Making Your Own Probiotics

Lyme disease patients and others with illnesses ,which require long term antibiotics, are advised to take probiotics (beneficial bacteria). As many know, antibiotics kill off the good bacteria along with the harmful bacteria and as a result the body becomes unbalanced.

Throughout history,most if not all societies utilized the fermentation process to preserve their foods. However, there are many other benefits which are a result of the fermentation process. Fermentation chemically changes our food and can aide in digestion, nutrient assimilation and helps provide us with our second immune system. Before antibiotics were discovered, people absolutely benefitted from fermented or "cultured" foods. In other words, we have always needed fermented foods and if one is also taking antibiotics, then supplementing with the beneficial bacteria is essential.

It is fun, easy and practical to make your own cultured products at home. The grocery stores sell beer , saurkraut, pickles, etc....but they are all heated (pasteurized), which kills the enzymes and beneficial bacteria. When you make your own at home, you have complete control of the quality of the food used and there is no need for processing or heating. In fact, heating up these miracle products of fermentation defeats the whole purpose.

The photo I included is an example of the brilliant colors and beautiful textures.

I layered purple and green cabbage in the one jar. The purple cabbage bled into

the green...creating the different shades. The other smaller jar is filled with ginger shredded turnips. I also had a jar of ginger carrots, which would have added even more color.....however, it was so good that I ate it all. These foods are very much alive and taste very fresh and bright.

Two books I would recommend to get you started are Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon