after immigrating to America. Researchers found that the women living in Poland were 72% less likely to develop breast cancer. And the key difference in their diet was eating about four-times more sauerkraut each week.4

3. Kombucha: This one may be the strangest of them all… Kombucha is a type of fermented tea. It comes from a “mother” strain of bacteria that brewers use to make batch after batch. And it may remind you of beer. It has a light carbonation and a foamy head…even a small amount of alcohol from the fermentation process. But it also comes with serious health benefits.

Researchers found that Kombucha’s antioxidant power was just as effective as the prescription drug omeprazole in healing ulcers in mice.5 Another study revealed that Kombucha is a strong detoxifier. It helped boost the immune systems of rats exposed to lead acetate.6 Making this one on your own can be difficult—even dangerous. But you can find raw, organic Kombucha teas in most health food stores.

4. Miso: This seasoning is a staple of Japanese cooking. You’ve probably come across miso soup before. This is the product of fermenting barley, brown rice, or soybeans with koji. It’s a fungus that also goes by the name aspergillus oryzae. Koji has an antimicrobial and antibacterial effect. It has potential to be a safer, natural alternative to the antibiotics commonly found in chicken feed.7 But more important, miso contains dipicolinic acid (DA). It binds to heavy metals and helps carry them out of your body.8 Try to find a probiotic miso paste that comes from rice or another grain and soy-free source.

5. Kefir: It’s a beverage that comes from fermenting goat, cow, sheep, or nut milk and mixing it with live bacteria. Kefir looks like a cross between milk and yogurt. And the taste takes some getting used to… It’s a little bit like sour milk with a squeeze of lemon juice. But the benefits make kefir worth trying.

It may help support liver, gallbladder, and heart health. It may even boost blood and oxygen supply to your brain.9 Some research suggests that kefir may help prevent cancer. It does this by acting as an antioxidant. Kefir also helps slow down the enzyme activity that converts pro-carcinogenic compounds to carcinogens.10 You can make your own… But most grocers now carry at least one variety. Always go with the plain version with no added flavoring.

It may take you a while to warm up to fermented foods… Kefir definitely isn’t for everybody. But they all offer probiotic support. They also come with important health benefits. But start slow. Try adding some sauerkraut to your dinner. There are also some nice-tasting Kombucha products that won’t overpower you.

References:
1http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21745625
2http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/kimchi-cholesterol-lowering-superfood-study-article-1.1279677
3http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/04/27/health-benefits-kimchi/
4http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/BreastCancer/2035
5http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21776478
6http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14631833?dopt=Citation
7http://docsdrive.com/pdfs/ansinet/ijps/2006/1-3.pdf
8http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/mysterious-marvellous-miso
9http://www.probiotic.org/Kefir.htm
10http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3833126/

https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2014/08/five-probiotic-packed-fermented-foods/

Vitamin K: A Crash Course on This “Hidden Vitamin”

If you want to improve your health, then vitamins must be a crucial weapon in your arsenal. Numerous studies over the years have highlighted the various benefits that can be obtained from vitamins. Recent studies have shed new light on the relatively obscure and extremely underrated vitamin K. Now let us examine the many health benefits that can be derived from this vitamin.

Know Your Vitamin K

If you want to improve your health, then vitamins must be a crucial weapon in your arsenal. Numerous studies over the years have highlighted the various benefits that can be obtained from vitamins. Recent studies have shed new light on the relatively obscure and extremely underrated vitamin K. Now let us examine the many health benefits that can be derived from this vitamin.

Know Your Vitamin K

There are actually two types of vitamin K: K1 and K2. All K vitamins have identical functions that are tied to the naphthoquinone ring structure. What distinguish the two forms of vitamin K are their unique side chains.

Dr. Leon Schurgers is one of the world’s leading researchers on vitamin K. During the Rotterdam Study, which examined the differences between vitamins K1 and K2, Schurgers observed that  two major difference between vitamin k1 and k2 are the food items in which they’re found and the amount of the vitamin that’s absorbed by the body.

He argued that, vitamin K1 is “highly bioavailable” in leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, and cabbage, but the body is capable of absorbing only 10 percent of the total. On the other hand, vitamin K2  is the product of bacterial fermentation and the human body is capable of absorbing almost the full amount of vitamin k2 from the fermented foods in which it is found.

Counting Vitamin K’s Benefits

Both vitamins K1 and K2 are known to help in blood clotting by activating certain coagulation factors. In the past, this has raised concerns from those who are taking oral anticoagulants (which prevent blood clots). Yet surprisingly, high vitamin K levels do not cause your coagulation factors to shift into overdrive. Schurgers explains:

“If you take oral anticoagulants … you have to be careful with K1 AND K2. However, the advice in the United States is to skip everything that contains vitamin K, and that is something I argue against. 

Because if you take away all the K1 and K2 from the diet, every little interference — if you take a little bit of vitamin K — [it] will have a dramatic effect on the anticoagulant level. 

However, if you have a steady intake level of vitamin K1 or K2, or both, a little bit of interference is not that bad anymore.”

Vitamin K is also vital in activating and promoting the biological function of the proteins osteocalcin (found in the bone) and matrix Gla protein or MGP (found in the vascular system).. It’s also known to strongly inhibit calcifications.

Elderly people who have atrial fibrillation or venous or deep-vein thrombosis and take oral anticoagulants are advised to be cautious about their blood levels, as these drugs prevent the recycling of vitamin K (both K1 and K2). It’s advisable to get your baseline PT (prothrombin) measurements while taking the oral anticoagulant and obtaining vitamins K1 and K2 from dietary sources. This information should allow your doctor to adjust your dose based on the results.

Among people who consumed high levels of vitamin K2, research found both lowered risk and prevented deaths from cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular calcification. Vitamin K2 also hindered arterial calcification by moving calcium to the bone instead. Vitamin K2 is also crucial for vascular flow to the brain by preventing plaque deposits, which may lead to Alzheimer’s disease if not monitored properly. Schurgers noted a study that showed how vitamin K2 played a role in delivering cellular energy in Parkinson’s disease patients, and even treating the disease itself.

Take Your Vitamin K Levels Up a Notch

According to Schurgers, virtually everyone is deficient in vitamin K. If you want to know what your vitamin K levels are, consider taking the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) test. This blood test calculates the active and inactive forms of MGP in your body and can accurately determine how much vitamin K you have.

Whether or not you know your results, it’s still best to include vitamin K rich foods in your diet to ensure optimal health.

• Vitamin K1: Consume 200 grams of organic vegetables every day, particularly green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, collard greens, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts
• Vitamin K2: Eat at least 360 to 500 micrograms of hard and soft cheeses, raw butter, kefir, fermented foods like sauerkraut, natto, and miso, grass-fed beef and chicken liver, lamb or duck, or dark turkey meat. The bare minimum is 45 micrograms per day, according to the Rotterdam Study, but it’s best to aim for a higher amount.

You can also increase your vitamin K2 levels by taking a supplement, but only do it as a last resort.

The literature on vitamin K is fast expanding but rather limited when compared with other well-known vitamins. The information presented by Schurgers and his colleagues in the Rotterdam Study proved there are many benefits to be derived from vitamin K regardless of your age or level of well-being. 

Perhaps the most important point to remember is that there are a wide variety of vitamin K-rich foods and vegetables. These healthy and flavorful items make it easy to boost your vitamin k levels with a wholesome natural diet.

http://www.drmercola.com/vitamin-k/vitamin-k-a-crash-course-on-this-hidden-vitamin/

Click on Healthwise for more articles

The Right Way to Take Probiotics

You’ve decided to be good to your stomach, so you start taking probiotic supplements. Maybe you’ve been prescribed an antibiotic and want to protect yourself from stomach upset.

September 28, 2015

Maria L. Marco, PhD, University of California, Davis

You’ve decided to be good to your stomach, so you start taking probiotic supplements. Maybe you’ve been prescribed an antibiotic and want to protect yourself from stomach upset. Perhaps you’ve already experienced a bout of diarrhea from a stomach “bug” and want to get right again. Or you just want to give your gastrointestinal tract a healthy new start.

So you buy a 30-day supply of probiotic supplements, and start to take them each day with a glass of water. So far, so good. But what if there were a way for the probiotic to work better…and faster?

The trick isn’t to change the probiotic itself but to wash it down with something else—milk. The research is new, and the study was done on animals rather than humans, but it suggests that we should not only choose our probiotic supplements wisely, but also pay careful attention to how our diets affect their ability to help us. Here’s how…

WHAT HEALTHY GERMS LIKE TO EAT

Researchers at the University of California, Davis examined one of the most studied probiotic species, Lactobacillus casei (L. casei), often used to ferment dairy products such as yogurt and kefir. Strains of L. casei in supplements have been shown to help with many gastrointestinal conditions including constipation, antibiotic-caused diarrhea and even more serious inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel disease (IBD). Popular brands that contain L. casei include Yakult and DanActive.

The Davis scientists looked at the effectiveness of a specific strain of L.casei called BL23, which has been shown to improve ulcerative colitis in animal studies and is almost identical to the kind used in the manufacture of many fermented dairy foods. Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes disabling pain and increases risk for colon cancer for more than 500,000 people in the US.

In the study, one group of mice got L.casei in milk, while a second got it in water and a third, just milk (no L. casei). The amount of milk or water was equivalent to about six ounces for humans—what’s in a typical juice glass. Then the mice were given a solution that impaired the lining of their colons, induced inflammation and mimicked ulcerative colitis.

The mice that got the probiotic in milk did best, showing…

• Superior survival of the L. casei bacteria in the intestines—five times greater than the mice that got the probiotic in water

• Less diarrhea and rectal bleeding than the other two groups

• Less weight loss (a good outcome in this context)

• The lowest disease score. On a scale of 0 (no disease) to 18 (the worst disease), the milk/probiotic group scored 6, while the water/probiotic group scored 11 and the milk-only group scored 9. That means much less inflammation in the intestines.

In short, taking the probiotic in milk rather than water led to more beneficial bacteria surviving and thus greater protection of the lining of the intestines against the inflammatory disease. It didn’t cure the disease, but it did protect the mice from its worst effects.

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR PROBIOTIC’S EFFECTIVENESS

It makes sense that a beneficial bacteria that thrives in dairy foods would do better in your gut when you take it as a supplement along with dairy. That doesn’t mean that all probiotics would do better with a glass of milk. We need more studies—this is one of the very first to look at the dietary “matrix” in which probiotics are consumed.

But it’s smart to hedge your bets. If you’re generally healthy, choose your probiotic wisely. If you have a specific medical condition, such as IBD or Crohn’s disease, be sure to work with an educated health-care provider to select the right probiotic for your needs and to make any changes in your diet.

And here’s good general advice for ways to make your probiotic work better…

• Even though you are taking a supplement, make sure you are eating probiotic-rich foods such as yogurt and kefir as well as sauerkraut, miso and kimchi. That way, you’ll be working to improve your population of healthy gut bacteria from several directions.

• Eat plenty of prebiotics, too—fiber compounds that “good bugs” thrive on. These include onions, leeks, garlic, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, bananas, whole wheat, yams and sweet potatoes. (Again, these foods may not agree with you if you have IBD or even the less severe irritable bowel syndrome/IBS.)

If the probiotic you’re taking with water every day doesn’t seem to be helping you, try taking it with a small glass of milk to see if that makes a difference. If milk doesn’t agree with you, try cheese, yogurt or kefir. You may even want to add your probiotic supplement to a fermented dairy food, such as yogurt or kefir.

Source: Maria L. Marco, PhD, associate professor and microbiologist, department of food science and technology, University of California, Davis. Her study was published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

http://bottomlinehealth.com/the-right-way-to-take-probiotics

This post is on Healthwise

The Best "New" Superfoods

January 1, 2014

These fermented foods are great sources of healthful probiotics.

Ask an American to name a good food source of healthful probiotics, and yogurt, that mainstay of the dairy aisle, is likely to top the list. Lesser-known sources of probiotics include pickles, red wine, dark chocolate and some cheeses.

But in many countries, from Japan to India to Poland, people enjoy a much wider variety of delicious probiotic-packed foods—and you can enjoy them here in the US, too.

Until recently, probiotics were known mostly for their ability to help with digestion—which they are very good at doing.

Now: Researchers are discovering that probiotics also can boost the immune system, reduce allergy symptoms and even improve one's mood. Several probiotic superfoods also rid the body of yeast overgrowth—a powerful one-two punch when it comes to good health.

Here are the best probiotic foods you're probably not eating…*

KIMCHI

A staple in the Korean diet, this fermented side dish consists of vegetables and an assortment of seasonings. A traditional kimchi dish includes Chinese cabbage, red chili pepper flakes, ginger, garlic and green onions. Other vegetables used to make kimchi include white or red radishes, leeks and carrots.

Upon opening a jar of kimchi, you'll see bubbles rise to the surface, a sure sign that this superfood contains lots of good bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc andWeisella. Kimchi is also a good source of vitamins B-1, B-2 and C, niacin, fiber and beta-carotene.

How to use it: Try kimchi on top of a burger…mix it with fried rice…or add it to eggs to give your breakfast an extra kick. Just one-half cup a day will go a long way toward soothing your intestines.

Where to find it: Look for kimchi in the refrigerated section of Asian food stores, in the dairy section of natural-food stores, such as Whole Foods Markets and Trader Joe's, or at Rejuvenative.com, which offers different varieties of kimchi.

DARK MISO

Miso, a paste made from soybeans, salt, grains and a fungus called koji, has been enjoyed in China and Japan for more than 2,500 years. In the US, it's commonly served as the main ingredient in miso soup. The darker the hue of miso, the longer the fermentation process, which means that it's chock-full of good bacteria. Dark varieties, such as barley miso or brown rice miso, taste earthier and saltier than the lighter ones commonly used in miso soup.

Dark miso is a good source of protein, vitamins A and K, minerals like calcium and potassium and Lactobacillus probiotic cultures.

How to use it: You can thin out dark miso with cooking water and then use this as a sauté sauce for vegetables or add dark miso to stews and soups. Use sparingly, as it's powerful stuff and contains a lot of sodium.

Where to find it: Miso is typically sold as a thick paste in small, plastic containers or glass jars. It's carried in major natural-food stores, typically in the dairy section—but these days, you can find it in many supermarkets, too. Good brands include South River Miso Company (SouthRiverMiso.com) and the American Miso Company (Great-Eastern-Sun.com).

COCONUT WATER KEFIR

Kefir is a silky-smooth, probiotic-rich drink popular in northern and eastern Europe. It's made by adding kefir grains to cow, goat or sheep milk. An excellent nondairy version is derived from coconut water—the juice of the young, or green, coconut. Coconut water kefir is packed with several kinds of Lactococcus cultures, along with magnesium, potassium, calcium and B vitamins.

How to use it: Use kefir instead of milk in smoothies and dressings or enjoy it right out of the bottle (it has a mild, sweet taste and will not add the strong taste of coconut).

Where to find it: Kefir is available in most supermarkets and, of course, at most natural-food stores. Coconut water kefir is available at natural-food stores and MyTonix.com.

SAUERKRAUT

You probably know that a mound of sauerkraut on a hot dog gives you a nice helping of probiotics. In fact, cabbage, the key ingredient in sauerkraut, is one of the best probiotic--producing foods, as it stands up well to days of fermentation.

Classic sauerkraut is made from three ingredients—cabbage, salt and vinegar. But it contains lots of good stuff, including vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, fiber, folate, iron and the Leuconostoc, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus strains of probiotics.

How to use it: You may not have much experience using sauerkraut creatively. But in fact, it goes great with lots of meats besides hot dogs, including corned beef and pot roast, and in stews and soups, such as potato leek soup.

For a tangy guacamole dip: Chop sauerkraut and mix with avocados, garlic and a dash of lemon juice.

Where to find it: Buy sauerkraut labeled "raw" and "unpasteurized." Good choices: Deep Root Organic, available at Whole Foods, and Ultimate Kraut at Rejuvenative.com.

GET YOUR PROBIOTIC KICK

When cooking with probiotic foods, add them at the very end of the heating process—for example, just a minute before you serve stew—to preserve the live cultures. Also, be sure to choose brands that are unpasteurized for the same reason.

And remember: Kimchi and sauerkraut are easy and economical to prepare at home. For recipes, go to AllRecipes.com or EdenFoods.com.

THE VINEGAR TRICK

So, if a probiotic is a healthful type of bacteria that stays viable in the gut after eating, what is a prebiotic? A prebiotic acts as food for a probiotic. In other words, it's the fuel in your body that probiotics need to thrive.

An excellent example of a prebiotic is raw, organic, unrefined apple cider vinegar, which contains strandlike chains of protein enzyme molecules rich in nutrients. Apple cider vinegar—be sure it's the unrefined kind!—is nirvana for probiotics. Sprinkle it on vegetables or use in salad dressings to help your good bacteria help you!

*Fermented foods should be refrigerated to preserve probiotic properties.

http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/diet-a-exercise/the-best-new-superfoods