Cabbage tonic is a lacto-fermented, probiotic rich beverage made with 4 simple ingredients. It’s a budget friendly way to improve gut health, digestion and immunity.
What is Cabbage Tonic?
Essentially, it’s sauerkraut but with more liquid and you’re meant to drink it instead of eating the cabbage.
And is also known as fermented cabbage juice and is made using the process of lacto-fermentation.
Lacto-fermented foods are with packed full of the “good guys” aka beneficial bacteria. And according to this PubMed article: These beneficial bacteria “provide many health benefits such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-atherosclerotic activity.” (source)
Cabbage tonic is very easy and affordable to make at home. Drinking it as gut shots is a simple way to boost your intake of the probiotic good guys in your diet.
On the GAPS Diet you can start consuming cabbage tonic from stage 1 and 2 if you have already introduced whey. The nutrients are pre-digested and there is no fibre to irritate the gut.
Reason to drink cabbage tonic
- Use as a daily tonic to help change your gut flora by increasing the beneficial bacteria.
- It is best to drink it before a meal as it is great for increasing stomach acid and stimulating digestion.
- Cabbage high in vitamin C which is essential for healing a leaky gut. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps protect your cells against the effects of free radicals in the body (source).
- Cabbage contains many anti-inflammatory compounds including sulforaphane, a sulphur compound found in many Brassica vegetables that has with anti-inflammatory effects (source).
- Whey from strained yogurt is used as the probiotic starter culture. It’s packed full of live Lactobacillus bacteria can help enhance the bacteria diversity of our gut microbiome.
How to introduce
Start with adding 1 – 2 tablespoons of the fermented juice to filtered water or broth as a daily dose, to avoid digestive upset.
How to enjoy
Drink straight up as a gut shot to boost the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
Power up your smoothies.
Dress your salads – just add olive oil and to make an easy dressing.
Balance your electrolytes post workout.
Tools you may need
Knife and chopping board
Measuring spoons
Meat pounder
Wide mouth mason jar with lid
Mixing bowl (glass or stainless steel)
Cabbage Tonic Ingredients
¼ cabbage (green or purple) – preferability organic
1 tbsp salt
¼ cup of whey
Filtered water
How to make cabbage tonic
Step 1: Remove the stalk of cabbage then finely shred and add to bowl.
Step 2: Add salt and massage for 1 minutes to start to release its juices.
Step 3: Stir in the whey.
Step 4: Add cabbage mixture to a mason jar and top up with water to shoulder.
Step 5: Add lid and give it a good shake.
Step 6: Store on counter out of direct sunlight for 2 -5 days.
Store in fridge
Related posts
What’s your favourite lacto-ferment recipe?
Cabbage Tonic - Gut Shots at Home
Cabbage tonic is a lacto-fermented, probiotic rich beverage made with 4 simple ingredients. It’s a budget friendly way to improve gut health, digestion and immunity.
Ingredients
- ¼ cabbage (green or purple)
- 1 tbsp salt
- ¼ cup of whey
- filtered water
Instructions
- Remove the stalk of cabbage then finely shred. Add to bowl.
- Add salt and massage for 1 minutes to start to release its juices.
- Stir in the whey
- Add cabbage mixture to a mason jar and top up with water to shoulder.
- Add lid and give it a good shake.
- Store on counter out of direct sunlight for 2 -5 days.
- Once fermented, store in fridge.
GAPS and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.
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