You may wonder how to eat more probiotics. In other words, you want to know how to get fermented foods into your daily diet. You may think it is difficult to add more fermented foods in your diet, but it really isn’t that difficult. You just have to get into the habit of including them and find some creative ways to do so. It is important enough to make the effort because of fermented foods’ health benefits. Here are some ways to get you started.

Milk Kefir

1. Make a point to drink at least a small glass of milk kefir each day.  This could be with breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack.  I usually make sure I drink some right after I strain my kefir each day.  I like it room temperature.  You may prefer it chilled.  The important thing is to get into the habit of drinking it every day.
   

   Kombucha

2. Have a set time during the day to drink a small glass of kombucha, if you have not already had some.  According to Donna Schwenk, author of Cultured Food for Life, she has seen great health improvements in people who consume what she calls “The Triology” each day.  “The Trilogy” is milk kefir, kombucha, and fermented vegetables. She recommends that you consume each of these daily.
3. Add fermented vegetables to your plate or salad with one or more meals each day.  This can be sauerkraut, pickles, fermented mixed vegetables, or whatever you prefer.  You cannot eat too much, unless you are just beginning.  (If you are just beginning to add fermented foods to your diet, start with a small amount and increase this each day.  This gives your body a chance to adjust to the increased amount of good bacteria.  You may experience more detox reactions if you add large amounts quickly.  These detox reactions are a sign your body is getting rid of bad bacteria and yeasts, which is a good thing, but when it happens too fast, it can be uncomfortable.)
   

   Fermented Carrots & Cauliflower, Pickles, and Okra

    

4. 

   Water Kefir

    

   Replace beverages throughout the day with kombucha and water kefir.  You can flavor these to your liking or drink them plain. You may also add them to other drink recipes, such as punches and fruit drinks. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water also, as this is necessary for good health.

5. Eat cultured dairy products whenever you can. Some examples are kefir cheese, cultured butter, cultured buttermilk, cottage cheese, sour cream, and yogurt.
   

   Kefir Cheese Balls in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

    

   

   Viili Yogurt

   Make sure that these contain live probiotic cultures and that they do not contain excess sugar, chemicals, and other additives. (Organic and grass-fed dairy products are best.  If you have access to organic, grass-fed, raw milk, then using that make these even better. Cultured dairy products made from organic, grass-fed milk is also very healthy. Try to avoid ultra-pasteurized dairy products, if at all possible, because these do not culture as well, and the proteins in the milk are changed by this high heat, which may be more difficult for your body to digest.)

6. Add some fermented food to your (raw) green or other smoothies. You can easily add milk kefir, kombucha, water kefir, or a small amount of fermented vegetables.
7. Use fermented or cultured foods as an ingredient in other recipes that are not cooked. You can use milk kefir, yogurt, sour cream, and/or cultured butter milk in salad dressings and dips. You can use kombucha, especially some that is very sour, as a replacement for vinegar in vinaigrette.
8. Serve kefir cheese as a spread on crackers or with vegetables or serve it on salad. Kefir cheese balls look very pretty on a salad, and taste great, too. You can use some of the olive oil the kefir cheese balls were stored in to make your salad dressing, too.
   

   Kefir Cheese Balls on Salad

   

   Kefir Cheese Balls with Garlic Salt Served on Crackers with Alfalfa Sprouts

9. Keep in mind that you can and should add fermented foods to other dishes and meals.  You will think of new ways.  Do not be afraid to experiment! Just remember that cooking kills the good probiotic organisms, so try to use them in raw recipes or add them to foods after they are cooked, as when serving. Be creative and enjoy them for your improved health!

Please share below ways you include fermented foods in your diet on a regular basis.

Kombucha is a raw, fermented tea.  It is a great source of probiotics and has many health benefits.  It is rich in enzymes and contains antioxidants, amino acids, B vitamins, trace minerals and other nutrients.  It is also reported to help detoxify the liver.  For this reason, you may want to start by drinking small amounts of kombucha.

Jars of Kombucha Fermenting

Kombucha can be pretty expensive to buy, but there is a very inexpensive alternative to paying store prices. Today I will share how to make kombucha tea at home.  Not only is it economical, it is very easy to make.

SCOBY in Kombucha

The first thing you will need is a kombucha SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). It is a living organism and looks like a gelatinous pancake.  You can get one from a friend who makes kombucha.  A new SCOBY “baby” grows in each batch of kombucha, so anyone who makes it will have extra ones.  If you do not know someone who has an extra SCOBY, you may purchase one online. One source is Amazon.com. There is no need to buy the most expensive one offered. The SCOBYs are also sometimes sold on eBay.  The SCOBY will come with some of the kombucha tea.  Be sure to save this to use in making your first batch of kombucha.

You will also need water, tea (black or green with no oils*), sugar, some of the previous batch of kombucha tea, and a glass jar (quart, half gallon, or gallon).

This recipe makes one half gallon.

Ingredients:

1 kombucha SCOBY (See Resources page for one source.)

1/2 to 1 cup of kombucha tea  (You may substitute raw apple cider vinegar, if you do not have kombucha.)

1/2 cup sugar* (cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, Sucanat)  (Most of the sugar is consumed by the SCOBY during fermentation.)

3 regular size tea bags (black, green, or white)**

About 6 1/2 cups filtered water (no chlorine or fluoride)

Directions:

Bring 2 to 3 cups of the water to a boil.  Add the sugar, and stir to dissolve.  Steep the tea bags for 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the rest of the cool water to the sweetened tea in a glass jar.  Make sure to leave room for the SCOBY and reserved kombucha tea.  Wait for it to cool to room temperature.  If the water is too hot, it will kill the SCOBY. Gently add the SCOBY and reserved kombucha tea.  Cover with a coffee filter or cloth tea towel or napkin, and secure with a rubber band.

Kombucha

Set this on the counter, out of direct sunlight, in a place it will not be disturbed.  Let it ferment for up to two weeks.  You may taste it after a week by gently inserting a straw beside the SCOBY, covering the end of the straw with your finger, and withdrawing the straw with some of the kombucha inside.  Stop the fermentation when you like the taste.  The longer it ferments, the more sugar the SCOBY will eat and the more tart it will get.  You may drink it after it has brewed for much longer, but you may not care for the taste.

At the end of the fermentation time, pour the kombucha tea through a strainer into another container.  Reserve the SCOBY or SCOBYs plus enough kombucha to make the next batch.  Repeat the process above every time you want to make more kombucha.

You may now put the kombucha into canning or other jars with a tight fitting lid or into flip-top bottles.  Be sure to use heavy-duty ones like those made for beer-making.  You may add flavorings to the finished kombucha (but not to the portion you will use to make the next batch).  You may add vanilla, ginger,  or dried fruit.  Experiment with other things.  You will probably want to refrigerate your finished kombucha, to slow down the fermentation process.  I usually like it plain over ice, but experiment to see what you like.  Enjoy this homemade and less expensive version of a probiotic-rich and nutritious beverage.

Notes:

*Do not use honey, coconut sugar, or date sugar. If you decide to try an alternate sugar, be sure that you have a back up SCOBY, in case something goes wrong with the batch.  I have not tried making kombucha with any of these, but I have read that they can sometimes turn out tasting off and may damage your SCOBY.  Other people have had good luck using honey.

**Do not use tea with oils, such as Earl Grey, which is flavored with bergamot oil, as the oil may damage your SCOBY.  Do not use decaffeinated tea, as the SCOBY also needs the caffeine.

Please comment below to share how your kombucha comes out and what flavoring you like or to ask questions.

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By Tia Lee

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By Tia Lee