A case history of recovery from lactose intolerance and gut dysbiosis: chgdbli.htm

The following quote is from http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/homemadekraut.htm A site containing natural foods lore & recipes.

“ At the end of 2006 I had a case of Giardia. Giardia is a parasite that lives in your intestines. It was a very painful and difficult experience. I was severely dehydrated and could not keep any food in my system. I went on some very strong antibiotics for 7 days. At the end of this time I had lost 20 pounds (not the diet plan I would recommend!) and the Giardia was gone; but the Giardia and the antibiotics had basically wiped out my digestive system. I could hardly eat anything; everything I tried to eat went right through me. I was also lactose intolerant and would spend hours in misery after ingesting any type of milk products.

“So in desperation I remembered my summer of fermented foods (which ended when my goats dried up and I stopped making cheese). I bought some good quality yogurt at the grocery store (Nancy’ brand) and hung this to drip so I could obtain the whey. I bought cabbages and began making sauerkraut again.

“After my first batch was made I ate it with gusto (ate my first batch in about a day and a half) and had no digestive problems after eating it. To my complete amazement my digestive system suddenly settled down. Food was no longer going right through me; I could eat foods that I previously had not been able to.

“I continued to make batch after batch and it became (or has become) a huge part of my daily diet. Within a very short time I was eating milk products again with out problems. I now eat a small amount of sauerkraut with every meal (yes, even breakfast! :).

“After this experience I am sold on lacto fermenting of food and have since read that it can help cure everything from arthritis to diabetes to indigestion to arthritis to cancer! It also is supposed to boost metabolism, which is something I am also experiencing as well. I am not sure about all these claims but I do know what it has done for me and how easy it is to make and have as a part of your daily diet.

Recipe: Best to use containers ½ to 1 gallon in size.

· Shred or buy shredded cabbage 1 to 2 heads or enough to fill containers to ¾ full (they froth up)

· When buying plain yogurt, check the labels to get the bacteria you wish.

· Pack shredded cabbage into the containers, not too densely.

o If you wish, mix in a shredded carrot or onion.

· If you have them, add a small amount of any herbs you like, to your taste: Parsley, oregano, garlic, basil, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, herbs de Provence, Italian seasoning mix, a dash of cumin, (chili peppers if you like it hot), or no herbs at all.

· Mix live cultured plain yogurt 50/50 with un-chlorinated water with 1 Tablespoon sea salt per quart of mixture.

· Add water + yogurt + salt + etc to cover cabbage in the containers, using a spoon between cabbage and jar to get the liquid down to the bottom of the jar.

· Top off with plain water if necessary. Cover container loosely with space for air to escape.

· You should put a small dish with a stone on top, above the contents, to keep the cabbage under water.

· Let ferment at room temperature for 3-5 days. Skim any scum off the top; check it every day.

· Beware any frothing, divide batch into more containers if you need more room in containers.

· When ready to eat, the juice should be removed and consumed. It contains the healthy live bioactive probiotics.

· If it should smell bad, throw the whole batch out, something went wrong.

· The flavor should continue to improve for the next several weeks.

· Drink liquid to taste and eat the fermented kraut at every meal or at least once every day.

· After fermenting is stopped, refrigerate to extend its shelf life. It should be safe on the counter for 2 to three weeks.

Note: This fermentation contains no yeasts. Fermentation converts sugars in cabbage to lactic acid. Any lactose is gone when fermentation ends. Once lactic acid producing bacteria colonize your gut, they will convert any lactose you eat. They will create an acid gut environment that makes it hard for pathogenic bacteria to get started.

PDF containing illustrated directions for another recipe.