Fermented food ideas

[letsgiveitago]

I'm starting my whole30 tomorrow and hoping to especially heal my gut.. Does anyone have any good fermented food recipe ideas that are compliant? I know I'll try to drink as much bone broth as the bones I have allow.

[ShannonM816]

You can ferment just about any vegetable you want to. This site has some good recipes (not all of them are Whole30, but many are.) There's also this interview with Sandor Katz that has some information you might find helpful: Part 1, part 2. Look for options that don't use whey or starters -- at its simplest, you just need salt, vegetables, and depending on what vegetable you're using, maybe water.

 

If you want to buy fermented foods to start with (because most veggies take 4-6 weeks to be done), check Whole Foods, Sprouts, local health food stores, and maybe even your local grocery store -- mine doesn't have a huge selection, but they do sometimes have kimchi and sauerkraut. You'll want options that are stored in the refrigerated section -- cans of sauerkraut that are shelf stable are made the same way, but then when they're canned, they're heated enough to kill the good bacteria so that they can sit on shelves at room temperature without the cans exploding.

 

Some brands to look for (but always read your labels, because not everything from these brands is compliant) would be Bubbies (sauerkraut and pickles), Wild Brine (a variety of krauts/kimchis, pickles, and salsas), and Farmhouse Culture (a variety of different krauts). I've heard that Trader Joes also carries some, but don't ever go there so I'm not sure.

 

You might also want to look into kombucha. It's not necessarily probiotic, but has other healthy stuff, and many people find it helpful for gut issues.