Eating sauerkraut to lose weight – did you know that you can do that? Yes! The good bacteria in sauerkraut can make you slim down! That’s what we are going to be discussing in the article below!
What is Sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage. It is a probiotic-rich food that means ‘sour cabbage’ in German.
In the 16th century, Germanic people made sauerkraut by dry curing cabbage with salt to extract the water from it, which allowed the mixture to ferment. Fermentation occurred due to the sugars in the cabbage being broken down into lactic acid, which served as a preservative.
When the English, French and other European sea men noticed a lack of scurvy in their Dutch counterparts due to sauerkraut consumption, they also started eating it!
Early Dutch settlers brought their sauerkraut recipes to the Americas and that’s how it gained more and more popularity.
Today, sauerkraut is made in the same way. It is super easy to make your own sauerkraut at home! Below is an easy homemade sauerkraut recipe that will make your mouth water!
How to Make Sauerkraut
Follow the simple steps to make your own nutritious probiotic-rich sauerkraut:
- Wash and chop up or shredded one medium head of cabbage into a bowl.
- Sprinkle 1-3 tablespoons of sea salt in the cabbage.
- Now using clean hands, knead and squeeze the shredded cabbage until you press out the juices.
- Stuff the cabbage into a quart jar and press it down tightly. You can also add whey water to completely cover the cabbage.
- Let it ferment at room temperature for 2 weeks until the desired texture and flavor are achieved! If you covered the lid tightly on your quart jar, you may need to loosen the lid or ‘burp’ It daily to release excess pressure.
- Enjoy!
5 Benefits of Eating Sauerkraut to Lose Weight
Below are 5 benefits of eating sauerkraut to lose weight through diet!
- Sauerkraut is a low energy density food. This means that they contain few calories in comparison to their volume or weight.
- It adds a lot of fiber to your meal – A 2/3 cup serving of sauerkraut contain 3.1 g of fiber! This is sure to make you feel fuller quicker and for longer!
- It is RICH in probiotics. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that naturally live in our guts. By eating sauerkraut, you will add more probiotics in your body, which populate your gut. This balances your gut hormones and fights the ‘bad’ gut microbes that can be responsible for insulin resistance. Insulin resistance leads to unwanted weight gain and obesity!
- Probiotics in sauerkraut boost the immune system, which lowers inflammation. This helps prevents excess weight and obesity which are known to be strongly connected to chronic inflammation, especially ‘proinflammatory cytokines.’ These are hormones that cause inflammation and activate your body’s FAT triggers.
- If you want to lose weight fast, make sure your food is getting properly digested. Sustainable weight loss depends on healthy digestion. The probiotics in sauerkraut promote healthy digestion and reduce symptoms of digestive disorders such as diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and more.
How to Eat Sauerkraut for Weight Loss
- Avoid consuming processed and canned sauerkraut found at the supermarket. They undergo pasteurization which is a heating process that kills bacteria. It will kill off all the good bacteria in the sauerkraut, rendering it useless for weight loss!
- Eat a serving of sauerkraut when you feel hungry between meals.
- Add sauerkraut as a side dish to your lunch and dinner. It pairs well with any lean meats, skinned poultry, fish and vegetables.
- While you are consuming adequate amounts of sauerkraut daily, don’t forget to drink enough water! This is because sauerkraut is made by fermenting cabbage in brine (salty water). This means sauerkraut has high amounts of sodium. Drinking water can help flush the excess sodium out of your body and keep you hydrated.
So those are the benefits of eating sauerkraut to lose weight! Please do add this mouth-watering fermented food to your diet and watch your weight drop!
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