How to Make Your Own Powerful Probiotics and Save Lots of Money!!

You would be hard pressed to find one person walking this planet that has never been on an antibiotic of some kind.  In fact, there are multitudes of people who have been on several rounds of antibiotics during their life time.  Antibiotics have been sorely misused and over used.  This has caused a plethora of problems.  Now our world is dealing with those nasty super bugs that have developed resistance to this grossly overused medicine. We have people who have major immune system compromise because once they get off the antibiotics they don’t replace their good gut bacteria that was wiped out.  You just helped wipe out your immune system because the heart of your immune system is in the gut.  You killed off the bad guys, BUT you also killed off the good guys.  Have you ever heard of a probiotic?  I am shocked when I talk to people and they have no clue what a probiotic is.  Sadly so, but most likely you won’t ever hear the word probiotic mentioned in the clinic you go to.  When you are on round after round of antibiotics and don’t replace the good bacteria, your immune system will not have the tools it needs to be strong and KEEP the nasties out.  To fortify your immune system you need healthy bacteria in your gut, you need probiotics.  There are some quality probiotics on the market, but how would you like to make some of your own?  In this article we will discuss how to make some of my favorites.  First let’s learn about bacteria.

 

What a difference bacteria can make!!

 

Our gut is filled with microbes.  The gut microbiome ( the colony of microbes in our intestine) is unique to each person.  How one person’s gut bacteria may differ from another persons gut bacteria is determined by what kind of food we eat,  the air we breathe,  and what we are exposed to in our environment.  Our gut microbiome affects us in many ways like digestion, immunity, obesity, and depression to name a few.  Did you know that 60% of our immune system is in the gut?   The gut microbiome also has alot to do with the production of serotonin and dopamine.  Many people think serotonin (the happy chemical) is made in the brain when in reality more than 90% of serotonin is found in your gut!  As far as your weight is concerned, the colony of bacteria residing in your body influences your metabolism which affects your weight.  A diverse mixture of microbes in your body has a role in staying slim.  Just a few years ago there was a study that discovered that lean people have 65% or more gut bacteria than over weight people.  Your gut microbes have an influence in how you process your food.  This also affects  how many nutrients your body will absorb and how many calories as well.

 

 

What destroys good bacteria?

 

 

 

1. Increased intake of carbs and sugars- bad bacteria feed on sugar.   The body also breaks down most carbohydrates to sugar (glucose), more food for bad bacteria.
2. Pesticides-  have you heard of Roundup? It contains glyphosate.  The food supply gets tainted from the residue of this pesticide.  It destroys gut health and good bacteria.
3. Antibiotics-  these destroy ALL bacteria, good and bad.  You need to restore the good bacteria when done with the antibiotics.  If you worked on building up the good bacteria and maintained a healthy colony you may not need to go on antibiotics in the future since doing this would greatly enhance your immune system.
4. Chlorinated drinking water-  this makes it nearly impossible to colonize good bacterial flora in the GI tract.  Chlorine kills ALL bacteria, the good guys and the bad guys.
5. Chronic stress-  Stress is a normal part of life like it or not.  It’s when  you let it go unmanaged for to long, the ongoing stress raises cortisol levels which keeps the gut from functioning the way it should.

 

 

Signs that show your gut bacteria may be out of whack.

 

1. Skin issues-acne, eczema,rosacea
2. Digestive problems- gas, bloating, IBS (irritable bowl syndrome), constipation, diarrhea
3. Mental health issues-depression, mood swings, anxiety
4. Poor immune system
5. Chronic bad breath
6. Fatigue
7. Strong cravings for sugar

 

Ways to improve your gut health.

 

1. Avoid toxins- pesticides, chemical cleaners, chlorinated bleach, antibiotics.
2.  Manage your stress levels.
3. Take probiotics- these are among my favorites.
4. Eat fermented foods and beverages.
5. Cut out sugar or drastically reduce your intake.

 

Here are some recipes to try for foods teaming with good bacteria, and rich in enzymes!

 

I am going to give recipes to two of my favorites, one is a fermented food and one is a fermented beverage.  Check out our recipe section soon for more lacto- fermented foods and beverages.

 

First of all you will want to use organic produce, and either celtic salt, himalayan pink salt, or REAL SALT  when making fermented foods and non chlorinated water for the fermented beverages.

 

 

Sauerkraut- A powerful superfood!

Things you will need:

1 clean wide mouth quart canning jar

1 Tablespoon  Redmond Real Salt

1 medium sized cabbage

something to press the cabbage down in the jar ( I use the end of my ice cream scoop, it is rounded, or a wooden spoon ) some use this tool

large bowl

cutting board

knife or grater

spring water (optional)

 

Instructions:

1. Slice cabbage into thin ribbons or use your grater with the larger holes.

2. After you have shredded the cabbage into thin ribbons , put into bowl and add 1 Tablespoon of salt and mix it in well for about 3-5 minutes                      massaging the salt into the cabbage.

3. Let it rest for about 20 minutes, the salt will continue to draw the juices out of the cabbage.

4. After 20 minutes start packing the cabbage into the jar and push it down so its packed tightly, some use a wooden spoon. I use the             rounded end of my ice cream scoop.  You want to pack the cabbage down enough to create  juice to cover the cabbage.  If you want you can add  a little salt water (brine) to ensure it is covered.  I like to see at least half an inch of juice or salt water completely covering the cabbage.                            Fermentation causes the food to expand so make sure to leave 1 inch free space at the top.

5. Put the lid on, but not too tight.  As the cabbage ferments it will create pressure that will be able to escape if the lid is not on too tight.

6.Put jar in a room temperature area of the house and out of direct sunlight for 3-7 days. The longer you ferment the tangier it will taste. Put a saucer underneath the jar because the pressure will cause juice to leak out while it is fermenting.  Some people open the lid if needed to let out some of the pressure once or twice during fermentation process (this is called “burping” your jars).

7. Store in fridge, this stops the fermentation process.

8.Try to eat at  least 1-2 heaping tablespoons with each meal, and DON’T heat it.

 

Feel free to add dill, caraway seeds, garlic, or bell pepper to this recipe.  If you need to add more brine solution to make sure the cabbage is submerged use the following: One half  tablespoon salt to 2 cups of non chlorinated water, use as needed.

 

Four of the main  strains of lactic acid bacteria present in sauerkraut are: leuconostoc mesenteroides, lactobacillus brevis, pediococcus pentosaceus, lactobacillus plantarum.  The amount of lactic acid bacteria in sauerkraut can range from 1-7 billion cfu (colony forming units) of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium  per gram.  1/4 cup (1.3 oz.)  of kraut is 40 grams!  1 serving of fermented vegetables can be equal to  a whole bottle of a HIGH POTENCY probiotic!  So you are clearly saving lots of money! That is exciting!  No matter what financial status you are at, you CAN afford to take one of the most powerful super foods known to man to restore an optimal functioning gut thereby making a major impact on your overall health!  This is powerful good news and life changing information!!

 

Water Kefir

Water kefir is a probiotic rich lacto fermented beverage that will help to heal your gut..  This beverage is made with water kefir grains that are used to culture the sugar and the water.  These grains help produce a wonderful source of beneficial bacteria and is super easy to make.  Water kefir does better in a mineral rich water so I choose to use spring water.  Be careful not to let metal come into contact with the grains at any time as it will harm the grains.

Things you will need:

1 glass gallon jar with a lid

 

cloth (to cover jar opening)

rubber band or pony tail holder (to keep cloth on jar)

1 gallon spring water (room temperature)

16 Tablespoons organic rapadura sugar which is the pure juice extracted from the sugar cane ( or organic white sugar).

Water kefir grains (high quality)

 

Instructions:

1.Pour 3 of the 4 quarts of room temperature water from the plastic jug into the glass jar

2.Pour the last quart of water remaining in the plastic jug into a medium sized sauce pan, add the sugar, and warm the water enough so it will dissolve the sugar. You do not have to get it very hot to do this.

3.Once the sugar is dissolved add the sugar water mixture to the 3 quarts of water in the glass jar.  After you add the sugar water,  the gallon of water should still be close to room temperature or a tad bit warmer.  If the water is to warm wait till it goes back to room temperature.

4.Add 12 tablespoons of water kefir grains to the gallon of sugar water, make sure to NOT use metal measuring spoons. If using the grains from a previous batch this is when you will want to use the PLASTIC mesh strainer to strain the liquid off the grains, remember, no metal.

5. Use a wooden spoon to give the water a good stir.

6.Cover the top of jar, I use a wash cloth and a pony tail holder.

7. Put it in the part of your house where it is most likely to be between 70-75 degrees and out of direct sunlight for 48 hours.

8. When the 48 hours are done, pour the gallon of water kefir with the grains over the plastic mesh strainer into another 1 gallon glass jar.  Take the kefir grains that are in the strainer and put them in smaller jar with enough water kefir added to slightly cover them.  This is your starter culture for your next batch 🙂

9. Put the water kefir in fridge and enjoy this wonderful, probiotic rich beverage.  I like to have a 1 cup  2-3 times a day on a empty stomach.

 

Water kefir is also loaded with beneficial bacteria.   Each batch of water kefir can vary with bacteria count.  Some batches have contained 18 billion cfu in just one tablespoon!  Personally I like to drink 1-2 cups a day.  That’s alot of probiotic!   You can get way more beneficial bacteria in you this way than ingesting potent probiotic supplements. That’s right down my alley!  This is making your food into medicine!  Lovin it.  Let’s look at the bacteria in water kefir:

 

 

There are:

16 strains in the lacto bacillus species

2 strains in the bacillus species

2 strains in the leuconostoc species

2 strains in the acetobacter species

12 strains in the streptococcus species

1 strain in the pediococcus species

 

So as you can see it’s not very hard to get yourself well on the way to having a healthy gut which goes a long way in bolstering your immune system.   These are two recipes that are very easy to start with and after you have those down, try making more, the ideas are endless.

 

• When storing the water kefir grains, if you are not going to be using them right away be sure to open lid from time to time ( every 5-6 days) to release built up pressure.  Yes, this stuff is ALIVE!
• I live in a cold climate half of the year so to keep my little kefir buddies happy when brewing I put them in my oven with the oven light on and a towel propped to keep the oven door from closing completely.  You see, I turn my heat down at night but want my brew to still be “happy”.  The temp stays an even 72 degrees this way.

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