How to Make a Superfood for 50p!
‘Superfood’ is a term thrown around far too easily these days… Goji Berries, Chia seeds, Kale, Wheatgrass, Spirulina, Turmeric, the list goes on. We all know these things are healthy, but what do they actually do?!
The short and long of it is – they are highly nutritious. Much like broccoli is, but then why don’t the little green trees ever seem to get ordained with same grand title…? (Maybe because it’s so widely available in the UK that adding the title ‘superfood’ wouldn’t be able to impact the pricing).
One thing that is sadly true, however, is genuinely nutritious food is hard to come by these days. In a world where producers have negatively impacted the quality of almost every ingredient in order mass produce it, we are left, unfortunately, in a situation where there are not too many items in the supermarket that will actually feed our bodies what they require without any negative effects.
There is light at the end of the tunnel though. This article is going to teach you how to make one of the most beneficial ‘superfoods’ you can possibly consume. And better still, it’s so cheap and easy to make that it’s almost painful more people don’t know to do it!
What is this miracle food I speak of? Sauerkraut.
Yes, that popular German snack is absolutely AMAZING for your body! It contains millions of naturally cultivated probiotic bacteria that are SUPERB for your gut health. A topic I will delve deeper into when I resume my series ‘PT’s Top Tips for Nutrition’, but for now, all we need to know is that our gut health is extremelyimportant. In a world of antibiotics, sugary drinks, processed foods, mass farming and high stress levels, these poor guys take a battering. This is a large part of why, in an age when we are more advanced than ever before, our health is going the other way. 40% of children are now diagnosed with some sort of auto-immune disease before the age of 12 (asthma, eczema, IBS, psoriasis the list goes on). Therefore, anything that we can consume to help out this delicate ecosystem and in turn our overall health, is absolutely vital.
What You Will Need
- 1 cabbage (red or white, your preference)
- Salt
- 1 big bowl
- 1 knife
- 1 grater
- Some empty jars.
STEP 1: Chop the cabbage into manageable pieces and grate into a bowl.
STEP 2: Add roughly 3 – 4 teaspoons of salt (any will do, I use Pink Himalayan due to its high mineral content)
Step 3: Spend 5/10min squeezing the salt & cabbage mixture until plenty of water has been released. (This is the valuable stuff!)
Step 4: Pack the cabbage and all of its liberated juices into the jars, ensuring that the liquid comes to the top if you slightly press down on the mixture.
Step 5: Place the jars in a dark cool space for 7 days to ferment and work their magic. (Note: Place tissue under the lid and then remove after 24 hours, this will stop the initial fermentation making too much of a mess)
Step 5.5: After 24 hours, it should look like this.
Step 6: After 7 days, you have a legitimate superfood! Place in the fridge and they will keep for ages! Try to consume at least 1 fork full each day, with almost anything. Here I’ve used it with a homemade turkey burger, in a spinach wrap with halloumi and sweet potato fries. Not too shabby.
Enjoy!
Stay healthy,
Coach Dorrington.
Author - Alex Dorrington - Personal Trainer & Mentor
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