Sauerkraut - composition, benefits and contraindications. Sauerkraut - great benefits for the body

A very popular dish. They love it for its pleasant, sour taste and refreshing effect. Many people notice how well it goes with dishes. Sauerkraut is a pleasure to eat at any time of the year, but we will look at when it is beneficial and when it is harmful to the body in this article.

Calories and nutritional value

Calorie content - only 19 kcal per 100 g.

• proteins - 0.9 g;
• fats - 0.1 g;
• carbohydrates - 4.3 g.

Compound

Its peculiarity is that it does not lose its beneficial properties. Moreover, it acquires a whole list of new useful substances. This is due to the fact that the product does not undergo heat treatment, but is obtained as a result of lactic acid fermentation.
In addition to the already mentioned vitamins of groups A and C, it is rich in vitamins of group H, PP, D and a number of other useful substances, including many essential microelements. The dish is rich in fiber and also contains lactic acid. It is thanks to lactic acid that that very specific smell appears, somewhat reminiscent of.

What's the benefit?

It’s not difficult to understand the benefits of sauerkraut - an extensive list of essential microelements, vitamins, and low calorie content. Here's exactly how it affects the body.

Cabbage

Systematic consumption of such a product strengthens the immune system. It has a positive effect on the human nervous system and improves metabolism. The substances included in the food affect the production of hemoglobin and promote the renewal of body cells. also discovered that some elements of its chemical composition inhibit the development of cancer cells.

Juice

The benefit of sauerkraut juice is that it contains almost the entire main dose of vitamin C, and increased acidity can be considered harmful. It also contains a lot of vitamin P, which strengthens the walls of capillaries. The juice helps strengthen the immune system and has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system.

Important! Juice and brine are not the same thing. The juice is inside the cabbage and has a much more concentrated set of nutrients.

Application

The dish is consumed not only in its original form, but also processed additionally, resulting in new, tasty dishes. In this way, the food is stewed, seasoned, served with side dishes, cabbage soup is cooked from it, and used for baking. The dish is used in folk medicine and is used to make masks that are beneficial for the skin.

Did you know? Cabbage that has been fermented whole or in halves contains 2 times more nutrients than chopped cabbage.

Treatment and prevention

This is a really simple dish powerful tool in the fight against vitamin deficiency, as it is rich in vitamins and microelements. The dish was even an excellent preventative against scurvy. Let's figure out whether sauerkraut is useful in the fight against other diseases.

Sauerkraut can bring both benefit and harm if its medicinal properties are taken to the absolute level. It is always worth remembering that this is not a drug, but only an effective supplement.
The dish is useful for bronchial asthma, and helps well with hemorrhoids. The main cause of hemorrhoids is impaired blood flow. To relieve symptoms, lotions are made from warm juice. It is also recommended to drink a glass of brine about 2 times a day.

It also perfectly helps with flatulence - the abundance of fiber stabilizes the gastrointestinal tract.

The active ingredients in the dish make it a bactericidal agent that can be used to treat wounds.

Weight loss

Its extremely low calorie content and saturation with all kinds of useful substances have made it quite popular in various diets. You can have a fasting day with sauerkraut. By consuming this product systematically several times a week, without strict food restrictions, you can lose a couple of extra pounds.

Beauty and cosmetology

Natural masks are very useful. Having tried to make such a mask at least once, you will almost immediately feel the effect.

Important!Try to relax as much as possible-then the mask will pleasantly surprise you with its effectiveness.

Several recipes:

1. To prepare the mask, chop the cabbage. Squeeze out the juice. Apply the resulting paste to the face in a thick layer. Rinse off with warm water after 20 minutes.
2. Beat the whites into a thick foam. Pass sauerkraut (4 tbsp) through a meat grinder. Squeeze out the juice. Mix the ingredients, gradually adding a tablespoon of flour. Wash off the mask after 10-15 minutes. The water should be cool. The mask can be done no more than 2 times a week.
3. Beat the egg yolk. Mix with cabbage juice. Add 1 tsp to the mixture. vegetable oil. Mix until smooth. Rinse off after 20 minutes with warm water.

Is it possible for pregnant women?

You can, but in moderation due to the high sodium content.

Cabbage entered the diet of our ancestors many centuries ago, and the best way to preserve it during the winter turned out to be pickling. Properly cooked cabbage can be stored up to 10 months and at the same time keep everything vitamins and healing properties.

There is a stunning paradox: fermented vegetables contain more vitamins and valuable substances than fresh ones, and are considered more useful. Perhaps this is why the dish was so popular all over the world.

In Rus', not a single feast was and is not complete without it. In Germany, the dish is recognized as national and is served with sausages and smoked meats on all holidays; in Alsace, cabbage is supplemented with seafood, pork and is called “choucroute”. Even in Korea, this product is known as kimchi. Sauerkraut has always been considered a source of strength and health, so it was a regular dish both in the peasant family and on the table of nobles.

Beneficial and healing properties for health

Modern medicine and dietetics have confirmed that sauerkraut is a storehouse useful substances and is vital for maintaining health.

Several centuries ago, sailors and travelers exploring the northern countries noticed that this product protected against scurvy. Moreover, it turned out that in halves and quarters of fermented vegetables more vitamins than in shredded leaves. In addition, the same beneficial substances are preserved in the brine as in the vegetable.

Sauerkraut is a rare case when official medicine uses the many years of experience of traditional healers in treating dozens of diseases without reservations or contraindications. The healing vegetable really has a wide range of effects on the body and has undeniable healing properties.

• Stimulates work gastrointestinal—intestinal tract. Normalizes the composition of gastric juice, improves the absorption of food, restores the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines, cleanses the intestines of decomposition products and serves as an excellent prevention of peptic ulcers. A glass of brine has a pronounced laxative effect and allows you to quickly get rid of constipation. Brine also suppresses the development of E. coli and other pathogenic bacteria. It is used both as an anthelmintic and a way to get rid of lamblia in the liver. To prepare a medicinal drink, cabbage brine and tomato juice are used in equal proportions.

• Improves assimilation proteins the body thanks to vitamin B 6. That is why sauerkraut is so often used as a side dish for meat dishes.

• Stops development malignant tumors. Recent studies have shown that eating vegetables prevents the occurrence of cancer of the stomach, mammary glands, and lungs, and if the problem already exists, it stops the development of the tumor.

• Sauerkraut juice removes harmful cholesterol from the blood, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, makes them more elastic, prevents the formation of blood clots, and also improves blood circulation and heart function.

• The special vitamin and mineral composition of the product has a beneficial effect on nervous system, increases resistance to stress, eliminates irritability, fatigue, relieves nervous fatigue, improves sleep. This is one of the dishes that doctors recommend eating for people who suffer from depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

• Normalizes hormone exchange, in particular the functioning of the thyroid gland. Improves metabolism, eliminates swelling and fat deposits. Thanks to the huge amount of fiber and low sugar content, sauerkraut is indispensable for diabetes.

• Suppresses allergic reactions. As an effective antihistamine, it is recommended for people suffering from all types of allergies and asthmatics.

• Cabbage and brine are endowed with bactericidal properties. They are suggested to be taken in the autumn-winter season as a preventative against influenza and other viral diseases.

This is not a complete list healing properties of the vegetable. Sauerkraut strengthens the immune system, protects against vitamin deficiency and stimulates cell regeneration; the active substances in its composition break down fat and remove it from the body. All these qualities contribute to the healing and rejuvenation of the body as a whole.

For men sauerkraut and pickle made from it are a proven hangover cure. But not many representatives of the stronger sex know that the product allows you to maintain potency for many years and prevent genitourinary diseases.

Hundreds of years ago, cabbage and pickle were for women proven cosmetic product. Wetting with brine eliminates excess dryness and tightens sagging skin, and also helps restore chapped hands.

Masks made from sauerkraut pulp tighten pores, get rid of acne, pimples, remove freckles, pigment spots, and make the skin soft and velvety.

Composition and calorie content

Sauerkraut is a real storehouse of vitamins. For example, it contains ascorbic acid. 400 grams The product will be enough to provide vitamin C for the whole day. Cabbage contains a wide range of B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B4, B6, B9, vitamin K, vitamin U, A, PP, E and microelements, including iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium, iodine, zinc, phosphorus , sodium, sulfur, fluorine, chromium, chlorine, potassium, copper, molybdenum, etc.

B vitamins, among other things, improve the condition of skin, hair and nails, for which they are called beauty vitamins. In this case, it would be fair to call sauerkraut beauty vegetable.

The product contains fiber and sugar in small quantities, which makes this dish valuable for diabetics. The tartronic acid present in it prevents sugar and other easily digestible carbohydrates from turning into fat, and this is important for people suffering from diabetes. second type. There are more organic acids in sauerkraut than in fresh cabbage, since during the fermentation process the vegetable is enriched with lactic and acetic acids.

Caloric content of the product per 100 grams is only 20 kcal, so it has become the basis of many weight loss diets. There are a number of techniques that allow you to quickly lose weight and maintain it at the desired level. Many of them are based on the regular consumption of sauerkraut and dishes made from it.

Already thousands of people who have tried cabbage diets can confirm the truly magical ability of the vegetable to remove excess fluid from the body and get rid of fat deposits.

Use during pregnancy

Is this product useful? for pregnant, is it worth including it on the menu? This question comes up quite often, so we will try to answer it in detail.

During pregnancy, a woman’s body has to work for two, so it needs much more nutrients to maintain health. Sauerkraut can provide mommy and her baby everything you need.

• Vitamin B prevents depression in women and promotes the formation of a healthy nervous system in the fetus.

• Cabbage and brine reduce the symptoms of toxicosis in the early stages, eliminate nausea and heartburn.

• The product supports intestinal microflora, kills dangerous pathogenic bacteria, and has a mild laxative effect.

• Treats anemia, prevents frequently occurring problems with hair, teeth and nails.

• Sauerkraut prevents the appearance of tumors in mother and child, improves heart function.

• Allows you to maintain weight and not gain extra pounds, especially in the last months of pregnancy.

• Unlike fresh cabbage, sauerkraut not only does not cause flatulence and colic, but can eliminate them.

It should be noted that this traditional dish is prepared and stored in aluminum containers. contraindicated. You need to use enamel containers. In this case, other substances do not penetrate into the cabbage, and the valuable properties are retained in full.

While pregnant, women try to avoid chemicals. Sauerkraut can replace light antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and antiviral drugs. It can be taken both as a prophylactic and as a medicine.

Harm and contraindications

As you understand, the benefits and medicinal properties of sauerkraut can hardly be overestimated. However, it is a fermentation product rich in acids, and this property is associated contraindications for use.

It is not recommended for people suffering gastritis with high acidity, diseases pancreas, cholelithiasis illness, complaining of high blood pressure, renal failure.

Excessive consumption of cabbage, especially that which was fermented with salt, may not eliminate, but on the contrary, provoke swelling and cause bloating belly.

There is practically no allergy to cabbage, but if for some reason you don’t like this product, listen to your body and give it up at least for a while.

A tasty and healthy dish will give you beauty and health if you follow these simple rules.

Almost every housewife has such a healthy product as sauerkraut in her refrigerator or basement during the winter. Each one makes it according to their favorite recipe and with the addition of various ingredients. Cabbage is useful not only for its vitamins and beneficial microelements, but also very tasty as a salad appetizer. Both adults and children love to eat it.

They first began to ferment cabbage more than three thousand years ago in Eastern countries such as China and Korea. Many historians claim that this product appeared during the construction of the Great Wall of China. The Chinese then used their own varieties of pak choi and Beijing cabbage. Then cabbage began to be fermented in Europe, and a little later the recipes came to us. Our ancestors used white cabbage for such a dish, and such recipes appealed to the tastes of the whole world.

At that time, thanks to sauerkraut, people could diversify their table with vitamins, and some only survived during the winter with its help.

Vitamin and microelement composition of sauerkraut

When winter comes, a person begins to suffer from a lack of heat, sun, and various fruits and vegetables. In this situation, pickled vegetables will be very useful and indispensable in our diet. It contains many useful microelements and vitamins that are essential for the human body. This product is rich in:

• Vitamins A, B, C, H, K, PP and U;
• Iron and Iodine;
• Potassium and Calcium;
• Calcium and Magnesium;
• Copper and Molybdenum;
• Sodium and Sulfur;
• Chlorine and Chromium;
• Zinc.

This composition is far from complete, but this is enough to eat it as often as possible. The calorie content of this product is low - 100g contains only 23 kcal.

What are the benefits of sauerkraut for humans?

Due to its unique composition, this dish has been used since ancient times as a cure for hangovers and colds, but in fact its effects are much broader.

Benefits for the digestive system

This product affects the functions of the large and small intestines, normalizes microflora after taking antibiotics and various drugs, and increases appetite. For constipation, sauerkraut acts as a mild laxative.

People who have high acidity often suffer from colds, which means that their immune system is weakened. Cabbage starter contains alkali, which normalizes the level of acidity in the body and

Benefits for the cardiovascular system

Another benefit for the human body in sauerkraut is fiber. It absorbs cholesterol and prevents it from entering the blood. With the help of fiber, bile acids are removed from the body, which develop diseases such as cardiac ischemia, atherosclerosis, and the risk of stroke and heart attack is reduced. Doctors recommend including sauerkraut in your diet to prevent cardiovascular disease, and for those people who already have heart problems.

Benefits for the nervous system

Sauerkraut contains the entire group of vitamin B (B1, B2, B3, B6, B9), which affects nerve impulses, eliminates irritability, fatigue, ensures healthy sleep and increases resistance to stressful situations. People suffering from nervous disorders should add this product to their daily diet.

The benefits of sauerkraut for the endocrine system

This unique product does not contain sucrose and glucose, but does contain lactic acid and beneficial enzymes. They are formed during the fermentation of cabbage and affect the functioning of the pancreas, which is necessary for endocrine diseases. Therefore, for diabetes mellitus this product will be simply irreplaceable.

Benefits for the immune system

The benefit of sauerkraut for the human body is its high content of vitamin C. This product contains more of it than fruits such as lemon or orange. Vitamin C is essential for boosting and maintaining the immune system, especially during viral infections and colds.

Benefits of sauerkraut brine

The juice of this product is no less useful than sauerkraut itself. To get it you need to first finely chop the cabbage, then squeeze it. This juice concentrates even more useful substances than sauerkraut itself.

It is advisable to use cabbage brine for dysbacteriosis, gastritis with low acidity, hemorrhoids, and to increase appetite.

Diluting the juice one to two with chilled boiled water has an excellent antibacterial effect. It can be used for sore throat, gums and stomatitis. Undiluted juice will be very useful for burn wounds.

The benefits of sauerkraut for women

Pickled vegetables are of great benefit to women during pregnancy. This product alleviates their condition with toxicosis. This product is also loved for its cosmetic properties. For acne, freckles, age spots, various masks and lotions are made. The nutritional properties of sauerkraut are also useful for strengthening and repairing damaged hair.

Benefits for men

With regular use in men, physical and mental activity increases. High fiber content and low calorie content reduces the risk of extra pounds. In ancient times, men drank cabbage juice for hangover symptoms.

Cautions for eating

• With a large amount of consumption of this product, gas formation may occur due to fiber and fermentation processes.
• This snack greatly increases your appetite, so overweight people need to control themselves.
• People with high blood pressure should use sauerkraut carefully as it contains salt, which can cause swelling.
• You should not eat pickled vegetables if you have bloating, pancreatitis, kidney disease, or cholelithiasis.

Be sure to take note of this information, and let sauerkraut be in your diet as often as possible, because its benefits are invaluable for human health.

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Ever wondered why so many people love sauerkraut? Well, of course, precisely because of the enormous benefits of sauerkraut for the body.

If you just rummage through the Internet, you can find a lot of different information about the benefits and harms of sauerkraut, about its wonderful properties and praises about it. Residents of Russia and Belarus, Bulgaria and Germany, Poland and Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and many other not only European countries consider it their national dish.

Vitamins and nutrients in sauerkraut

In winter and early spring, when the summer and autumn reserves of vitamins, macro- and microelements are used up, this tasty and healthy product comes to the rescue. What is the list of vitamins and nutrients in sauerkraut worth:

• This and vitamins: PP, beta-carotene, A, B 1 (thiamine), B 2 (riboflavin), B 5 (pantothenic acid), B 6 (pyridoxine), B 9 (folic acid), C, E, H (biotin), K (phylloquinone), U (methylmethionine), PP (niacin equivalent), choline.
• And the basic necessary macronutrients: potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur.
• AND microelements: iron, zinc, iodine, copper, manganese, selenium, chromium, fluorine, molybdenum, boron, cobalt, aluminum, nickel.
• AND organic acids– apple, gluconic, succinic, chlorogenic, ferulic, coffee, tartronic, formic, lemon, etc.

In fresh cabbage, as in all vegetables, the vitamin content decreases during long-term storage. The same cannot be said about the vitamins and nutrients in sauerkraut.

Lactic acid and salt are good preservatives and allow you to preserve the vitamins and nutrients of sauerkraut under appropriate storage conditions for up to 6-8 months.

The benefits of sauerkraut for the body

The benefits of sauerkraut for the body are not limited only to the presence of the listed substances. By consuming sauerkraut, you get, in addition to vitamins and microelements, something that makes it healthier when fresh - lactic acid – a product of lactofermentation or lactic acid fermentation.

It is this acid that promotes normalization of intestinal microflora , prevents putrefactive processes and, together with fiber and pectin, improves peristalsis. The consequence of this is blood purification , since the main absorption of vital substances occurs in the intestines.

The beneficial properties of sauerkraut fiber are also important. adsorb and remove cholesterol, waste and toxins . This is a beneficial effect on the entire body through improvement of metabolic processes . And that's not all.

In winter and early spring, the benefit of sauerkraut for the body lies in the ability strengthen the immune system , helping to resist colds. And this happens thanks to vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which is not produced by the body, but can be stored in sauerkraut for quite a long time. Just 200 grams of sauerkraut contains the daily requirement of this vitamin.

Eating sauerkraut helps maintaining healthy nerves and increases stress resistance . Pythagoras also noted cabbage’s ability to maintain “vigor and a cheerful, calm mood.”

This beneficial property is due to the presence of B vitamins - helpers and guardians of our nervous system. It is the amount of vitamins of this group in sauerkraut that exceeds that in fresh cabbage.

Sauerkraut, like fresh cabbage, is useful for the prevention and treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers with low acidity, ulcerative colitis, gastritis with low acidity and intestinal sluggishness. And all this thanks to vitamin U - methylmethionine. It was first isolated from cabbage, and for a long time cabbage was considered its only source.

Vitamin U is also associated with the antidepressant properties and antihistamine effect of sauerkraut, which helps reduce allergies and reduce the number of attacks of bronchial asthma.

The benefits of sauerkraut for the body lie in its ability regulate blood insulin levels , thereby improving carbohydrate metabolism. Along with the low sugar content (glucose and fructose), this makes sauerkraut irreplaceable food product for diabetics .

Sauerkraut, thanks to tartronic acid, also has anti-sclerotic effect . It lies in the ability to counteract the transition of carbohydrates ingested with food into fats, thereby preventing clogging of blood vessels.

Sulfur compounds retained in sauerkraut have anti-inflammatory effect . Therefore, you can also use sauerkraut during chronic inflammatory processes.

There is often mention of the ability of sauerkraut inhibit the development of tumor processes . Research by European and American scientists in this direction shows that where sauerkraut is regularly consumed, tumors of the breast, intestines, and lungs are much less common. This is explained by the presence of lactic acid, fiber and a large amount of natural antioxidants in sauerkraut.

And one more interesting fact - just one spoon of sauerkraut contains the daily requirement of vitamin K, which is necessary for normal blood clotting, healthy kidney function and regulation of metabolic processes in bones and connective tissue.

The benefits of sauerkraut for men

And one more beneficial effect of sauerkraut - normalization of the reproductive system, especially in men . It is due to the ability to bind in the intestines and remove estrogen-like substances, the excess of which is especially harmful to the stronger sex.

So the benefits of sauerkraut for men are obvious - regular use of this product can restore sexual abilities .

The benefits of sauerkraut for pregnant women

Expectant mothers may need sauerkraut as a source of probiotics - beneficial lactic acid bacteria that help properly digest food and normalize intestinal microflora. A small portion of this product will help cope with digestive problems.

The benefits of sauerkraut for pregnant women include the presence of a large amount of vitamins and microelements, which are so necessary for both the growing fetus and the expectant mother.

One of these beneficial vitamins is folic acid, which is preserved in sauerkraut. It is vital for the formation of cells of the future organism and the proper development of DNA.

Vitamin C contained in sauerkraut and its most stable form, ascorbigen, being natural antioxidants, neutralize free radicals in the human body. This helps the body of the expectant mother and the fetus to develop correctly and reduces the risk of developing tumor processes.

The benefits of sauerkraut for pregnant women are obvious. But the main thing is not to overdo it - use it in moderation, in no case exceeding the required norms .

Benefits of sauerkraut brine

Who doesn’t know this beneficial property of sauerkraut brine - to relieve hangover syndrome. And all this thanks to the rich vitamin and mineral composition of cabbage brine, which allows you to quickly replenish the lack of nutrients and restore strength after alcohol poisoning.

Sauerkraut brine does not contain fiber, so its use does not lead to intestinal bloating and strong activation of peristalsis. So the benefits of sauerkraut brine are obvious for those who cannot eat cabbage itself.

The benefits of sauerkraut for weight loss

Such a beneficial property of sauerkraut for weight loss as its low calorie content - only 18-19 kcal per 100 g - makes it an indispensable product for those who want to lose excess weight.

The ability of sauerkraut to activate peristalsis is also good for weight loss. At the same time, along with extra pounds, many harmful products that have not had time to be fully absorbed, as well as waste and toxins clogging the body, are promptly removed from the body.

But sauerkraut not only promotes the removal of food digestion products. It is able to prevent the transition of carbohydrates into fats, not giving extra pounds any chance. This is ensured thanks to tartronic acid and choline contained in sauerkraut.

The benefits of sauerkraut for weight loss are also ensured by the low content of sugars (glucose and fructose), which have already been partially broken down by bacteria.

Sauerkraut in folk medicine

Sauerkraut has been used in folk medicine for centuries to treat liver diseases, constipation, hemorrhoids, headaches, colds, bronchial asthma, allergies, not to mention hangover syndrome. Here are just a few simple folk recipes:

• A glass of a mixture of equal parts of cabbage brine and freshly squeezed tomato juice is recommended to be consumed 3 times a day for liver diseases for a long time.
• Cabbage brine at high temperatures will help replenish the loss of fluid, minerals and vitamins. It is better to drink it diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:1 2-3 times a day.
• Sauerkraut is useful for vitamin deficiencies and during the recovery period after long-term severe colds - bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.
• The headache may subside when applying sauerkraut leaves to the forehead for 20-30 minutes 3 times a day. You can drink 1/2 cup of cabbage brine 3-4 times a day.
• For gallstone disease, sauerkraut is not recommended, but can be successfully replaced with brine. You need to take it 0.5 glasses a day 30 minutes before meals for 1.5-2 months.

We warn you!!! There is still no need to treat yourself!!! Consult your doctor. After all, cabbage, like any product, has its own contraindications, which we wrote about in the “ About the dangers of sauerkraut."

Sauerkraut in cosmetology

Sauerkraut is useful not only when consumed internally. It is widely used in cosmetology as masks. Used separately or mixed with eggs, sour cream, and vegetable oil.

Sauerkraut as a cosmetic product is especially good for caring for oily skin. Weekly 25-30 minute masks made from finely chopped sauerkraut will prevent skin aging and make it soft and fresh. After removing the mask, wash with cold water and lubricate your face with any nourishing cream. This mask is also useful for acne.

Using sauerkraut juice with yeast and sea buckthorn oil, you can make a vitamin tonic mask for tired and aging skin.

To do this, fresh yeast mixed with cabbage brine until it becomes thick sour cream is placed in a warm place (in hot water) before fermentation begins.

Then add 20 drops of sea buckthorn (can be replaced with oil drops of vitamins A and E in the same quantities) and camphor oil. You need to keep this mask on your face and neck for up to 20 minutes, and then rinse off first with brine and then with warm water.

Applications and rubbing with cabbage brine will help lighten your facial skin and get rid of freckles. Finely chopped sauerkraut can serve as an excellent peeling.

When using sauerkraut in cosmetology, it is recommended to use softening creams or natural softening products (sour cream, cream, vegetable oils) after procedures in order to avoid drying out the skin.

Sauerkraut in cooking

Sauerkraut is a favorite product in cooking. There are many ways to ferment it. And with and without salt, with sugar and spices (cumin, pepper, bay leaf, coriander seeds, cloves, garlic, etc.), with carrots and cranberries, with apples and raisins. It is almost impossible to list all the recipes.

Here's the easiest way to ferment:

Sprinkle the shredded cabbage with salt to taste, knead it slightly, mix, place and compact tightly into jars, barrels, pans, buckets (not tinned or galvanized!!!). Of course, when chopping, some of the vitamins are destroyed by interaction with oxygen. But when fermented with whole heads of cabbage, most of the vitamins are retained.

It is very important not to over-salt the cabbage. Spices, berries, fruits - everything can be added to taste and depending on the recipe.

Don’t forget to cover with a layer of clean cloth and press down with a weight until the juice appears on the surface.

The whole process has started! It lasts 2-7 days, depending on the temperature. And this process is called lactic fermentation or lactofermentation. And do not forget to immediately after fermentation, take the finished product to the cold (ideally from 0 to 2 ° C) to prevent peroxidation and the development of mold.

From sauerkraut you can make vitamin salads, stew with meat, mushrooms, sausage and frankfurters, and just like that, cook cabbage soup and cabbage soup, make cabbage rolls and filling for pies and dumplings. And this is not a complete list of ways to use sauerkraut in cooking.

My favorite sauerkraut dishes are pancake-cabbage cake and cabbage pie. Want to try? I share recipes.

Kapustnyak : Stew sauerkraut in vegetable oil with fried onions (not until ready), seasoning it with sugar, cumin, pepper and bay leaf. Place this cabbage in pre-cooked meat broth with vegetables (finely chopped onions, carrots and potatoes) and some cereal (millet, rice, oatmeal, egg). Boil for another 15-20 minutes. All! You can eat it immediately or on the second day, just like that, or adding sour cream, cream or butter.

Pancake and cabbage cake : Use sauerkraut stewed with onions and seasonings. Stack the pancakes, spreading them with a small amount of mayonnaise and topping them with cooked cabbage. The top pancake can be decorated. Eat for your health!

About the dangers of sauerkraut

Very often, the harm of sauerkraut is associated with overeating. Consumption in large quantities can lead to heaviness in the stomach, bloating, and nausea. This happens due to the vigorous activity of the intestinal microflora, which actively eats cabbage fiber.

Considering such a complex chemical composition of sauerkraut, you need to understand how difficult it is for the body to absorb everything it needs. Maybe that's why doctors don't recommend eat cabbage for diseases of the pancreas and limit for gallbladder diseases And renal failure .

Another not very useful property of cabbage, both fresh and sauerkraut, is the ability to remove iodine from the body. That's why for any problems with the thyroid gland It is better to refrain from using it.

The harm of sauerkraut is associated with a lot of salt , which can contribute to swelling and increased blood pressure with a tendency to hypertension. In this case, it is better to use cabbage fermented without salt. It is not stored for so long, but it does not cause any harm associated with excess salt.

Sauerkraut increases acidity in the stomach, so people should eat it with extreme caution. patients with gastritis with high acidity and it is better to refrain from using it for gastric and duodenal ulcers, ulcerative colitis . Sauerkraut is strictly contraindicated during exacerbation these diseases.

When peroxidation occurs in sauerkraut, an excess amount of acetic acid is formed, which destroys some of the vitamins and sharply increases the acidity in the stomach. This cabbage is easy to eat it is forbidden, like cabbage, fermented with the addition of vinegar.

Consumption standards for health benefits

Considering the existing contraindications of sauerkraut, you should not consume it uncontrollably.

If you have been using sauerkraut for a long time as a remedy, take a short break from using it - 10-15 days. Listen to your body. Maybe this break needs to be extended.

Brief summary:

So, use sauerkraut and its brine as preventive and therapeutic agent possible with:

• overweight
• lack of vitamin C,
• diabetes mellitus,
• constipation,
• gastritis with low acidity,
• oncological diseases,
• to improve blood and metabolic processes,
• strengthening the immune system,
• strengthening the nervous system
• for vitamin deficiencies...

and just like delicious food...

• ulcers and ulcerative processes of the gastrointestinal tract,
• exacerbations of gastritis with high acidity,
• diseases of the pancreas,
• problems with the thyroid gland.

Follow the norms for sauerkraut consumption. Then this healthy and tasty product will improve your health, give you strength and vigor.

Bon appetit! And be healthy!

Due to its low calorie content, this vegetable is considered one of the best. In addition, sauerkraut is useful for normal intestinal function, which is extremely important if you are going to lose extra pounds and cleanse the body: after all, the vegetable also helps eliminate toxic substances and toxins.

The product can be added to the diet in unlimited quantities. To digest a vegetable, the body expends more calories than it receives from this product, which means the product has a minus calorie content.

Important! It is not recommended to sit on strict mono-diets with the use of cabbage alone for more than 4 days - with this method of losing weight, the body will receive a lot of stress and a deficiency of many essential substances. It is better to add vegetables in any quantity to porridges and salads.

Contraindications and harm

There are not many contraindications for use, but they still exist:

• endocrine diseases, impaired thyroid function;
• renal failure;
• urolithiasis disease;
• problems with the pancreas;
• inflammatory processes in the stomach (gastritis, ulcers) and increased acidity;
• high blood pressure.

In any case, if you have certain diseases and you doubt whether you can enjoy pickled vegetables, consult a doctor and avoid unwanted consequences.

How to ferment yourself

Nowadays you can buy ready-made sauerkraut in almost any supermarket. But in this case, you cannot be completely confident in its natural composition. A home-cooked product will be much healthier, and it’s also very easy to make.

Important!If you buy a finished product, it is important to make sure that the sauerkraut does not contain vinegar - as a result of its use, all valuable vitamins are destroyed and the benefits of the product are greatly reduced.

Inventory and kitchen appliances

To prepare pickled vegetables, you need extremely simple equipment, which any housewife probably has in the kitchen:

• a sharp wide knife for convenient chopping of vegetables;
• medium or large grater;
• food processor (instead of a grater and knife);
• wooden rolling pin for compacting;
• glass, enamel or wooden container.

Ingredients

Of course, the main ingredient is a head of white cabbage of late varieties. Young cabbage is not suitable for pickling, since due to the low sugar content, fermentation processes will be worse. When choosing a vegetable, carefully inspect, touch and even smell it - the head of cabbage should be dense, crisp, without yellow spots or rot, and in no case frozen. Also, the top leaves should not be removed from the head of cabbage - this may mean that the seller was trying to “reanimate” the spoiled vegetable.

• . Regular or sea, but not iodized - about 200 g (2% by weight of cabbage);
• sugar - up to 1 glass (optional);
• vegetable oil - up to 1 glass (optional);
• - 300 g (3% by weight of cabbage);
• - 1 head;
• spices and herbs to taste: cumin, bay leaf, cloves, coriander, black/allspice;
• berries and fruits for a piquant taste - apples,
  1. To make the dish as healthy as possible, it is better to cut the cabbage into several massive pieces rather than finely chop it - this way the vegetable will retain more vitamins. But if you cut it finely, the dish will turn out softer and more tender.
  2. Carrots can be grated or chopped in a food processor. When chopped finely, it will color the cabbage in a delicate orange-pink hue, and when chopped large, the head of cabbage will retain its snow-white color.
  3. The chopped vegetables must be mixed and compacted tightly into a container using a rolling pin.
  4. Next, prepare the brine: dilute the required amount of salt in warm water.
  5. Fill the mixture to the top and cover tightly with a lid with a press.
  6. Place a wide plate or other vessel under the container with cabbage to collect the brine.
  7. The container should be placed for 2-7 days at a temperature of 19-22°C. Approximately on the second day, foam will appear on the brine, which must be constantly skimmed off.
  8. To avoid the characteristic unpleasant odor during fermentation, you need to regularly pierce the container with cabbage using a wooden stick - this will remove excess gases and the dish will not become bitter.

  You can also ferment vegetables using the “dry” method - grinding the chopped vegetable with salt and other additives until juice appears. After compaction, the brine will appear in the container itself after a couple of days. The duration of fermentation depends on the temperature and the amount of preservative (salt and sugar). If you ferment vegetables in large wooden barrels or pans, you can ferment a couple of whole heads of cabbage without cutting them - you can use them to make cabbage rolls or enjoy whole fermented leaves.
  

  How to store blanks

  The best place to store sauerkraut is in a cellar, balcony or refrigerator with a temperature range of 1-5 °C. The product can be stored from several months to several years. The product should not be stored at sub-zero temperatures (if you are using a balcony). Typically, sauerkraut is served seasoned with butter, onions, herbs, mushrooms or cucumbers. The product is also added to soups and borscht, vegetable stews and salads, and used as a filling for pies, dumplings and pies.

  What else do you eat sauerkraut with?

  • with pork and beef;
  • chicken;
  • porridge and potatoes;
  • fresh, canned and boiled salads.
  
  

  Sauerkraut is one of the favorites of the national cuisines of Eastern European countries. Inexpensive, such a familiar and healthy vegetable has many uses and can decorate both a holiday table and everyday dinners.