And in this case we're talking about the life of the good bacteria that helps us to not just survive, but thrive. Our ancestors ate probiotic foods on a regular, if not daily basis ~ a habit we have mostly abandoned.
This included foods such as sauerkraut, kimchee, miso and, yes, yogurt! Homemade yogurt and kefir (fermented dairy)from raw milk is a real treat and comes with those wonderful fat-soluble vitamins A and D, as well as the mineral Calcium that we need for strong bones and teeth, among other things. Beet kvass and kombucha are wonderful probiotic drinks that taste great too.
The consistent consumption of these cultured foods helps us to keep the balance between the bad bacteria, to which we are naturally exposed, and the good bacteria, that we are born with and need to keep in ample proliferation for health.
While science has provided us with more ways to combat the bad bacteria we're exposed to, it's more important now, than it ever has been, that we continue to build our army of good guys.
FACT: You have ten times as much bacteria in your body as you do cells!
You want to make sure the good ones rule. One way to do this is by eating cultured food.
Yogurt is cultured or fermented by the process of adding beneficial bacterial cultures to milk. This transforms lactose, or milk sugar, into lactic acid. That chemical conversion is what makes yogurt tart and thick, as well as more nutritious than the milk from which it came.
This bacterial modification of lactose is also what makes yogurt tolerable, sometimes even to those that are lactose-intolerant.
But that's not the case for those of us who have a milk allergy or sensitivity to one of the proteins in dairy ~ casein or whey ~ as opposed to a deficiency in the enzyme to work with the milk sugar (lactose). If you're susceptible to the proteins in milk (think seasonal allergies, asthma, constipation, any IBS, or you know full-well who you are. . .), then it’s better to avoid yogurt.
Yogurt – from raw dairy
In double boiler, heat a little less than a quart of milk to 110 degrees (no higher than).
Mix a small amount of the heated milk with ¼-1/2 cup of organic whole plain yogurt or use a yogurt starter culture.
Add the mixture back to the milk and pour back into the quart jar.
Seal the jar tightly and place in oven at no more than 105 degrees or a dehydrator or yogurt maker for 24 hours. Label and
Save core and one clean cabbage leaf, set aside.
Cut in shreds or chop 2 lbs. of organic cabbage.
Put in medium to large bowl, add 1 T and 1 t sea salt.
Using kraut pounder or similar tool, pound cabbage until juice starts to flow. Need to make enough juice to cover when it’s in the jar.
Add 1 T caraway seed if you want.
Put all the cabbage into a quart jar, pushing down slightly to get the juice to cover the cabbage.
Place the core top and clean cabbage leaf around it on top of the cabbage in the jar to weight it down.
Seal and leave in dark warm place for approx. 7 days.
Pour kefir grains in quart jar.
Add milk to about one inch below the neck (leaving room to stir).
Stir the mixture with wooden utensil, put a coffee filter on top to cover.
After 24 hours, stir mixture and strain through a plastic strainer into a clean container. Use wooden spoon to massage grains against plastic strainer to get kefir off grains.
Place grains in small jar with milk to cover until next use. Can flavor kefir-blend w/ frozen fruit and/or stevia to taste.
Do not use any metal utensils or boiling apparatuses.
Make hot water using coffee maker. Pour into gallon jar (must heat jar first with hot water).
Add 1 1/3 cup organic sugar. Stir to dissolve. Cover with coffee filter.
Make another pot of hot water and steep 4 teabags in it for 20 minutes (no oily teas).
Add tea to hot water/sugar mixture. Cover with coffee filter.
Let stand until room temp. Add SCOBY and 8 oz. of kombucha starter. Cover with coffee filter.
Place in dark room (cover with towel) for 10-14 days to taste.
Strain out 8 oz. of kombucha and SCOBY and place in fridge (in jar) until next time.
Put kombucha in jars or bottles-can flavor with fruit in bottom, can add chia seeds, etc.