When people think about healthy eating, their mind often jumps to what they can remove from their diet. While this works for some, we believe that finding nutritious and fantastic foods to add to your diet can help you reach your healthiest and happiest version of yourself.
While your mind might automatically think of spinach or egg whites, there is one healthy snack that is totally underrated: sauerkraut.
Why Sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is finely cut raw cabbage that has gone through the fermentation process. We all recognize cabbage as healthy because, well, it’s a vegetable. Sauerkraut gives you access to the nutrients we see in vegetables, along with the additional benefits of fermentation.
Fermented foods boost the number of good bacteria, or probiotics, found in your gut. Famously, fermented foods like sauerkraut are loaded with probiotics. Think foods like Kefir, Kombucha, or Miso.
If you’re new to probiotics, they are healthy bacteria that play a vital role in boosting your microbiome, strengthening your immune system, and helping you feel and perform your best.
In a single serving of high-quality sauerkraut, you can find as many as 100 million colony-forming units of super beneficial gut bacteria.
Serving Your Body’s Needs
To achieve a balanced diet and a healthy weight for you, you need to eat a variety of foods. Carbs, proteins, minerals, and vitamins are all required by your body for various functions. There are plenty of fad diets that will tell you to cut out one or more food groups, but doing this can cause some serious damage.
Sauerkraut is a great food to incorporate into whatever diet you may be trying next. Whether you’re giving veganism a go, or attempting Keto, sauerkraut won’t be anything but a helping hand.
Because Sauerkraut is simply fermented cabbage, it does contain carbohydrates. However, properly fermented vegetables are actually lower in carbs than fresh vegetables, and still give you all those nutrients that your body depends on.
Improved Nutrition
If you’re looking to improve your mental, emotional, or physical health, having a balanced diet is almost always an excellent place to start.
Eating foods filled with nutrients give your body the proper support and fuel it needs to function at its best. In turn, they can help reduce your stress levels, improve your sleep and enhance your mood — all aiding your pursuit of a healthy mind and body.
A single serving of high-quality sauerkraut is chock full of essential nutrients, including:
Each time you eat sauerkraut as a snack or part of a delicious meal, you infuse essential servings of the above nutrients into your body.
A serving of this delicious, fermented food helps you cut back on what you don’t want from your diet while also adding vital dietary fibers that make you feel fueled throughout the day.
Being Your Best You
In achieving your healthiest self, it’s essential to build a well-balanced meal plan that fuels your body for physical activity and supports your microbiome.
The bacteria in the microbiome help digest your food, regulate your immune system, produce vitamins, and protect you from other bacteria that cause disease.
Regardless of your diet style, your sauerkraut consumption will work best if you pair it alongside a range of healthy proteins, carbs, and fats. Sauerkraut will help you consume enough vitamins and nutrients for your healthy gut microbiota to not only survive but thrive.
By getting a proper amount of probiotics, you can allow your microbiome to operate at its fullest capacity. This can help your body retain energy and reduce your cravings for foods that aren’t as beneficial.
Enhanced Digestion
As briefly mentioned earlier, another famous potential benefit of sauerkraut is its ability to enhance your digestive system. By creating a better balance of healthy bacteria in your microbiome, the probiotics found in kraut can improve your digestion by:
Get a leg-up on digestive issues, such as constipation, bacteria imbalance, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and even food sensitivities by taking advantage of sauerkraut probiotics.
Many times, digestive issues can warp the way your body processes food. While probiotics won’t rid you of serious digestive issues, they can create a microbiome that supports your entire gastroIntestinal tract, aids proper food absorption, and helps create smoother digestion.
Cleveland Kitchen’s Krauts and Recipes
Whether you’re an avid sauerkraut eater, or are just now learning about the health benefits of sauerkraut, Cleveland Kitchen is here to spice up your experience.
At least one of our seven flavors of Sauerkraut will be your new favorite addition to all of your meals. It’s time that you explore our delicious, vegan, and keto-friendly selection of sauerkrauts: From Beet Red, to Whiskey Dill, Roasted Garlic, and even Classic Kimchi, we’ve got you covered.
And if you’re just not a sauerkraut straight-up out of the pouch kind of person, the recipe page is always here for you, and frequently updated!
Bonus Tip: Take things to the next level and check out our YouTube page for tips and how-tos on our delicious and healthy recipes!
If you’re ready to boost your healthy diet with some thoughtfully sourced, high-quality, serious flavor get yourself some kraut!