Benefits of Cultured Vegetables
Cultured
Vegetables are considered a “super” food that contributes immensely to the
healing and building your inner ecosystem. These nutrient-dense fermented foods
have been around for thousands of years
and can be found in every long living society.
Cultured vegetables are “sauerkraut” (sauer = sour and kraut = greens or plants), not to be confused with the salted, pasteurized variety of sauerkraut sold in supermarkets.
They taste tangy. It may be a new taste for you, but you will soon feel that no meal is complete without them. Even better, since they are all-vegetable, they combine with either a protein or a starch meal.
They are made by shredding cabbage or a combination of cabbage and other vegetables and then packing them into an airtight container. They are left to ferment naturally at room temperature for several days or longer. Friendly bacteria naturally present in the vegetables quickly lower the pH, making a more acidic environment so the bacteria can reproduce. The vegetables become soft, delicious and somewhat “pickled”.
Benefits of Cultured Vegetables
Rich in Lactobacilli
- CV help reestablish a healthy inner ecosystem. The friendly bacteria in raw, cultured vegetables are less expensive alternative to probiotics (although we recommend both initially when in the healing process.)
Digestive Aid
– The enzymes in the CV also help digest other foods eaten with them.
-They improve digestion because they are “pre-digested” which means that the friendly bacteria has converted the natural sugars and starches in the vegetables into lactic acid before they even reach your mouth, a job your saliva and digestive enzymes would do.
Alkaline forming and very cleansing
– CV balance a toxic, acidic condition. They will also trigger cleansing. You may have an increase in intestinal gas initially as the vegetables stir up waste and toxins in the intestinal tract. Soon, however, you will notice an improvement in your stools. To ease the discomfort of the gas, colonics and enemas are very useful during this period.
Excellent source of vitamin C
– Dutch Seaman used to carry them to prevent scurvy.
Ideal for pregnant and nursing women
– CV alleviate morning sickness during the early part of the pregnancy. Once the baby is born, the mother should continue eating the vegetables and drinking the juice. And the liquid from the juice can be fed to the baby in tiny spoonfuls relieve colic.
Appetite control and weight loss
– CV are ideal for those with wanting to reduce their sugar cravings. The veggies help take away cravings for the sweet taste in pastries, colas, bread, pasta, dairy, and fruit
Increase Longevity
– You could think of the friendly bacteria in the raw CV as little powerhouses. By eating the vegetables, you will maintain your own enzyme reserve and use it to eliminate toxins, rejuvenate your cells, and strengthen your immune system – which all add up to a longer, healthier life.
Cultured vegetables and their beneficial microflora demonstrate the potential to:
· Help combat and control cravings
· Increase energy levels
· Cleanse colon and aid in overcoming constipation
· Reverse acidic conditions by alkalinizing the body
· Fight off unfriendly microbes found in our food, water, and environment
· Correct hormone imbalances
· Stimulate metabolism
· Work against the development of fatty tissues
· Protect stomach and intestinal lining
· Normalize acidity of stomach
· Manufacture B vitamins
· Aid in assimilation of iron
· Supply digestive enzymes, thereby allowing the body’s enzymes to be reserved for eliminating toxins, rejuvenating cells, and strengthening the immune system
· Benefit diabetics, as the microflora break down and digest the sugars in the vegetables
· Prevent and eliminate colic when eaten by nursing mothers or when the juice is given to babies in tiny spoonfuls
· Assist in the treatment of peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, colic, food allergies, cystitis, vaginal infections, and stomachaches
In the book, Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford discusses the benefits of cultured cabbage including: the regeneration of intestines, balancing of stomach secretions, strengthening of the pancreas, improved digestion of fats, strengthening of nerves, stimulation of blood formation, potential clearing of mental depression, and maximization of B12 uptake in the digestive tract. It also contains large quantities of choline, a substance capable of lowering blood pressure, regulating the passage of nutrients into the blood, and preventing accumulation of fats in the liver. It also contains acetylcholine which affects the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby slowing the heart rate and promoting calmness and sleep, and positively affecting the peristaltic movements of the colon which aid in the relief of constipation.
.
Cultured vegetables are “sauerkraut” (sauer = sour and kraut = greens or plants), not to be confused with the salted, pasteurized variety of sauerkraut sold in supermarkets.
They taste tangy. It may be a new taste for you, but you will soon feel that no meal is complete without them. Even better, since they are all-vegetable, they combine with either a protein or a starch meal.
They are made by shredding cabbage or a combination of cabbage and other vegetables and then packing them into an airtight container. They are left to ferment naturally at room temperature for several days or longer. Friendly bacteria naturally present in the vegetables quickly lower the pH, making a more acidic environment so the bacteria can reproduce. The vegetables become soft, delicious and somewhat “pickled”.
Benefits of Cultured Vegetables
Rich in Lactobacilli
- CV help reestablish a healthy inner ecosystem. The friendly bacteria in raw, cultured vegetables are less expensive alternative to probiotics (although we recommend both initially when in the healing process.)
Digestive Aid
– The enzymes in the CV also help digest other foods eaten with them.
-They improve digestion because they are “pre-digested” which means that the friendly bacteria has converted the natural sugars and starches in the vegetables into lactic acid before they even reach your mouth, a job your saliva and digestive enzymes would do.
Alkaline forming and very cleansing
– CV balance a toxic, acidic condition. They will also trigger cleansing. You may have an increase in intestinal gas initially as the vegetables stir up waste and toxins in the intestinal tract. Soon, however, you will notice an improvement in your stools. To ease the discomfort of the gas, colonics and enemas are very useful during this period.
Excellent source of vitamin C
– Dutch Seaman used to carry them to prevent scurvy.
Ideal for pregnant and nursing women
– CV alleviate morning sickness during the early part of the pregnancy. Once the baby is born, the mother should continue eating the vegetables and drinking the juice. And the liquid from the juice can be fed to the baby in tiny spoonfuls relieve colic.
Appetite control and weight loss
– CV are ideal for those with wanting to reduce their sugar cravings. The veggies help take away cravings for the sweet taste in pastries, colas, bread, pasta, dairy, and fruit
Increase Longevity
– You could think of the friendly bacteria in the raw CV as little powerhouses. By eating the vegetables, you will maintain your own enzyme reserve and use it to eliminate toxins, rejuvenate your cells, and strengthen your immune system – which all add up to a longer, healthier life.
Cultured vegetables and their beneficial microflora demonstrate the potential to:
· Help combat and control cravings
· Increase energy levels
· Cleanse colon and aid in overcoming constipation
· Reverse acidic conditions by alkalinizing the body
· Fight off unfriendly microbes found in our food, water, and environment
· Correct hormone imbalances
· Stimulate metabolism
· Work against the development of fatty tissues
· Protect stomach and intestinal lining
· Normalize acidity of stomach
· Manufacture B vitamins
· Aid in assimilation of iron
· Supply digestive enzymes, thereby allowing the body’s enzymes to be reserved for eliminating toxins, rejuvenating cells, and strengthening the immune system
· Benefit diabetics, as the microflora break down and digest the sugars in the vegetables
· Prevent and eliminate colic when eaten by nursing mothers or when the juice is given to babies in tiny spoonfuls
· Assist in the treatment of peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, colic, food allergies, cystitis, vaginal infections, and stomachaches
In the book, Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford discusses the benefits of cultured cabbage including: the regeneration of intestines, balancing of stomach secretions, strengthening of the pancreas, improved digestion of fats, strengthening of nerves, stimulation of blood formation, potential clearing of mental depression, and maximization of B12 uptake in the digestive tract. It also contains large quantities of choline, a substance capable of lowering blood pressure, regulating the passage of nutrients into the blood, and preventing accumulation of fats in the liver. It also contains acetylcholine which affects the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby slowing the heart rate and promoting calmness and sleep, and positively affecting the peristaltic movements of the colon which aid in the relief of constipation.
.