We hear a lot about what not to eat to prevent experiencing digestive discomfort, and we certainly know what happens when we eat something that doesn’t agree with us. The good news is it works both ways! We can also eat to help improve digestive health. Check out my digestion improving favourites.
Food # 1 – Natural probiotic yoghurt
Good quality natural yoghurt containing the ‘good’ bacteria, or probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that inhabit the digestive tract. They aid digestion, support immunity and may help to keep potentially harmful bugs at bay. Other possible benefits attributed to probiotics include: a reduction in diarrhoea caused by certain antibiotics, viruses or other causes; a reduction in allergic symptoms; relief from constipation; and, relief from symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). All of this is a great reason to make natural yoghurt an addition to your daily breakfast routine.
Food # 2 – Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a fermented food made with cabbage, and can be made at home or purchased from specialty stores. It has similar health benefits to probiotic yoghurt, as it also contains lactic acid bacteria that act as a probiotic.
If you are feeling adventurous, why not try out this recipe:
Traditional Sauerkraut
Equipment:
- 4-litre food grade plastic bucket or cooking pot
- Plate that fits inside the bucket or pot
- Cloth cover like a pillowcase or towel
- Glass jug filled with water or sterilised rock to use as a weight
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ kg of red and/or green cabbage
- 3 tablespoons of iodised sea salt
- ½ cup caraway seeds and/or juniper berries
Process:
1. Chop or grate cabbage and add to large bowl.
2. Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go. The salt pulls water out of the cabbage, and this creates the brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour. The salt also keeps the cabbage crunchy.
3. Mix spices through and pack into the bucket or pot. Pack just a bit into the pot at a time and tamp it down hard using your fists or any (other) sturdy tool. The tamping packs the kraut tight and helps force water out of the cabbage.
4. Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the pot. Place a clean weight (a glass jug filled with water) on the cover. This weight is to force water out of the cabbage and then keep the cabbage submerged under the brine. Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out.
5. Press down on the weight to add pressure to the cabbage and help force water out of it. Continue doing this periodically (as often as you think of it, every few hours), until the brine rises above the cover. If the brine does not rise above the plate level by the next day, add enough salt water to bring the brine level above the plate. Add about a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water and stir until it’s completely dissolved.
6. Leave the pot to ferment and check the kraut every day or two. The volume reduces as the fermentation proceeds. Sometimes mould appears on the surface. Skim off what you can; it will break up and you will probably not be able to remove all of it, but don’t worry. The kraut itself is under the anaerobic protection of the brine. Rinse off the plate and the weight. Taste the kraut. Generally it starts to be tangy after a few days, and the taste gets stronger as time passes.
7. Remove from the bucket and put in sterilised jars and store in the fridge at time intervals suited to your taste. The flavour will evolve over a few weeks – it will occur faster in warmer conditions. Just remember, always make sure the remaining kraut in the pot or bucket is covered in brine and not exposed to air.
8. Enjoy!
Food # 3 – The onion family
Vegetables such as garlic, onions and leeks contain what are called ‘prebiotic fructans.’
Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth or activity of the probiotics in the bowel. Examples of prebiotics include the substances fructooligosacharides, inulin, transgalactosylated oligosaccharides, and soybean oligosaccharides.
References available on request