The Benefits of Eating Sauerkraut Daily • Cultured Guru (2024)

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There are many benefits of eating sauerkraut daily because probiotic foods contain probiotics, prebiotics, bioavailable vitamins, and bioavailable minerals. Enjoy my unique sauerkraut recipe that incorporates coconut water, kale, beet greens, seaweed, cabbage, and sea salt. Beneficial bacteria in sauerkraut transform these ingredients into bioavailable vitamins and minerals for optimal gut health. This recipe comes together in just 15 minutes and the fermentation process takes four weeks at room temperature.

How to Eat Sauerkraut for Gut Health

There are plenty of benefits of eating sauerkraut daily. Eating sauerkraut every day can help maintain regular and healthy digestion for two main reasons. First, sauerkraut provides natural probiotic bacteria to balance the gut microbiome. Second, sauerkraut contains a lot of enzymes, bioavailable nutrients, essential vitamins, and minerals. This is why I eat sauerkraut or kimchi every morning with breakfast. These foods help me maintain a healthy gut, but there’s more to it.

The microorganisms in your gut are essential for healthy digestion, but they are not the only factor. There are other aspects to proper digestion. Parts of yournervousandcirculatorysystems also help work with nerves,hormones, blood, and the other organs of your digestive system to efficiently digest the foods and liquids you eat and drink.

For all of these systems to work correctly in tandem with your gut microbiome, you have to supply your body with the right vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. A great way to give your body these necessary nutrients is to eat naturally fermented sauerkraut.

It’s easy to staring eating sauerkraut daily for gut health; incorporate it into recipes like these:

Nutritious Chicken Caesar Salad with Brussels Sprouts
Vegan German Sauerkraut Soup with Chickpeas and Mushrooms (Sauerkrautsuppe)
Oven-Baked Kimchi and Miso Marinated Chicken Wings

You can even use the sauerkraut brine in delicious recipes like this one: Summer Lemon Kale Salad with Brined Salmon

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What Vitamins are good for digestion?

The most important vitamins for gut health are B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin D; but we also have to think about minerals for healthy digestion. I’m not particularly eager to take supplements, and I enjoy giving my body everything it needs through real food. Thus, the top four minerals I always make sure I get enough of with every meal are magnesium, potassium, sodium, and calcium. Also, I am making sure I get enough iodine and vitamin C.Holistic nutrition encompasses more than just these vitamins and minerals. Still, I want to focus on these top four critical minerals for this blog recipe.

What Minerals are in Sauerkraut?

Sauerkraut is rich in vitamins and minerals when you make it with cabbage, salt, and water. Sauerkraut vitamins and minerals include:

Vitamin C
Vitamin K1
Iron
Folate
Manganese
Copper
Potassium

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Is sauerkraut high in magnesium?

The bacteria that ferment the cabbage into sauerkraut simply make vitamins and minerals already present in the ingredients more bioavailable. Therefore, if you want sauerkraut to be high in magnesium, the ingredients included in the sauerkraut need to be high in magnesium.

I decided a great way to boost essential minerals, like magnesium, would be to make a Mineral-Rich Fermented Sauerkraut. Here’s the breakdown of the ingredients I added to this recipe and why I added them:

Fresh leafy beet greens = calcium and magnesium
Sea salt = sodium
Coconut water = potassium and magnesium
Kale = vitamin C and calcium
Shredded Cabbage = magnesium, potassium, and calcium
Seaweed = iodine (necessary for thyroid function); the best seaweed to use would be kombu, but I used a nori sheet.

With all of these ingredients, this recipe is the most mineral-rich sauerkraut and great for your immune system. However, I want to note that this sauerkraut does not provide the total daily recommended value of essential minerals all by itself. Still, it is an excellent addition to breakfast for a boost of minerals to start the day.

How long should you ferment cabbage?

To learn all about the optimal fermentation time for sauerkraut, click here. You can taste test this sauerkraut at 14 days, but you should continue to ferment for 21 to 28 days. A three to four-week fermentation time will yield kraut with the most beneficial bacteria for digestive health.

If you follow all the directions and this timeline, you don’t need to worry about harmful bacteria. The ratios in my recipe ensure you can cover the cabbage with enough brine to keep everything submerged throughout fermentation.

Here are the fermentation conditions for this recipe:

4 weeks of fermentation
Approximate 2.5% total salt concentration
Room temperature (60-78° F)
Final pH around 3.7
Store in refrigerator after fermentation for up to 2 years

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Supplies You’ll Need to Ferment Sauerkraut

Here are all the supplies you need to make this recipe:

32 ounce Wide Mouth Mason Jar
Fermentation Weight
Standard Metal Mason Jar Lid (this can rust in the presence of salt)
OR Rust Free Plastic Lid
or you can use a Weck Jar (without the gasket; only use the clips to secure the lid)
Sea Salt
Scale
Mixing Bowl

More Recipe to Reap the Benefits of Eating Sauerkraut Daily

How to Ferment Sauerkraut with Blueberries and Açaí
How to Ferment Sauerkraut with Orange, Sesame, and Ginger
Roasted Garlic Sauerkraut with Black Pepper

How to Make Mineral Rich Sauerkraut

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Ingredients

500 grams green cabbage
50 grams beet greens or baby kale
5 grams seaweed
200 grams coconut water
19 grams sea salt

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Instructions

Wash your fermentation equipment (jar, weight, and lid). For this recipe, I suggest sterilizing the jar, lid, and weight with a little bit of vodka).
Remove the outer leaves of your cabbage and lightly rinse with cool water. Using a knife, chop the cabbage to your desired thickness.
Place your kitchen scale on the counter. Turn it on and set it to weigh in grams.
Place a mixing bowl on your kitchen scale and tare/zero the scale.*
Add the designated amounts of chopped cabbage, beet greens, seaweed, and coconut water into the bowl.
Remove the bowl of cabbage from the scale and set it aside. Place a small, empty bowl on your scale and tare/zero the scale. Weigh out 19 grams of sea salt.
Add the 19 grams of salt into the bowl with the cabbage, and mix with your clean hands. I mixed for about two minutes.
Starting with the liquid, add the entire contents of the bowl into your mason jar, and pack everything down using a tamper, wooden spoon, or your hand.
Place your glass fermentation weight in the jar, making sure to submerge the cabbage pieces and weight fully into the liquid.If you don’t have quite enough liquid, place your glass fermentation weight in the jar and submerge as much as possible. Over the next 12 hours, the cabbage should release more liquid and you can press down your fermentation weight below the brine.
Secure the standard mason jar lid to the mason jar.
Ferment for at least 21 days before storing in the fridge.
In the first week of fermentation, carefully burp the jar daily to release the gas.

Keywords: sauerkraut, fermented vegetables

Kaitlynn Fenley

Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist teaching people how to make the best fermented foods and drinks for gut health. She is Cajun, from St. James Parish Louisiana and loves to cook rustic nourishing food for herself and her husband, Jon.

As a seasoned expert in the realm of fermented foods and gut health, I can confidently affirm the comprehensive knowledge embedded in the provided article. The content delves into the numerous benefits of incorporating sauerkraut into one's daily diet, emphasizing its role in promoting optimal gut health through the inclusion of probiotics, prebiotics, bioavailable vitamins, and minerals.

The article articulates a unique sauerkraut recipe, showcasing a deep understanding of the fermentation process and the transformative impact of beneficial bacteria on the ingredients. The incorporation of coconut water, kale, beet greens, seaweed, cabbage, and sea salt highlights a thoughtful approach to enhancing the bioavailability of vitamins and minerals essential for digestive well-being.

Moreover, the piece extends beyond the recipe, elucidating the broader context of gut health. It explores the symbiotic relationship between gut microorganisms and other physiological systems, such as the nervous and circulatory systems. The author underscores the importance of supplying the body with the right vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, steering clear of a simplistic view that solely focuses on probiotics.

A noteworthy segment addresses the vital role of vitamins in digestive health, particularly emphasizing B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin D. The article goes a step further to shed light on critical minerals for healthy digestion, with a focus on magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium, iodine, and vitamin C.

The question of sauerkraut's mineral content, specifically magnesium, is expertly addressed. The explanation clarifies that the bacteria responsible for fermentation do not add minerals but enhance the bioavailability of those already present in the ingredients. The article introduces a Mineral-Rich Fermented Sauerkraut recipe, dissecting the inclusion of ingredients such as beet greens, sea salt, coconut water, kale, shredded cabbage, and seaweed for their magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iodine contributions.

A meticulous exploration of the fermentation process follows, providing details on optimal fermentation time, conditions, and necessary supplies. The author's expertise shines through as they guide readers on a journey to create a Mineral-Rich Sauerkraut, assuring them that the recipe's ratios prevent harmful bacteria and ensure a brine-covered fermentation.

In summary, this article not only presents a compelling sauerkraut recipe but also demonstrates a profound understanding of gut health, vitamins, minerals, and the intricate processes involved in fermentation. The author's expertise is evident in their ability to seamlessly integrate scientific insights with practical culinary guidance, making the information accessible and actionable for readers seeking to enhance their digestive well-being.