Kefir, sauerkraut and other fermented foods

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The evidence that ones gut flora is way more important then previously thought just keeps growing and it seems that it's really come into the public consciousness now with diet books etc hitting the shelves.

I've been interested in this for a while having had gut problems caused by long term NSAID usage.

I've been messing around with making kefir and sauerkraut and am about to give kimchi and kombucha a shot.

if you don't know, kefir is a fermented milk product popular in E.Europe and Asia, a bit like yoghurt but whereas yoghurt has one or two strains of bacteria, kefir has more like 30 plus yeasts. It contains a lot of live organisms and they're proven to make it to the gut alive. It's got a pretty decent nutrient profile with protein, lowish carbs, vitamins B, K and D.

There are a lot of health claims that you'd expect with natural foods like cancer reduction and all that crap but ignoring that, the evidenced effects seem worthwhile. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3833126/ It craps on store bought probiotics as far as I can work out.

Making it is an easy and never-ending cycle as it keeps making more of the "grains" that you add to the milk. Let it sit for a day and that's about it other than sieving out the grains for the next lot. I make a batch every couple of days and use it in my morning smoothie instead of milk, it's kind of sour but the other ingredients balance it out so it's nice.

Likewish sauerkraut is pretty damned easy too. Shred your veg, salt it and let it sit in the jar for however long you want to. I'm find it that one a bit more of a taste challenge.

Anyone making their own fermented foods?

Michael Mosley, the guy who did the 5:2 diet book, has done a book on it called Clever Guts: https://cleverguts.com - it's quite interesting, providing lots of evidence of just how important the balance of gut flora is in health and how shitty western diets trash it and how it's implicated in health issues including metabolic disease, obesity and so on.

I realise in the forum that most of us are interested in building muscle and recovering from martial arts and not so much about health but the anti-inflammatory effects might help with getting over your 2 hour sparring session. So have at it!
 
Good luck with taking the probiotics and improving your gut health. I hope it helps out.

I know it is often mentioned that NSAIDS can lead to gut and heart health problems. I suspect the cause has to do with the important of inflammation to healing. NSAIDs decrease inflammation and with that can hinder healing. It is just a guess. It could explain why NSAIDs are linked with increased risk of heart attacks, which has been in the news of late. As an example:

FDA strengthens warning that NSAIDs increase heart attack and stroke risk


https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog...ase-heart-attack-and-stroke-risk-201507138138
 
I've been looking at this more and more. I'm not a fan of fermented foods really but I could stomach them for health reasons. How much are you supposed to consume per day. Would 1 cup of kefir or 1 portion of Kimchi or pickled vegetables per day be enough?
 
Man i know they are good for you, but fermented foods are a powerful gas inducer, i remember eat sauerkraut with my dinner and mid sleep my stomach started grumbling and i was cramping up felt like i had to take a dump so i sat on the toilet at 2 am in the morning and unleashed the loudest shot gun blast fart. Woke up my family and sounded off the car alarms.


I remember drinking kefir but be careful kefir will burn your mouth and throat, it stings and is super bitter.
 
I've been looking at this more and more. I'm not a fan of fermented foods really but I could stomach them for health reasons. How much are you supposed to consume per day. Would 1 cup of kefir or 1 portion of Kimchi or pickled vegetables per day be enough?
One cup is enough daily you just have to be consistent and take it daily, even if you get sides they are supposed to go away, it means the good bacteria is fighting off the bad stuff in your gut, intestines. You gotta give it time, to build up, after a while ill just take it every other day.
You have to feed the good bacteria with foods like cabbage and banana i think, certain foods help feed the good bacteria in your gut.
High sugar feeds the bad stuff, and some of these fake sugars can kill off the good probiotics in your gut.
 
I've been looking at this more and more. I'm not a fan of fermented foods really but I could stomach them for health reasons. How much are you supposed to consume per day. Would 1 cup of kefir or 1 portion of Kimchi or pickled vegetables per day be enough?

I should think so, as long as you're eating a decent diet that favours healthy gut flora - high fibre, veg, low sugar, low processed food etc.

If you're necking down chicken nuggets and potato waffles then it won't help much.

Kefir smoothies are nice I think, just like a yoghurt drink.

Sauerkraut doesn't have to be super strong.if you make your own then you start off having like 3 day old stuff which is like slightly vinegary coleslaw and move into the longer fermented stuff as you get to like taste.
 
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