Fermented Gold: How to Make Your Own Tangy, Gut-Healing Sauerkraut

You’re in the kitchen, hands deep in a bowl of chopped cabbage, feeling connected to a tradition that dates back centuries. As you massage the cabbage, transforming it into something tangy, crunchy, and alive with flavor, natural enzymes, and beneficial bacteria, you can’t help but marvel at how simple ingredients like cabbage and salt can create such magic. 

This is the art of making homemade sauerkraut—an ancient technique that not only preserves food but also infuses it with powerful beneficial bacteria, probiotics, and nutrients that support a healthy gut microbiome, balance your hormones, and nourish your entire body. 

Ready to dive into this flavorful journey? Let’s make some sauerkraut!

What Is Sauerkraut Made Of?

There’s just something magical about taking humble cabbage and turning it into a nutrient-packed dish. It all starts with something as simple as cabbage and salt. It is absolutely delicious on its own, but the real beauty lies in the way you can make it your own. 

Start with fresh, crisp cabbage—organic or home grown would be best. You can use any type of cabbage you wish.  For your first time, I recommend sticking with plain, green cabbage.  After your first batch experiment with different cabbages or even mixing them.  My favorite is Napa cabbage combined with red cabbage. The idea here is to work with nature’s finest.

Adding sea salt isn’t just for flavor; it’s like flipping a switch that gets the fermentation process going. The salt pulls out the cabbage’s natural juices, creating the perfect environment for those good-for-you probiotics to do their thing.

Now we can really have some fun. Want to add a bit more character to your kraut? Toss in some caraway seeds or celery seeds for a subtle flavor kick. Or, if you’re looking to amp up the health benefits, mix in shredded carrots, a few cloves of garlic, or a bit of ginger. Sometimes I like to throw in shredded broccoli or even shredded beets. 

Each of these adds its own unique twist, both in flavor and nutrition. The best part? You’re not just making sauerkraut; you’re creating a batch of flavorful, gut-friendly goodness that’s tailored just for you and can feed your healthy gut bacteria.

How Do You Make Sauerkraut?

Making fermented foods like homemade sauerkraut is easier than you might think, and it's a fantastic way to bring both flavor and health into your kitchen. Start by chopping or grating your cabbage—whether finely or coarsely, it’s up to you. You can even use the grater blade on your food processor. 

As you add the cabbage to a large bowl, sprinkle in sea salt to help draw out the water. The salt acts as a natural preservative, prevents the growth of unwanted yeasts, molds, and other pathogens, breaks down the cell walls, and begins the fermentation process. 

Want to get a bit more creative? This is where you can mix in other vegetables like Brussels sprouts, shredded carrots, or even some aromatic herbs like dill or garlic. 

Give the mixture a good massage with your hands, or use a kitchen mortar to pound it to make sure that the cabbage releases its juices and starts to soften.

Once your cabbage mixture is ready, it’s time to pack it into your fermentation container. This could be a ceramic crock, a food-grade plastic bucket, or even quart-sized mason jars. The key is to make sure the cabbage is submerged in its own juices to create an anaerobic environment where the magic of fermentation happens. 

Use a glass weight or a plate that fits inside your container to keep the kraut submerged. Press down on the weight periodically until the brine rises above the cabbage. Cover it with your crock lid, an airlock lid, or a silicon fermentation lid and set in a bowl or dish to collect any liquid that escapes. Then, let nature take its course. 

Check on your sauerkraut every day or two, and after about a week, you’ll start to notice that tangy flavor developing. The longer it ferments, the more pronounced the flavor, so feel free to let it go until it’s just how you like it. Once it’s ready, spoon the kraut into jars and store them in the fridge to slow down the fermentation and enjoy it for weeks to come.

How Do You Customize This Recipe?

The beauty of sauerkraut is how easily it can be tailored to your taste and nutritional needs. You can easily add in some caraway seeds, celery seeds, or cumin. Want to add a touch of sweetness? Grate in some apples or carrots. If you're aiming for a more robust flavor, try adding in garlic, ginger, or even some thinly sliced hot peppers. 

You can also mix in other greens like spinach or kale to boost the nutrient content. Experiment with different combinations of vegetables, herbs, and spices to create a sauerkraut that’s uniquely yours. Plus, making your own sauerkraut at home gives you control over the fermentation process, allowing you to customize the probiotic content and create a truly personalized health food.

If you decide to add sweeter vegetables like beets or carrots, it is usually best to add a vegetable starter culture to prevent any potential yeasts from growing.

How Do These Ingredients Help With Blood Sugar Balancing, Heart Health, And Other Hormones?

Sauerkraut is full of nutrients that support your overall health in numerous ways. The fermentation process enhances the bioavailability of vitamins, particularly vitamin K2 important in bone and heart health. The natural probiotics are essential for a healthy gut microbiome, which is directly linked to balanced blood sugar levels and improved insulin sensitivity. Cabbage is also rich in sulforaphane, which is anti-inflammatory and has the  ability to support detoxification pathways in the liver, needed for hormone balancing.

Raw Cabbage

Cabbage, in its raw form, supports gut health. It's rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system. The fiber acts as a prebiotic, feeding the beneficial bacteria in the gut and promoting a diverse and balanced microbiome. This diversity is crucial for a healthy gut. The more variety, the better equipped the gut is in digestion, immune function, and even mood regulation.

Sauerkraut

When cabbage undergoes fermentation to become sauerkraut, its benefits are amplified. The fermentation process not only preserves the cabbage but also enhances its nutritional profile. Sauerkraut is packed with probiotics. These probiotics help to populate the gut with beneficial microbes, promoting a healthy balance that can improve digestion, boost immunity, and even influence mental health through the gut-brain axis.

As mentioned above, the fermentation process also increases the bioavailability of certain nutrients, making them easier for the body to absorb. Vitamin K2 is not only needed in bone health but also for cardiovascular function, and it is less commonly found in the modern diet low in produce and high in processed foods.

The production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate during fermentation further supports gut health by nourishing the cells of the colon, reducing inflammation, and strengthening the intestinal barrier.

Regular consumption of sauerkraut can also contribute to the production of diamine oxidase (DAO), an enzyme that helps break down histamine. Improved gut function from the fibers, minerals, and vitamins in sauerkraut can lead to better digestion, less constipation, and even potential benefits for allergic conditions.

Adding herbs and seeds like celery seeds, garlic, and ginger further boosts the health benefits. Celery seeds, for instance, contain apigenin, a flavonoid that helps to balance estrogen levels and support cardiovascular health. Garlic adds allicin with its heart-protective effects, and ginger aids in digestion and helps maintain stable blood sugar levels.

Where Can You Find This And Other Nutritious And Delicious Recipes Like It?

For more nutrient-packed, gut-friendly recipes like this, check out Dr. Ritamarie’s Happy Belly Recipe Guide: Delicious, Easy-To-Make Recipes to Soothe And Heal Your Digestive Tract.
For more recipes like this one, check out Dr. Ritamarie’s Body Freedom Nutrition Lab trial course, which includes Hormone Hacking Breakfast.