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Discover the secret to boosting your gut health and enhancing your daily diet with just a forkful of sauerkraut! Our comprehensive guide reveals how much sauerkraut per day is ideal for optimizing digestion, immunity, and overall well-being, along with tips to easily incorporate this superfood into your meals.
Sauerkraut is a fermented food made from cabbage and salt, celebrated for its distinctive sour taste and rich probiotic content.
It promotes a healthy gut microbiome, aiding digestion and enhancing the immune system. Additionally, sauerkraut is packed with vitamins C and K, fiber, and antioxidants, making it a nutritious addition to any diet for overall well-being.
In Korea, where the tradition of eating over 100 varieties of kimchi—a Korean style of fermented cabbage akin to sauerkraut—is deeply ingrained in the culture, it’s a daily way of life to enjoy this staple at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Meanwhile, outside of Korea, many might find themselves uncertain about not only the appropriate quantity to consume but also how to introduce fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, into their diets.
How much sauerkraut to eat daily?
For a healthy individual, it is recommended that you eat 1-2 forkfuls of sauerkraut 2-3 times per day.
If you are dealing with health challenges, such as compromised digestion, or are on a salt-restrictive diet, read further for tips to get you started.
Sauerkraut, along with pickles and other fermented foods, has consistently been highlighted as a top food trend since I started this blog in 2014, signaling a growing movement toward recognizing the healing power of fermented foods.
As someone who passionately believes in the transformative health benefits of the food you eat, particularly sauerkraut, I’m thrilled. If you’re seeking gut-friendly options to combat issues like irritable bowel syndrome or bloating, sauerkraut could be a game-changer for you.
In this guide, learn how much sauerkraut to eat daily, what adjustments to make if your health is compromised, and easy ways to enjoy this powerful fermented food.
And don’t miss the helpful summary infographic at the end of this post.
Why Sauerkraut?
I have been on a mission to help others add sauerkraut to their diet since I had my first forkful over 20 years ago in 2002.
I found it delicious, especially once I developed a set of mouthwatering recipes and soon realized how I could put my gut’s health on autopilot and experience real changes in my health.
An Easy-to-Make, Delicious Addition to Your Meals
Sauerkraut is one of the easiest fermented foods to add to your diet to promote a healthy gut microbiome.
- Sauerkraut is a Versatile Addition to Every Meal: Easily incorporate sauerkraut into sandwiches, salads, or as a flavorful side dish. Effortlessly, it heightens flavors and awakens taste bugs—gut health on autopilot.
- Sauerkraut is Easy to Make: It requires just a few simple ingredients—cabbage and salt. Follow my ultimate sauerkraut guide, a step-by-step guide to making sauerkraut in a jar.
- Sauerkraut can be Made in Small Batches: With just a quart jar, you can practice the fermentation process and find your preferred taste and texture.
- Not just Caraway and Juniper Berries: Sauerkraut can be made in a delicious variety of flavors to appease all members of your household.
- Sauerkraut is the Ultimate Convenience Food: Imagine having a jar of sauerkraut always ready in your fridge, poised to be the perfect addition to any meal with zero preparation time.
- Sauerkraut is Safe to Eat: The centuries-old fermentation process naturally inhibits harmful bacteria, thanks to the lactic acid that develops, ensuring a safe-to-eat product. By following simple fermentation practices, such as using the correct salt concentration, sauerkraut becomes a reliably safe addition to your diet.
Dive into more reasons to enjoy sauerkraut, including some you’ve never heard of, that make adding just a forkful to your daily diet a wise choice.
Experience Real Changes in Your Health
Microbiology, allopathic and holistic medicine, and the culinary world have all embraced the health-boosting powers of live-cultured foods.
- Lacto-fermented foods, like sauerkraut, increase the action of hydrochloric acid for improved digestion. 😋
- Lacto-fermentation increases the bioavailability of minerals in your food, including manganese, calcium, and potassium, helping to add more minerals to your diet.
- The bacteria in fermented vegetables guard against shigella, salmonella, and e.coli. and other harmful pathogens.
- Sauerkraut contains choline, an amino acid that supports good liver health, and the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that helps with memory and protects against Alzheimer’s.
- Lacto-fermented foods can help build a more resilient immune system and possibly reduce vulnerability to viruses.
Three Tips to Get You Started
1. Start Slow
Sauerkraut, packed with probiotics and fiber, can disrupt your digestive system if introduced too hastily, leading to symptoms like gas, bloating, or diarrhea. This could mean your body isn’t yet accustomed to this new food, or you’ve added it to your diet too rapidly.
Begin with a small amount of sauerkraut to let your body gradually adjust. Start with just a forkful during a meal and monitor how you feel. Over a month or so, slowly increase your intake to 2-3 forkfuls at 2-3 meals a day.
A good sauerkraut serving size is 2-3 forkfuls, about 30 grams or 1 ounce.
2. Aim for Consistency
Pick one meal a deal and include sauerkraut with it on a consistent basis. When that has become an automatic habit, add in another meal. I generally enjoy a serving of sauerkraut with lunch and dinner.
Probiotic foods are most beneficial when you eat them regularly
3. Consume a Variety
Mix up your daily diet with a variety of fermented foods such as yogurt, pickles, fermented carrot sticks dipped in yogurt cheese, kombucha, fermented coconut water, or kefir to nourish your gut microbiome with a wide range of beneficial bacteria.
Reasons to Avoid or Reduce Consumption?
While sauerkraut is beneficial for many, there are certain health conditions where consuming sauerkraut might require caution or consultation with a healthcare provider. Here are some reasons to consider:
High Blood Pressure or Sodium Sensitivity: Sauerkraut contains salt, which is used in the fermentation process. People with high blood pressure, heart disease, or sodium sensitivity should be cautious due to its potential to contribute to increased blood pressure.
Thyroid Conditions: Sauerkraut is made from cabbage, a cruciferous vegetable that contains goitrogens, substances that can interfere with thyroid function. Individuals with thyroid conditions, especially those with hypothyroidism, should consult their doctor before adding sauerkraut to their diet.
Histamine Intolerance: Fermented foods like sauerkraut are high in histamines, the chemicals your body produces during allergic reactions. People with histamine intolerance may experience symptoms like headaches, rashes, or digestive issues when consuming fermented foods.
Gastrointestinal Conditions: Though sauerkraut can improve gut health, individuals with certain gastrointestinal conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) may find their symptoms worsen due to the high fiber and probiotic content.
Before making significant dietary changes or if you have any of the above conditions, it’s always wise to consult with a healthcare provider to ensure that adding sauerkraut to your diet is safe and beneficial for your specific health situation.
Do You Have Compromised Digestion?
Sauerkraut—and other fermented foods—are very powerful and can do wonders for healing digestion.
However, give your body—and the trillions of Mighty Microbes that live there—time to get used to this new food you’re sending their way.
- Start slow. Try just a forkful with one meal and see how your body reacts. Slowly, taking a month or so, work your way up to 2-3 forkfuls with 2-3 meals daily.
- Drink just the brine. If you have compromised digestion or difficulty digesting fiber, start with just the brine. Most likely, you will not have enough brine from your jar of fermented sauerkraut and may need to buy a couple of bottles of “Gut Shots”—or make your own—(the brine from sauerkraut) to slowly get your gut used to the wide range of probiotics.
Are You on a Salt-Restrictive Diet?
Sauerkraut is a condiment typically eaten in small quantities that should fit into a salt-restrictive diet but consult with your health practitioner to verify.
Here is the sodium content of homemade sauerkraut and common foods:
- 243 mg of salt in a 1-ounce (30 grams) serving of sauerkraut fermented with a 2.0% salt concentration. (What the sauerkraut recipes on my site call for.)
- 182 mg of salt in a 1-ounce (30 grams) serving of sauerkraut fermented with a 1.5% salt concentration.
- 850 mg of sodium in a 1/2 cup (125 ml) serving of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup. Sorry, childhood memories.
- 246 mg of sodium in 1/2 cup (125 ml) of pizza sauce
- 216-240 mg of sodium in a 3/4 cup (175 ml) serving of instant oatmeal
- 736-970 mg of sodium in a 1 cup (250 ml) serving of cottage cheese
Here are some tips if you are on a salt-restrictive diet:
- Restrict serving size. You will still garner the probiotic benefits with a small serving of sauerkraut.
- Rinse off your sauerkraut. Give your sauerkraut a quick rinse before serving. This will wash off some, but not all, of the beneficial bacteria.
- Make sauerkraut using less salt. The recipes on my site use a 2% salt concentration. Research indicates that you can go as low as 1.5% salinity and still provide a safe home for the beneficial bacteria to proliferate and prevent the growth of molds and yeasts. When you weigh your ingredients and salt, it’s easier to adjust the amount of salt used.
FAQs: How Much Sauerkraut to Eat Per Day?
Should I Eat Sauerkraut on an Empty Stomach?
Eating sauerkraut on an empty stomach may aid in the digestion and absorption of nutrients from your food.
However, individual tolerance varies, and for some, eating sauerkraut on an empty stomach might cause discomfort, such as bloating or gas, especially if not accustomed to fermented foods.
Best Time to Eat Sauerkraut for Gut Health?
For optimal benefits, it’s best to eat enzyme-rich fermented foods like sauerkraut at the start of a meal.
This allows them to immediately begin aiding digestion upon reaching the stomach, equipping your gut with the healthy bacteria and enzymes necessary for effectively breaking down food.
How Often Should I Eat Sauerkraut
It is a good idea to consume some fermented food with every meal, whether that is sauerkraut, naturally fermented pickles, yogurt, kefir, etc.
However, if you are new to fermented foods, start slow with one new ferment and then gradually add in others.
How Much Bacteria in a Serving of Sauerkraut?
According to Sauerkraut And Gut Health:
Bacteria are measured in colony forming units (CFUs). Studies suggest that sauerkraut and other fermented foods contain 1 million to 1 billion CFUs per gram/millilitre. A tablespoon serving of sauerkraut weighs roughly ten grams, which means it could give you between 10 million to 10 billion CFUs.
Healthpath, How Much Sauerkraut for Gut Health
What is the Best Sauerkraut to Eat?
To reap the health benefits of consuming naturally fermented foods, you need to make sure that the store-bought sauerkraut you buy is still teeming with the beneficial bacteria, enzymes, and nutrients created during the fermentation process.
In my Sauerkraut Shopping Guide I share three key tips (along with additional guidelines):
- Look in the refrigerated section of the store.
- Look on the label for the right words to signify that the sauerkraut is alive.
- Look on the label to verify that only real ingredients are listed. No vinegar. No additives.
What are Some Ways to Eat Sauerkraut?
When looking for ways to eat sauerkraut, keep it simple. Eat some right out of the jar. Add a forkful to a salad. Or, place a bit of sauerkraut on your dinner plate.
You don’t need an elaborate recipe, nor do you need to eat a massive quantity to speed up your digestion or improve your health. Just one forkful of sauerkraut is teaming with enough beneficial bacteria to make noticeable, positive changes in your digestion.
Here are a few suggestions from 50 Tasty Ways to Enjoy Sauerkraut {Simple Snacks to Yum Dishes}:
15. Sauerkraut in a Tossed Green Salad
Tear up some lettuce leaves, and add a few forkfuls of sauerkraut along with some brine, a splash of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a few grinds of black pepper. Add some cheese or leftover meat slices for a more fulfilling salad.
28. Quesadilla Double Decker
Use two tortillas. Top one tortilla with your favorite ingredients – salsa, avocado, and perhaps diced sweet & spicy peppers. Sprinkle on some cheese. Top another tortilla with just cheese. Bake both until melted and browned. Add some sauerkraut to the tortilla with all the other ingredients and top with the cheesy tortilla (cheese face down). Slice into pizza wedges.
31. Avocado Breakfast Toast
Toast a slice of bread to your liking. Fry an egg. Mash half an avocado onto toast. Add a few forkfuls of sauerkraut, letting excess brine drain into the jar, and top with egg. Season with salt and pepper.
How to Make Sauerkraut
Learn how to make sauerkraut with my photo-rich teaching recipe. It contains many tips, a PDF recipe, and a free email course and has helped thousands ferment sauerkraut at home.
I love the taste of my homemade sauerkraut which keeps me going back for more. You are an excellent teacher and answer all the questions I have without even having to ask you.
—George, New York
How Much Sauerkraut Infographic
Let us know in the Comments how much sauerkraut you eat per day.
Great post Holly…got me to do a little math on our consumption of sauerkraut since we are making multiple of crock and jar batches a year…we must have Korean past lives, since my husband and I each consume a minimum of 38 lbs each/year…and we would eat more, it is so delicious! there is even more space in the veggie garden going towards growing cabbages this year.
We’re in our 60’s, were raw foodists for a few years, now have a vegan diet and have been including ferments in our diet for many years, actually starting with fermenting the overflow of cucumbers from the veggies garden, so have no issues with our daily portion of kraut with lunch.
I highly recommend following Holly’s suggestions on incorporating ferments slowly into ones diet, to allow the digestive system and whole body to gradually accommodate and appreciate the positive benefits ferments offer.
Thank you again Holly for all you do in bringing awareness to the benefits of ferments into so many homes. Many blessings of peace Precious One :)))
38 pounds! Way to go MakeSauerkraut KrautStars!. I hope you’re experiencing the positive benefits. Thank you for your blessings and support.
Hi Holly, love your recipe for easy to make sauerkraut, which I’ve done many times now and it’s never failed.
My last batch I put in cumin seeds and fennel seeds as well as onion powder and ginger power. The cumin and fennel gave it a really great taste, while the ginger gave it a good zing.
I think it’s great to experiment with the flavours. Thanks for all you do.
Hello Amanda, Thank YOU for you’re support and happy to hear of your successes! Love that combo of spices, especially the fennel seeds. Keep on experimenting. 🙂
At my current rate of consumption I’m eating around 120lb per year, that’s just me on my own….is that too much?
120 pounds! A new record for the MakeSauerkraut KrautStars! Never too much. Just start looking for variety and try adding other fermented foods into your diet – other microbial colonies – if you are not already.
he he, thanks Holly:)
when I first started eating it I found that I craved it and would feel quite an intense rush of euphoria after eating it!
I dont have that so strongly now but I do feel strongly motivated to eat a largish bowl with my cooked meal in the evening.
I’ve read that fermented food can affect serotonin production in the gut and wondered if that had something to do with the euphoria?
Yes, your gut bacteria were asking for food that they needed. You fed them. Now they’re happy and don’t need as much. 🙂 And yes, I would agree that that good feeling is improved serotonin production. You gut is responsible for 90% of your serotonin production!
Hi Holly, Hi Lunar Nine, I am still laughing @ 120#… BUT! According to “The Holly Howe Goldstandard Recipe” a Qt. o’ Kraut is 1.75#… A quick calculation reveals that, my Kraut Lovin’ Amigo, you are eating 68.75 quarts per year… Good for you !
Thanks for doing the math. I was getting ready to and then my brain said it was done for the night!
I consume up to 3 cups of my homemade fermented sauerkraut a day. I love tossing it over my poached eggs and a slice of Dave’s Organic sliced bread. I also spread organic virgin coconut oil over my bread and top it off with a heavy dash of turmeric and black pepper; Deeeeeeeeeee-Lish!
WOW! That must mean you are fermenting a lot of sauerkraut! Love the serving suggestions.
My daughter and I are addicted to your fermented cabbage recipes! I just had chicken sautéed in virgin olive oil, garlic, lemon, parsley and organic coconut sugar. I than placed the sautéed chicken over a bed of quinoa and than I heaped gobs of fermented beet, carrot and cabbage over the top of the chicken and quinoa.
Talk about a delicious meal, Holly. Heavenly!
You’re making me hungry!!! Such an easy way to add vegetables – and ZING – to a dish. 🙂
Holly, I have finally got around to making two large, approx 2litre jars of your sauerkraut recipe. Followed your instructions perfectly and having been away for three weeks came home to an amazing result. Absolutely love it and will be ready to try perhaps the sweet, carrot/garlic version for one jar next time. Just fabulous. Thanks so much.
Hello Jeff, What a wonderful feeling to create something so amazing. I know that feeling of tasting food that is so delicious which I often experience after traveling and coming home to my own food. Enjoy all the goodness ahead!
I just ate a whole 450g (16oz) jar of raw, unpasteurised sauerkraut- THEN, though to Google ‘how much sauerkraut should I eat’, and found this page. Should I call for an ambulance?
Actually I don’t feel too bad, I do eat raw yoghurt and things though, and I ate my first jar of raw sauerkraut last week over 3 or 4 days with no great wobbles. I made the mistake of doing some emails this afternoon with the open jar and a fork at my desk- in 25 minutes it had all gone. There are a lot of very funny noises coming from my tummy area, but no great pain or distress. I feel bloated and won’t be eating so much of it at one sitting again though. I very much like the thought of all that good bacteria going to war with the bad ones in my gut. I liked your infographic very much.
Anyway, gotta go… to the toilet.
Hello Jake, Thanks for adding a big smile to my day. Hope you’re doing fine. Thank goodness, your gut seems to be OK with all those Mighty Microbes. May they do some good work for you!
I too ate a bowl of sauerkraut before reading “How much to eat.” But I eat a couple of salads a day, plus a lot of raw and steamed veggies and fruit. Yes, I’m in the bathroom 4-10 times a day. Very healthy bowels!! lol!! Looking forward to adding fermented foods to the mix. This was SOOOOOooooo helpful! Thank you!
Happy to help, but… remember scrumptious sauerkraut is a condiment. Go slowly… Your microbes can eat only so much. 🙂 And stay tuned… some readers have asked me what the impact of goitrogens is on the thyroid. Time to do some research and then share my findings. They’re all over the map. Stay tuned.
I thought that when the cabbage was fermented (and when cooked, too) that the goitrogrens were reduced enough so that even those of us with thyroid problems did not have to worry. But I’ll feel better if you confirm it.
You’re keeping me on my toes… I likewise thought fermentation reduced goitrogens, but delving into that further proves otherwise. See some of the links under the thyroid section. But, if one delves even deeper, some feel that it is not that simple.
could you tell me how to search for the links under the thyroid section? i tried, but can’t find them.
There just the highlighted text. 🙂
https://chriskresser.com/solutions-for-snoring-overactive-bladder-and-balancing-goitrogens-in-your-diet/
https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/bearers-of-the-cross-crucifers-in-the-context-of-traditional-diets-and-modern-science/
https://autoimmunewellness.com/goitrogens-why-you-dont-need-to-avoid-them/
And then this website has some articles that I can’t seem to find right now. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/
Thank you!
So here, after looking at all the sites you listed, is my report. The article at the weston price site (the second on your list) is the best of them, and extremely helpful. Although it is from 2007, which means there may have been more research done in the past decade, it is by a nutritional scientist (Chris Masterjohn), and ranges through a number of sources from peer-reviewed papers, each of which is footnoted so that anyone can follow up. The author’s discussion is excellent, not biased in any way. Here is my take-away, which shows, as you said, that the situation is complex:
“Throughout history, various populations have prepared cruciferous vegetables in different ways, some of which neutralize the goitrogens to varying extents and some of which do not. Many people believe that cooking and fermenting crucifers eliminates the goitrogens but the situation is much more complex than this.
Fermentation of sauerkraut actually activates the goitrogens from their precursors. It also has the beneficial effect of reducing the nitrile content to half of what would be generated by cabbage upon digestion.18,21 Since nitriles appear to be more toxic than goitrogens and their effects cannot be mitigated by dietary iodine, the overall effect of fermentation is positive. More importantly, if sauerkraut is used as a condiment, the amount of goitrogens consumed is very low and very unlikely to exert any harm. However, it is important to realize that unreasonably high intakes of sauerkraut could have adverse effects.”
Having read this, I am sure that sauerkraut is good for us, but, as you tell people, as a condiment. After all the effort put into making it, it would be a shame to eat it up too quickly!
I’ve followed C. Masterjohn’s work over the years and have always been impressed. And, he’s not uncomfortable sharing his findings even if they go against what we may want to hear. He writes a lot for the WA Price foundation.
A nice summary for our readers. It’s a condiment! And, I would VARIETY add to that.
Hello! I’m on the last bit of a liter of sauerkraut I made in September 2017. It has been very difficult to not just gobble the whole jar at once. It is fantastic! I have not had any untoward digestive issues even though I’ve included eating carrots, snap peas, kimchi, and cranberries in addition to my kraut servings. Fantastic! I love your site and your newsletters. Thank you!
Are you saying you put cranberries in your sauerkraut? Or do you have another way to eat them? I have a lot of cranberries on hand so would love some advice on how to use them besides the usual cranberry sauce.
Yes, you can put cranberries in your sauerkraut or ferment them on their own. I so happen to have just the post for you! http://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermented-cranberries/
Thank YOU! Isn’t it amazing how long the sauerkraut lasts and how the flavors develop? I hope you have more stashed away. 🙂
I have some half gallon jars with 1% pink salt but fermented at 55-65 degrees. Two are still at it and 1 I stopped at 20 days. It tastes fine and I am having about a cup a day (just a bowl when I feel like it) with no problems. It is not as crunchy as I liked so maybe I will up it to 1.5%.
This batch was Cabbage a little kale and juniper berries. I stopped it because I was concerned it was pink which I wouldn’t expect with those ingredients. (the other jars have red cabbage in the mix so they are PURPLE). But it smelled ok and tasted ok and I am fine so I guess no problems.
Yes, you will get more crunch at the 1.5%. The latest research I’ve seen, says that you can make sk below 1.5% but the chance for the growth of yeasts and molds is greater. They also use seaweeds, and garlic (to inhibit the growth of molds). Pink sk is usually caused by an overgrowth of yeasts .
This is a wonderful infographic. Just one thing: You say “One tablespoon of salt contains 6,976 mg of salt.”, but I think you mean one tablespoon of salt contains 6,976 mg of sodium, no?
(I sent an email about this too, but in case it doesn’t reach you am posting as a comment)
Thank you for the catching my mistake! Corrected. There is 6976 mg of sodium in 1 tablespoon of salt.
Has there ever been, to your knowledge, a study on how many probiotics from food that you eat actually survive the trip through the stomach acids and actually make it to the intestines? Just wondering which is better probiotics from food or probiotics from pills?
Yes, there is. I’ll have to track it down, because your question is a good one. On Cultured Food and Health this was stated in the benefits on fermented foods:
“The superstar bacteria in cultured vegetables is called Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum). It is extremely hardy, survives stomach acid with ease, and can make the full trip from your to mouth – to intestines – to colon – to colonize you in a powerful way. L. plantarum is a welcome guest that works mightily for you by fiercely attacking pathogenic (bad) bacteria in our bodies. It will strengthen your good bacteria by killing the bad guys, and then helps your own good bacteria grow stronger, and helps it to be more resistant to future invasions of pathogens. It’s important to note that this is a transient bacteria which means it will only last a few days in the body so it’s important to have it often.”
Your question is on my list to research because I would like to cover this more thoroughly. It’s definitely less expensive to make your own probioitcs but I know some do both when dealing with major health concerns.
Thanks for the article. I learned the hard way and ate about a cup of homemade sauerkraut at once. I also had dandelion greens for dinner and woke up in the morning with very debilitating gas and bloating. I looked 6 months pregnant and felt like I was in labor. Never again! Wish it didn’t taste so good, but now I will spoon it from the jar instead of standing at the fridge just shoveling it in.
Just one of life’s many hard lesson. As your body adjusts to all the bacteria, you’ll find you’re able to eat larger portions. 🙂
Thanks for the article, very interesting read! I made a big jar of red cabbage sauerkraut and after fermenting it for about a week it urned out really good. Then slowly it started to become soggy and now I even spotted a bit of mold on top. What can I do? Do I have to trash the whole big jar? 🤣
Hi Nadine, Glad you enjoyed the article. There’s always so much to learn. I would guess that you didn’t let it ferment long enough to be completely preserved. pH drops and lactic acid is developed to nice numbers by day 5-7 usually but there is a further drop in pH and more acid slowly developed after that, so the ideal is 3-4 weeks. And, with red cabbage having a bit thicker and tougher leaves, it can take a bit longer. Most are OK with simply removing the layer with the mold. You should find fresh smelling kraut beneath it. It so, no need to toss it.
Always sprinkle cracked pepper on top after you fill up the jars to prevent molds in any fermentation process
Now, that’s a new one for me. Do you have any information on how that works? What little searching I’ve done is all on how black pepper tends to harbor molds.
https:// idosi.org<gjp
Hi everyone, I am a new fan. I have a compromised immune system which is no fun. I get frequent infections including upper respiratory infections, gut infections and pink eye. I’ve always loved sauerkraut and would like to attempt to create my own. For now I’m enjoying the kind from Trader Joe’s, but it isn’t cheap! I live in an apartment which is far too warm to make this stuff. I wondered if I could allow it to ferment in Mason jars in an ice chest with ice packs? I would love to know if anyone else has tried this?
Yes, that is the perfect solution and what many use when fermenting in hot weather. More tips here: http://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermentation-tips-hot-weather/
If you eat much starch, especially refined starch, that will make the most likely circumstances for infections and pink eye. What starches are you eating?
Do you get a better benefit from eating it with food, will food help the microbes make it though digestion better?
I’m still trying to track down an article I recently came across that answered your very question. I think eating before a meal helps to stimulate digestion whereas with a meal would improve digestive health. When I find the better answer, I’ll post it here.
FOUND IT! https://www.youtube.com/watch?utm_sq=fv9r2t77zn&v=q9DBJzwzpbI&feature=youtu.be&a=
I am on a low salt diet, because of swelling and edema in my legs. Also, low thyroid. I am making my sauerkraut using 1 teaspoon of salt, rather than the tablespoonful called for in the recipe. My sauerkraut turns out well, and the fermentation schedule is about the same as I see demonstrated on your site.
My question, which I hope isn’t tedious, is, if I can also use the 1 teaspoon ration for the “Gut Shot” recipe.
Give it a try. It seems a bit low to me, but I know many recommend adding some brine to the mix – especially when cutting back on the salt – to help with the bacteria growth. Enjoy! Also, you do have more to ferment with all the liquid in there and that should be part of the equation.
I have a question for you Holly. First of all we been making your krauat recipe for some time with awesome results. So we tried onions with the 2% brine and as time went on the fermenting smell got awful to the point we had trough them out the door. IT was awful really. What could have gone wrong do you think ?
Onions are one of the only vegetables we know of that don’t have inherent bacteria so they rotted instead of fermenting. You have to instead “pickle” them in a acidic brine. I make one out of lemon and/or lime juice. For one pint: 1 cup citrus juice, 1 tsp sugar, 1-2 tsp salt. “Ferment” for 3-5 days until translucent and less bite.
Hi. I appreciated your article. I need some clarifcation. One online article said only buy sauerkraut without sugar and water. I have made sauerkrat before but that takes 10 days to make. I ended up getting canned sauerkraut (with water but no sugar) at the store. Del Monte Quality Sauerkraut. It has Sauerkraut, water and salt. They all have water (most also have added sugar) in them-even in the pouches and sauerkraut in a glass jar. I also read that the plastic pouches with vents are not biodegradable ans they just end up in tiny little pieces in the landfill. The pouches do not say biodegradable on them. I am a vegan. If I buy the canned sauerkraut and eat 2 spoonfulls everyday, will I be getting my daily recommended k2 amount?? What do you recommend?
Sauerkraut contains some K2 but not in high enough amounts to get you daily quota from. “Sauerkraut contains 10 mcg of Vitamin K2 in a single serving; Natto, 500 mcg or 100% of the DV in a single 2-ounce serving.” See more in this article: https://www.makesauerkraut.com/nutrition-benefits-sauerkraut/
When you buy sauerkraut, you want to look in the fridge section and only buy sauerkraut that’s say “raw” or “unpasteurized” on the label. The only ingredients listed on the label should be cabbage, salt, and then whatever vegetables were used to season it. The rest, including your Del Monte have been pasteurized and do not have the same nutritional benefits of the raw sauerkraut. Good point about those pouches. 🙂
Hi there Holly and the Team…I have just made a batch of Kraut and carrots a few days ago….I have made it twice before and got to craving it…I determined that I will always have a bottle of Kraut in my fridge in future….tonight I came home at 8:30 from Church, fried up a meat patty and added 2 large spoons of Kraut onto my plate….went back for more Kraut….I have always used Sea Salt but this time I used Pink Malaysian Salt…I have always tested the taste…and so far have been fortunate to have healthy Kraut….I definitely want to invest in a Digital Scale as I am not serious about my stash of Kraut….I am heavy into making Kefir Milk for a few years now which has distracted me and then also making Bone Broth….let me stop before I write a book on it….Thank you so very much for all the info you have been supplying us with… God bless and continue with your superb work….Frances from South Africa
Can to much sauerkraut also cause muscle stiffness, fatique, swollen lymph nodes in the neck. i notice when i started i could not even tolerate one teaspoon of it. yesterday i took half a cup. i know my tolerance is getting better because a teaspoon is no problem anymore. are these commen symptoms when taking way to much?
I haven’t heard that before. Usually, it’s more of gut issues, but I’m not a doctor. I would say dial it back and go slower. A half a cup was probably too much. I eat just 1-2 forkfuls, 1-2 times a day.