Greetings.
Eric Bakker, naturopath.
Thank you for coming back and checking out my video.
Got a question today.
I'm just going to read it off the screen here from a subscriber.
The subscriber's name is Donal Haughey, H-A-U-G-H-E-Y, Donal Haughey.
And there's another person, Gua Gua who says, "Yes, I have the same question."
Why do people have these funny names on YouTube?
I can't work it out.
Gua Gua?
Is that Mr. Gua Gua?
Or Mrs. Gua Gua?
I can't work it out.
Why don't they just put their real name on there instead of hiding behind all these weird
things?
"If consuming homemade sauerkraut daily would one be covered for the most or all the probiotic
strains required without taking probiotic supplement alongside it?
Or is sauerkraut not going to provide one or all the strains that are needed?
My understanding is that it covers only certain lactobacillus strains.
Can you share some info on which bacteria sauerkraut would contain?
Many thanks."
Well, I think you've actually got the shoe on the wrong foot, my friend.
You don't really take sauerkraut or kombucha or kefir for that matter to implant bacteria
in you.
You take these kind of foods in generally because they improve the environment of the
gut.
What do they taste like when you eat sauerkraut?
Does it taste like candy?
Does it taste like Kentucky Fried Chicken?
No, it tastes sour.
It's bitter.
It's sour.
It doesn't ... in fact it's gross when you think about it.
If we package that food up and put it on a burger who's going to eat it?
No one likes that kind of stuff.
Years ago in the '70s when I used to eat sauerkraut, if you would talk to people that you were
eating sauerkraut they'd be dry retching around you.
No one liked that stuff back then.
I've always liked sauerkraut.
I've always liked a sour kind of a flavor.
Sure, what you're saying is correct that lactobacillus strains are quite predominant in sauerkraut.
But you're also going to get yeast in sauerkraut.
Before you start foaming at the mouth and yelling at me at the screen, everything you
flipping eat has got yeast in it.
You bite into an apple there'll be yeast on the surface of the apple.
Anything you eat will have some type of yeast or bacteria in it.
Now, sauerkraut will also have yeast in it.
Sourdough bread has got a lot of yeast from the air it will go into the culture.
Sauerkraut's the same.
It creates an environment rich in lactic acid and that lactic acid is that nice sour kind
of taste.
The lactic acid is food for beneficial bacteria, all right?
It's also got the correct pH.
Sauerkraut confers beneficial properties because it's of the correct pH, the beneficial bacteria
like.
It's bitter so it stimulates digestion.
It inhibits microbial growth.
It has many properties about it that are beneficial for the gut.
But you're not eating it solely to put XYZ strain of bug in the gut.
Don't think of it like that.
Think of it more of enhancing the environment to allow your internal bacteria to grow.
Probiotics are the same.
When you take a good probiotic supplement it's very similar.
So the question you have is do you still take a probiotic supplement if you're eating sauerkraut
daily.
Likely not.
But, if you are going to take a probiotic, experiment with one with different types of
strains of lactobacillus that likely are not going to be in the sauerkraut.
But in particular, add some enzymes with your probiotic because it makes the world of difference.
Enzymes when taken with probiotics and sauerkraut will allow the kraut to be more efficiently
digested.
Meaning even more food from the bacteria further down the GI tract.
I don't want to beat my own drum, but I was one of the first people to develop a formula
with multiple types of probiotics and multiple enzymes together in a capsule that's bile
and acid resistant so it actually gets right down there in the small intestine and it works.
It opens up.
Enzymes get out.
Beneficial bacteria get out.
Sauerkraut's down there.
They're all being great buddies and shaking hands and are getting on together.
The enzymes assure more efficient digestion.
That leads to a lot less bloating and gas and a lot more efficient utilization of that
sauerkraut in that part of the GI tract.
So, to answer your question, yes and no.
You don't need them, probiotics, but they are going to be beneficial if you have them,
in my opinion, with enzymes in the gut and you're having sauerkraut.
Be careful with sauerkraut when you first introduce it in your diet if you haven't done
so that you do small amounts at the beginning.
Don't just sit down with a huge big bowl full of sauerkraut on day one and start eating
it as if you've always eaten it.
Don't do that.
Your tummy will get very messed up.
Kefir is the most suspect of all the ferments to introduce.
You need to be very cautious with that one.
I would see that more like the advanced kind of cultured fermented food to enter the diet.
Yogurt's one of the safest ones.
Kombucha's on the suspect list.
My order would be probably yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir in terms of effects on the
gut.
Untoward effects or unsuspected effects.
All right?
So I hope that gives you enough useful information but have a think about it.
Thanks for the question.