Sauerkraut is
made by: combining finely shredded fresh cabbage and salt (about 1.5% salt),
then packing the resulting mixture into an airtight container and allowing it
to ferment for three days at 23 degrees Celsius and then for an additional
eight weeks at a cooler temperature.
History of Sauerkraut
Although many
people think of sauerkraut as a German invented foodstuff, its true origins are
thought to be ancient China. The Chinese have been fermenting cabbage since 200
BC. Over 2,000 years ago, Chinese labourers responsible for building the Great
Wall of China ate sauerkraut as part of their daily diet - that early version
was made using rice-wine. It is assumed that sauerkraut made its way to Europe
1000 years later during the 13th century when Gengis Kahn plundered
China. The Romans carried barrels of sauerkraut on long campaigns - feeding it
to soldiers in order to prevent intestinal infections. The Dutch sea faring
traders ate sauerkraut on a regular basis as it could be easily kept on board
ship, do not require refrigeration and helped to prevent scurvy due to its high
vitamin C content. Captain James Cooke followed the example of the Dutch
sailors.
Active Ingredients in
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a
dense source of a wide range of benefical lactic acid bacteria. The predominate
bacteria in sauerkraut is Lactobacillus plantarum. While commercially produced
sauerkraut does retain these valuable properties, fresh sauerkraut is higher in
beneficial organisms. Sauerkraut typically contains 13 strains of bacteria and
about 100 times more probiotics than most supplements while being a lot less
expensive! If you are purchasing rather than making your own sauerkraut, make
sure it is in the refrigerated section of the store to ensure that it contains
live bacteria.
One of the best
ways to ensure that you are providing your dog with fresh, probiotic sauerkraut
is to make it yourself! If you would like to see some simple but very good
sauerkraut recipes you can read this article. Sauerkraut is quick, easy and very inexpensive to make.
Benefits of Sauerkraut
Aids
in the digestion process;
Boosts
the immune system;
Helps
prevent cancer (sauerkraut contains compounds called isothiocyanates which
protect against cancer);
Fights
E. Coli, salmonella and candida;
Has
anti-inflammatory properties (inflammation can cause some cancers);
High
in Vitamin A, B, C and E;
High
in Minerals calcium and magnesium, folate, iron, potassium, copper and
manganese;
High
in phytonutirent antioxidants;
Helps
alleviate anxiety and depression;
It
helps generate omega-3 fatty acids;
It
can help reduce allergy symptoms;
It
is very low in fat and calories.
Each batch of
fresh, raw sauerkraut contains different species of beneficial probiotics in
different proportions. The table below provides a list of the bacteria species
found in sauerkraut.
Main Species
|
Secondary
Species
|
- Lactobacillus
brevis
- Lactobacillus plantarum
- Leuconostoc mesenteroides, - Pediococcus
pentosaceus
|
- Lactobacillus coryniformis
- Lactobacillus curvatus
- Lactobacillus sakei
- Lactococcus lactis subsp lactis
- Lactobacillus paraplantarum
- Leuconostoc argentinum
- Leuconostoc
citreum
- Leuconostoc
fallax
- Weissella
species
|
In
addition, 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of fresh sauerkraut contains…
Nutritional
Information
|
Vitamins
|
Minerals
|
Calories
|
23
|
15 mg Vitamin C
|
48mg Calcium
|
Carbohydrates
|
4.3g
|
.21mg Vitamin B6
|
1.5mg Iron
|
Fat
|
14g
|
1.5mg Vitamin K
|
288mg Potassium
|
Protein
|
9mg
|
|
14mg Magnesium
|
Sodium
|
661mg
|
|
|
Water
|
92g
|
|
|
Caution
Alcohol is poisonous to dogs so do not
purchase wine sauerkraut. Make sure you purchase or make water based sauerkraut
rather than wine based sauerkraut.
How to Introduce
Sauerkraut to Your Dog’s Diet
As with any new
foodstuff that you introduce to your dog’s diet you should go slow. The
probiotics in sauerkraut are highly concentrated so give your dog’s system time
to adjust. For the first few days to a week cut the recommended dosage in half.
This will avoid stomach upset as your dog’s system adjusts to the increased
quantity of good flora in their GI tract. You can bring the daily dosage up to
the recommended amount over the space of a few days to a week or two. If your
dog has a negative reaction to the new food stop providing the food to your
dog. All of my dogs get kefir, sauerkraut and yogurt on a daily basis. None of
my 10 dogs have ever had a negative reaction to any of these food stuffs.
Recommended Minimum Daily Intake of Sauerkraut
- Small
size dogs - ½ tsp to 1 tbs
- Medium
size dogs - 1tbs to 2 tbs
- Large
dogs - 2 tbs to 3 tbs
You can increase (either a little or by doubling) the
daily intake noted above if you wish to increase the amount of
probiotics ingested by your dog on a daily basis. Just make sure to
increase gradually over the space of days or weeks.
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Notes
1 If you live in North America, do not
purchase kefir made from soy. 99% of soy grown in North America is derived from
genetically modified (GM) seeds. GM Round-up Ready Crops are a broad-spectrum
systemic herbicide used to kill weeds. The long-term health affects of ingesting
GM foods is suspected of causing serious health problems. Numerous studies on
animals suggest reproductive problems as a side effect of glyphosate exposure.
In addition GM crops are seriously detrimental to soil health, and the health
of important insects such as bees.
As well, large
factory farms use a method to process soy that leaves it very high in
photoestrogens. Photoestrogens have been proven to interfere with reproduction
and thyroid function. Factory farming processing methods for soy also
result in a product that is very high in phytates. Phytates prevent mineral
absorption as well as substances that prevent the normal function of enzymes
required to digest protein. And one last thumbs down for large factory farm
produced soy - it has one of the highest concentrations of pesticides found in
North American crops. Traditional methods of processing soy by fermentation (as
employed in Japan and China) greatly reduces photoestrogens, and phytates, thus
making consumption of the resulting soy, safe and nutritional.
Hey Karen,
ReplyDeleteI got the Eden brand of sauerkraut. Is it ok to give the liquid that is in the bottle along with the cabbage? I see that it has sea salt so is that safe and if so how much of that liquid can I give along with the cabbage? Thanks
Whether or not the added sea salt is good or bad for your dog depends on how much salt he/she is ingesting on a daily basis via the balance of his/her diet. To answer your questions I would need to look at his/her overall diet, and for that you would need to purchase consultation time.
DeleteI follow your homemade grain free recipe..
Deleteyou can give a little (tbs) of the juice along with the 'kraut daily
DeleteThank you
ReplyDeleteThank you, very helpful!
ReplyDeleteIf I give my dog kefir or sauerkraut should it be mixed into her meals or at a different time?
ReplyDeleteMay be added to meals or given seperatly
DeleteThank you for your site, it has a lot of helpful information. About the Kefir: since it is made out of milk, can you feed this to a lactose intollerant cat?
ReplyDeleteThank you.
You can use for a lactose intolerant cat IF you purchase lactose-free kefir. You can use coconut kefir for a lactose intolerant cat.
DeleteI want to give Sky the Kefir but I do live in north America and would like to know where I can purchase it. I think she has a yeast problem she also has what I am told is a fungus on one foot that I have spent a month trying to heal to no avail. I think either probiotics or kefir will help. I have used the Human form of Kefir and I like it but no sure if it would be safe for her
ReplyDeleteAvailable at a good grocery store, or natural health store.
DeleteKaren, regarding the sauerkraut, I bought a high quality brand from our local health food store with very low sodium content. I read the live bacteria is very much prevalent in the liquid of sauerkraut. My dogs don't like the consistency of the stringy kraut but will drink the juice, that ok? The kraut I purchased has only 100 mg of sodium per tlbspn.
ReplyDeleteAs long as the slat in the kraut is sea salt, Himalayan salt or another full spectrum salt its fine to use the juice.
Delete