Sauerkraut: benefits, harms, proper preparation

What Russian doesn't know sauerkraut? The question, of course, is rhetorical, because our grandmothers and great-great-grandmothers cooked it, and in Germany, by the way, sauerkraut generally acts as a national dish. Why is this product useful and how it can be prepared - all this is in our article.

The benefits of sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is especially respected among nutritionists. It contains a lot of vitamin C: in 100 g of the product of ascorbic acid, as much as 20 mg, this despite the fact that the daily intake of this vitamin for an adult is about 70 mg. Vitamin C, as many know, directly affects strength of immunity, it also prevents early aging of cells and tissues. But sauerkraut is rich not only in them. There is a lot in it and B vitamins, A, K and U. They all guard our health and prevent the appearance of many serious ailments of the gastrointestinal tract, including ulcers. Enough in such cabbage and iodine.

Cabbage is fermented due to lactic acid bacteria, which, when they enter the body, work hard to normalize the intestinal microflora, suppress the activity of harmful microorganisms, stimulating beneficial ones. Thus, cabbage allows you to get rid of dysbiosis.

Often this product is used for medicinal purposes in order to relieve the symptoms of chronic gastritis... To do this, it is enough to eat a small portion of cabbage three times a day for several weeks, half an hour before a meal. Diabetics can improve their health in a similar way, since sauerkraut leads to a decrease in blood sugar levels.

Sauerkraut is also useful for liver problems, however, for such purposes, brine is more often used, which is released during fermentation. It is already a proven scientific fact that regular consumption of sauerkraut leads to reduce cholesterol in the blood, and the compounds present in it have a powerful antioxidant effect, thereby seriously reducing the likelihood of oncological diseases of the intestines, mammary glands and lungs.

Sauerkraut has a positive effect on the protective functions of the body, makes it less susceptible to stress, starts and normalizes metabolic processes, stimulates the production of red blood cells and rejuvenates the body as a whole. Under its influence, the heart also becomes stronger. It is especially useful for men to eat sauerkraut, because then their potency will become a source of pride for them and joy for their women.

Need to quickly cope with a hangover? Then sauerkraut is what you need. Moreover, if you eat a portion of the product before a feast, then the alcohol will no longer hit your head so hard, so keep that in mind.

Harm of sauerkraut

From sauerkraut, unless, of course, you overeat, there can be no harm. However, it is worth mentioning that such a "dish" has its own contraindications. The negative effect may be due to the large amount of organic acids. For this reason, sauerkraut is not recommended for people with high acidity of gastric juice, hypertensive patients, with renal failure, problems with the pancreas, as well as those who have been diagnosed with urolithiasis. In other cases, no harm to the body will be caused, but it is not recommended to overeat sauerkraut even for healthy people so as not to get stomach problems.

Sauerkraut during pregnancy

We have already said that sauerkraut is a real treasure of benefits, but is it possible during pregnancy? Indeed, during the period of bearing a baby, doctors put many restrictions on the nutrition of the expectant mother and advise to strictly monitor their diet. Any wrong action and it will affect the health of both. We hasten to reassure you if there are no general regulations limiting the consumption of sauerkraut, i.e. the list of contraindications does not apply to you, then eat yourself and your baby for health!

Very well, this cabbage saves expectant mothers from terrible toxicosis and not only:

• Most pregnant women suffer from a decrease in the level of the body's protective properties, as a result of which they suffer from various viral diseases. Due to the high content of vitamin C, it is possible to maintain and strengthen the immune system, thereby making the baby's health stronger.
• Almost every second pregnant woman has a low iron level in her medical record, anemia... Sauerkraut helps to avoid such health problems, which means that the baby will receive oxygen without interruption and will feel cheerful.
• Folic acid, which is also abundant in sauerkraut, directly affects the formation of the nervous system and promotes the formation of new cells.
• She will help to stock up on vitamin K, which will be very important during childbirth. It increases blood clotting, and enough of it in the body will not allow you to lose a lot of blood during delivery.
• By eating sauerkraut during pregnancy, you protect your baby from cancer and ulcers.
• With its help, a pregnant woman will protect herself from digestive problems, constipation, bloating, excess weight, heartburn.
• Regular consumption of sauerkraut has a positive effect on the condition of nails, skin and hair, which, by the way, so often suffer during the perinatal period.

The list of benefits that the body of mom and baby receives can be enumerated for a long time, but the essence remains the same - sauerkraut is a very, very valuable product. But at the same time, it is worth mentioning everything about the characteristics of the organism of the future mother. Given its "interesting" position, it would be wiser to start eating cabbage with small portions. If the body reacted well to this product, then you can fully introduce it into the diet. For added safety, it is still best to consult with your supervising physician.

Sauerkraut juice

Some people are mistaken, mistaking the pickle that comes from sourdough cabbage for juice. And despite the fact that cabbage pickle is useful in itself, the juice is still located directly in the cabbage itself and its concentration is much higher than that of the pickle. In order to get the juice of sauerkraut, it, like any other vegetable or fruit, must be passed through a juicer.

The advantages of juice over brine in a larger amount of ascorbic acid. By the way, if you prepare white and red cabbage together, then the level of vitamin C in such a drink will increase by as much as four times. There is a lot of vitamin P in such a drink, which strengthens the walls of the capillaries and reduces the degree of their permeability.

In the case of medicine, sauerkraut juice is often prescribed for the treatment of low acidity of gastric juice, with weakened intestinal motility, neuralgic diseases, with low mobility and a sedentary lifestyle. Such a drink is excessively rich in lactic acid, which is required by the body for a well-functioning carbohydrate metabolism. Several times a day it is useful to use cabbage "nectar" for people with diabetes, it is advisable to add lemon juice to the drink. This helps control blood sugar levels by keeping them low.

Previously, sauerkraut juice was given to patients with epilepsy. Such a folk remedy, of course, did not help completely cure the disease, but it seriously weakened the attacks and reduced the number of their manifestations. There are also substances in such a drink that perfectly clean the blood vessels, improve blood circulation. It helps with diarrhea and constipation, paradoxically. Simply due to its consumption, the whole work of the gastrointestinal tract is getting better and the stool is normalized.

Here are some useful recipes that may come in handy:

• For the prevention of peptic ulcer of the duodenal ulcer and stomach, it is useful to use the following recipe: for three weeks, drink fresh sauerkraut juice an hour before a meal, three times a day, in a volume of only a quarter of a glass.
• To eliminate diarrhea Tomato and cabbage juices should be mixed in equal volumes. The finished drink is consumed throughout the day until the problem recedes.
• According to a similar recipe (tomato + cabbage juices) and the same principle of administration, they treat pain in the liver and help the cells of this organ to recover.
• With bleeding hemorrhoids or constipation, juice is drunk in pure form, 250 ml three times a day.
• For colds and sore throats, it is useful to rinse with sauerkraut juice, while taking it in parallel.

But it is useful to use sauerkraut juice not only for ingestion. With its help, you can also direct beauty!

• Great content lactic acid allows you to effectively cleanse the dermis and prolong its youth. To do this, every morning you need to wipe your face with a cotton pad dipped in fresh juice. After that, leave the composition on your face for a quarter of an hour and wash.
• With this juice, you can whiten age spots and freckles. To do this, you need to moisten gauze in it and apply it to the problem area for a quarter of an hour. The procedure is done every day, until satisfactory results are obtained, but no more than 30 sessions. Then a break is made for a couple of months and, if necessary, the course is duplicated.
• In order not to bother with the daily production of juice, you can make cosmetic ice from it. After wiping with such a means, you need to wash your face only after a quarter of an hour.
• To make your hands softer and more tender, you can use a hand bath filled with sauerkraut juice. A couple or three points once a week is enough and the result will not be long in coming.
• To strengthen the curls, you need to rub fresh juice into the very roots and leave for a while, then wash your hair in the usual way.

Sauerkraut for weight loss

Sauerkraut juice is often and effectively used by those who want to lose weight. True, not as the main food element, but as an auxiliary one, which helps to establish metabolism and dull the feeling of hunger. Surprisingly, such a simple component of proper nutrition allows you to reduce, or even completely suppress cravings for salty and sweet foods, which means that the restrictions in these areas will not be so painful, if not completely invisible.

If you need to lose weight quickly, then you can follow this scheme. For the first two days, only juice is drunk, other food is excluded. Further, the juice is consumed in a quarter of a glass one to six times a day, between meals. During this time, you need to eat low-calorie foods, such as vegetables, fruits, dairy products, dietary fish and meat. Sugar, salt and alcohol, of course, must be completely eliminated. With such a power system, 3.5 kg can go per week, however, the plumb line is individual for everyone.

It is better to limit the diet itself to a short period of time, since such a long-term diet can harm the body. But you can continue to drink juice in the intervals between meals for a long time. You can arrange fasting days on the juice, and so that it does not get bored, it can be diluted with carrot, apple and other appropriate juices.

How to ferment cabbage

Classic version

• two kilos of cabbage;
• a couple of carrots;
• three leaves of lavrushka;
• a few peas of black pepper.

for brine:

• two large spoons of sugar and salt;
• 1.5 liters of water.

1. Prepare the brine by adding salt and sugar to the water and mixing well.
2. Rinse and free the cabbage from the first leaves and chop.
3. Grind the carrots, having previously freed them from the peel.
4. Combine prepared vegetables and move.
5. Place everything in jars and press down a little.
6. Do not forget to add lavrushka leaves and a few peppercorns at times.
7. Pour in the brine so that it completely covers the vegetables.
8. Cover the jar with gauze folded in several layers. The jar must be placed on a plate so that when the brine begins to flow over the edges, it falls into the bowl.
9. Leave to ferment for two to three days, periodically tamping the top layer of cabbage so that it does not remain without brine. It is sometimes useful to pierce the cabbage with a wood stick to release gas, then the cabbage will be crispy.
10. Store cabbage ready after a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Cabbage with plums, rowan berries and lingonberries

Calculation of ingredients for approximately a five-liter jar:

• 3.5 kg of cabbage;
• six green apples;
• lingonberries or cranberries (amount to your taste);
• a little carrots;
• five juniper berries;
• a quarter glass of sugar;
• a crust of white bread;
• salt to your liking;
• currant leaf;
• some caraway seeds;
• a glass of vodka.

1. Place a couple of whole cabbage leaves and bread in the bottom of a clean jar.
2. Finely chop the rest of the cabbage and mix it with sugar, salt, carrots and cumin seeds. Take some of the cabbage and tamp it into the bottom of the jar so that the layer is about five centimeters thick.
3. Next, put the currant leaves.
4. Peel the apples, cut as it is more convenient for you, peel them of seeds.
5. Place a layer of cabbage with apples in the jar.
6. In the next layer, fold the cabbage mixed with a little cranberries or lingonberries and caraway seeds.
7. The last layer is once again cabbage with carrots.
8. Spread the juniper berries evenly. Pour in a glass of vodka and cover the jar with gauze.

Such cabbage is prepared for about 3-5 days at room temperature. At your discretion, instead of lingonberries and cranberries, you can put the plums or chokeberries mentioned in the name.

Sauerkraut recipe for the winter

As practice shows, sauerkraut is perfectly stored even without special preservation and rolling in jars. Therefore, you can choose any recipe, place the prepared product in clean jars, close with nylon lids and store in a cool place.

Sauerkraut with apples

For gourmets, the option of making sauerkraut with apples is suitable.

What you need:

• two or three green apples;
• three small spoons of salt;
• large carrot;
• three heads of cabbage.

Preparation:

1. Chop the cabbage into strips, peel the apples and carrots and grate. Combine everything and salt.
2. Mix everything very well and remember with your hands so that the juice begins to stand out from the cabbage.
3. Prepare clean jars and tamp the cabbage in them. Leave the jars to infuse at room temperature for forty hours to ferment the composition.
4. For the cabbage to be snow-white and have a characteristic crunch, it is important to provide an outlet for the fermentation gas. To do this, stick wooden sticks into the jars.
5. As soon as the fermentation process comes to an end, put everything in the refrigerator and after two or three hours you can eat.