Raw Food Dilemma

[Cort]

you could try making this spicy herbal tea, similar in taste to chai: simmer whole black pepper, cardamom, clove, ginger and cinnamon in some water. Strain and keep in a thermos. Sip throughout the day. Great for low digestion.

I love it! Thanks

 

[Cort]

Here's my super easy recipe:

1) Sprout 1 pint of wheat berries for three days.
2) Cover with purified water in gallon container and let set on kitchen counter for three days
(This makes a fermented drink called rejuvelac, with a slightly lemony, tart taste. -- It keeps for several weeks in refrigerator).
3) Blend approx. one head of cabbage with approx. 1/2 gal. of rejuvelac. Set on counter for another three days.
4) Refrigerate -- Keeps just about forever.

I call this my sauerkraut juice. In reality, you can use literally any kind of vegetable and/or edible weeds and ferment them the same way. For the fermented beet juice, I blend about half a dozen beets to 1/2 gal. rejuvelac. You can always dilute any of of these if the taste is too strong.

I drink 1-2 pints of fermented juices daily. I usually add 2-3 grams of sodium ascorbate, and often add about 1/4 tsp of taurine, 1/4 tsp l-glutamate, 1/4 tsp of creatine, and 1/4 tsp of whatever else I have hanging around my supplement shelf, like glycine or something like that. Just had my first outbreak of shingles, so will be adding lysine powder as well.

Speaking of shingles, I just ran across a fairly comprehensive article, Natural Cure for Shingles..., on treating it naturally. I couldn't help but think their fairly extensive protocol could quite possibly be effective for treatment of ME/CFS as well.

Thanks again, Wayne - I put the recipe in the resource section - http://www.healthrising.org/forums/resources/waynes-fermented-juice-recipe.327/

Any idea if there are any issues with gluten with this?

 

[Stephanie 'Stevie' Stultz]

I've had issues with eating raw veggies for the entire time I've had ME/CFS (14 years). Over time, I've been able to incorporate a few raw ones but I've found a great way to get more cooked veggies in my diet. I know many of us have troubles digesting food. Take almost any raw veggie; broccoli or cauliflower or carrots or beets with sweet potato or zucchini with spinach, or kohlrabi (one of my favorites) or a mixture of whatever is in the fridge and just barely cover them with chicken broth, some sea salt, a little butter if you can tolerate it and spices. I especially like dried thyme. If you can tolerate a bit of rice I add about 3 T. of instant brown rice. It will help the soup thicken. Bring to a boil and cook on low until the veggies are soft. Then run the mixture through the blender or food processor. Voila....cream of 'whatever' soup. If you want a richer soup you can add a bit of milk or cream, or even unflavored rice, soy or nut milk.

 

[Wayne]

Any idea if there are any issues with gluten with this?

Hi Cort,

I thought about this early on (since I avoid gluten), and somehow concluded it would not be a problem. The problem is, I don't recall now how I came to that conclusion.

 

[Cort]

I've had issues with eating raw veggies for the entire time I've had ME/CFS (14 years). Over time, I've been able to incorporate a few raw ones but I've found a great way to get more cooked veggies in my diet. I know many of us have troubles digesting food. Take almost any raw veggie; broccoli or cauliflower or carrots or beets with sweet potato or zucchini with spinach, or kohlrabi (one of my favorites) or a mixture of whatever is in the fridge and just barely cover them with chicken broth, some sea salt, a little butter if you can tolerate it and spices. I especially like dried thyme. If you can tolerate a bit of rice I add about 3 T. of instant brown rice. It will help the soup thicken. Bring to a boil and cook on low until the veggies are soft. Then run the mixture through the blender or food processor. Voila....cream of 'whatever' soup. If you want a richer soup you can add a bit of milk or cream, or even unflavored rice, soy or nut milk.

I know someone who swears by the vegie blender approach - thanks for the reminder.

 

[bobby]

I drink 1-2 pints of fermented juices daily.

hi @Wayne is there a moment in the day that is best to drink these fermented vegetable juices? I just bought a bottle of fermented cabbage juice to try out.

 

[Who Me?]

FYI fermented stuff is bad if you have histamine issues.

 

[Wayne]

hi @Wayne is there a moment in the day that is best to drink these fermented vegetable juices? I just bought a bottle of fermented cabbage juice to try out.

Hi @bobby

I generally blend up a few greens with my sauerkraut juice, and then drink about 1-2 cups as my "breakfast" (late morning). I usually wait until evening before considering whether to drink any more. Though this "concoction" feels good in my body, and gives me a bit of an "energetic lift", I've noticed drinking too much at one time can cause a bit of GI stress. Some days I can handle more than others.

I didn't know fermented cabbage juice could be purchased. Maybe I should consider commercializing my own brand. Did they by any chance "pasteurize" the cabbage juice you purchased?

 

[bobby]

thanks @Wayne ! I have no idea if it's pasteurized. I bought it online and it hasn't arrived yet, so we'll see. When I try something new I always start off with a really tiny amount, cause I sometimes get extreme reactions. So it'll take some time to get up to 2 glasses...

I don't think the store juice is exactly the same as what you make. This is more like sauerkraut juice, made from lactofermented white cabbage, plus a bit of salt. http://www.biottajuices.com/products/sauerkraut-juice/

 

[Wayne]

I have no idea if it's pasteurized.

Hi @bobby,

I did a quick check, and discovered this about Biotta sauerkraut juice...

Serving Suggestion/Storage: Shake well. Refrigerate after opening. For best quality and freshness, use within 7 days of opening. -- Pasteurized for safety.

Interestingly, the raw sauerkraut juice I make keeps almost forever. I've kept it around for weeks, and I think raw sauerkraut in general keeps for many months. -- I thought the following was pretty good...

Raw Fermented Cabbage is Traditional Healthy Sauerkraut

From the article...

Not all sauerkraut has health benefits. In order for sauerkraut to have a preventative effect for cancer, it needs to be raw. Raw naturally fermented sauerkraut contains lactic acid and the living probiotic microorganisms that are the agents of fermentation. Canned sauerkraut, pasteurized sauerkraut, or fully cooked sauerkraut does not have this healing power, because the microorganisms have been killed by extended exposure to high heat. Cooking and pasteurization also damages other cancer preventative properties.​

 

[bobby]

@Wayne thanks for looking into that! I figured it would be pasteurized... maybe sth to do with health safety? So I guess none of the really great health benefits... What a bust!