Sauerkraut Controlling Cholesterol

[rvrfshr]

My dear wife put up some sauerkraut from the abundance of cabbage that we grew this year. She made it in 5 gallon food grade plastic buckets which holds about 15 lbs of finished kraut.

After eating this stuff (a small bowl in the morning) for six weeks I went in for a routine blood test. My doctor's nurse called a few days later and told me that my cholesterol & triglycerides were in the normal range, and she asked me what I was doing different with my diet.

I told her and she sheduled another blood test for 2 months later. I got the same good reading, and again in another 2 months.

My doctor has taken me off the two expensive cholesterol meds and is going to check me again in early Nov..

This sauerkraut is unprocessed and only refridgerated. It keeps for up to six months. The probiotic action and fiber are the reasons why this stuff works so well.

I strongly suggest this for those who have non-life threatening diabetes & cholesterol problems.

Would like to hear from anyone who tries this or has other experiences with the use of this fermented vegetable.

 

[TennesseeRains]

WOW!!!!

Thanks for sharing that! This is exactly my problem....plus, sauerkeraut is one food that I LOVE!!!

 

[Bertman]

cool,I love that stuff.

 

[tndad]

what do you mean by "unprocessed"
really like it on most samich s-- no, not on tuna

 

[rvrfshr]

what do you mean by "unprocessed"
really like it on most samich s-- no, not on tuna

"Unprocessed" is when your sauerkraut has finished fermenting, it goes into the refridgerator instead of being "processed/pasteurized" as in normal canning procedure where sterilized jars are boiled to kill bacteria.

Since this is a fermented vegetable, it will keep in a refridgerated environment for longer periods of time. The fermentation creates live cultures, similar to yogurt, which are known and valued as "pro-biotics" which aid in digestion, building your immunity and also acts as a natural fiber which cleanses the colon and other digestive tracts.

Once our sauerkraut has stopped fermenting (bubbling), the excess brine is drained off and the finished kraut is placed in sealed 1 quart plastic containers for use as desired.

The following is my wife's recipe:

Late season cabbage makes better sauerkraut.
For cabbage to ferment properly, measure accurately
and follow the directions closely.

Start with ...


cabbage - about 15 lbs, shredded
9 Tbls. coarse canning salt (3 tbl spoons per 5 lbs)
1-5 gal. food grade plastic container (can be purchased at Wal-Mart)



Preparation -
Rinse the heads of cabbage under cool running water and blot dry with paper towels. Discard the dark green outer leaves and any leaves that are cracked or damaged. Cut the heads into quarters or wedges - no wider that your slaw cutter or slicer. Using a slaw cutter, shredder, mandolin type cutter or a sharp knife, slice the cabbage to about the thickness of a quarter.

Working with about 5 pounds of cabbage and 3 tablespoons of salt at a time, place the sliced cabbage in a large bowl. Add salt and stir, using a large wooden spoon, to mix well. Place the salted cabbage in a clean 5 gallon stoneware crock or clean food grade plastic bucket (The crock/bucket should be washed thoroughly and rinsed several times with boiling water.) Pack the salted cabbage into the crock. A brine will start to form as you press on the cabbage to pack it down (Do not add water). Repeat the salting and packing, with 5 pounds of cabbage at a time, until all the cabbage is in the crock. After all the cabbage has been added, continue to press down on the cabbage until there is enough brine to cover the cabbage completely. The top of the cabbage should be 1 to 2 inches below the brine.

Place a heavy plate on top of the cabbage. The plate should be just slightly smaller than the diameter of the crock, but large enough to completely cover the cabbage and hold it under the brine. Fill a zippered plastic bag with water; seal the bag. Place the bag of water on top of the plate to weigh it down. Cover the entire crock with heavy plastic wrap, then drape a heavy towel over the crock, covering the rim. Place the crock in a cool area where the temperature will not rise above 75�.

Uncover the crock to check the sauerkraut at least every other day. Use a clean wooden spoon to remove any scum or film that forms on top. If a moldy scum forms on the plate, wash and sterilize the plate as needed.

Allow 3 weeks for fermentation if the temperature is 75�. Allow 4 weeks at a temperature of 70�. Allow 5 to 6 weeks at 55� to 60�. Do not store the crock at temperatures below 55� or over 76� or fermentation will not take place and the cabbage will spoil. Fermentation is complete when the bubbling has stopped and bubbles no longer form when the side of the crock is tapped. (Will keep 4 to 6 months in fridge)

To can the sauerkraut....(canning it will kill the probiotics)
Place the sauerkraut in a stockpot. Cook over medium high heat long enough to bring it to a boil. Remove from heat. Ladle the hot sauerkraut it into hot, quart size canning jars. Place caps and rims on the jars. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes. Cool, check the seals, label and store.

 

[tndad]

so anything in store bought jars/cans is not probiotic?
correct or if it has been "heated" in anyway?

rather eat kraut than take pills every gol dern hind end, sunrisen day!

 

[rvrfshr]

so anything in store bought jars/cans is not probiotic?
correct or if it has been "heated" in anyway?

There may be refridgerated jars in your grocers cooler that are unpasteurized, but usually anything canned should be boiled for an amount of time that will kill any live cultures. Fermented cabbage will keep (covered) for 5-6 months in your fridge.

At first the sauerkraut does have a laxative effect. This eases off after several days.

I'm not an expert on this, just relating how beneficial it has been for me and hope that it is for others. Did some research on the Internet and I see that other people have also gotten a positive response from ingesting this fermented vegetable.

 

[JimFromTN]

I have noticed that for me, it is also an extremely powerful and fast acting laxative. Don't know about anyone else but can hardly finish a second brat before the race is on.

Thats what happens to me

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

I do eat some kraut and will keep this in mind. My levels had gradually been creeping up to a dangerously high level this year. Different doctors had me trying all the different nasty medicence's. They had very little if any effect on me.I got my 1st report of getting almost decent #'s today.I started taking the 1200 mg fish oil capsules (3)times a day and 1 over the counter 500mg extended release niacin every night. Triglicerities (sp) went from 675 to 200 over a 6 month period.I put myself on the fish oil and over the counter niacin. Doctors Who needs em ??Can't live with em Can't live without em.

 

[700Rem308]

The laxative effects are expected. It comes from raw cabbage, too. Fiber. A particular tribe of Africans were noted to have a very high fiber intake. They also had no incidence of colon cancer. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe they ate things that didn't have any pesticides, herbicides, other -cides. Maybe it was because they had no tobacco. Still high fiber diets have been proven to reduce incidence of colon cancer in medical trials. I hadn't read about the cholesterol reducing effects, but it's not too surprising. As it was astutely pointed out, the laxative effects will abate after a short time, but still keeping things "as regular as clockwork."