How to Introduce Cultured Vegetables Into Your Meals

Food experts are talking more and more about fermented foods as potent detoxifying agents for the digestive track. They have been around for years, and were used by sailors hundreds of years ago as a way to prevent food from spoiling on long voyages. They not only were an excellent source of food, but were known even then to prevent scurvy and other health maladies. Today we are finding the true health benefits of this true super food, and we should all incorporate cultured vegetables into our diet plan. But it must be done the right way.

First, what are some of the health benefits? The detoxification properties of cultured vegetables help to break down and eliminate toxins such as heavy metals from the body, plus provide healthy gut bacteria. By making the digestive system more efficient dietary fat is absorbed and eliminated, helping people with weight problems. This in turn helps to prevent diabetes, lowers your cancer and heart disease risk, plus improves overall mental health.

This all becomes even more important as we age. The stomach uses acid to kill disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi, while at the same time allowing the more acid-tolerant beneficial microbes to pass through. As we age the stomach generally becomes less acidic. This brings on a greater proportion of pathogenic microbes in the intestinal tract, causing a range of maladies that may even include dementia. This has not been proven scientifically as of yet, but we are certain of the importance of maintaining high levels of beneficial bacteria in our intestinal tract.

If you are planning to add cultured vegetable to you diet and have never eaten fermented foods, you will want to slowly bring your system up to speed. Immediately throwing too much into you system could provoke what is known as a healing crisis. This is where pathogens in your digestive track our killed off, and when they die they release potent toxins. Too many will cause an unpleasant reaction.

Starting off with just a teaspoon with a meal a day might be enough to get you started, and then add a little when you feel your system can take it. Experts say just a fourth to one-half a cup a day will be enough to have a dramatic beneficial impact on your health.

For those of us that cook, culturing your own vegetables isn't that difficult, and it stores very well. Check the internet for some interesting ideas that may interest you, but here is a simple one to get you started.

1. Select your herbs and vegetables. Organic foods are the healthiest and will work the best. Green or red cabbage should be the base of your blend, making up as much as 80%. Hard root vegetables such as carrots, radishes, turnips and beets go next. It's best to peel them, as the skins can be bitter. Add only a little peeled garlic, peeled ginger or basil, oregano, sage, rosemary or thyme. The fermentation process will concentrate their flavors, so go easy on these.

2. Chop the vegetables and place them in a vessel, submerge in water, making certain they are covered.

3. Add ¼ cup of kefir whey, making sure to leave a couple of inches at the top for expansion.

4. Cover the glass vessel and seal, leaving it on the counter top for at least three days to ferment. If a layer of mold forms along the top, just scrape it off, as it is harmless.

5. Put the entire contents in the refrigerator. It will have about a nine-month shelf life.



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