Do you love beets? Or, more importantly, do you eat beets regularly? Adding them to your regular diet is one of the best things you can do for your health. This is because beets contain valuable nutrients that only few vegetable have.
In fact, they are probably the secret of Russians’ long lifespan.
Some of the unique nutrients of beets are betalains and polyphenols. These potent, natural antioxidants help prevent congenital disabilities, heart disease, colon cancer, and other types of cancer.
Moreover, they are full of betaine which promotes the function of the liver, thus helping the body flush out toxins properly. But, there’s one thing you can do with beets to enhance their already amazing properties. It’s pickling.
Why Are Fermented Foods Healthy
In order to reap the maximum benefit of each fermented food, you have to do it the right way. Otherwise, the pickling will be less nutritious than the raw food. So, the right way to do it is to just use water and salt, without any vinegar.
The salt and water combination will create Lacto-fermentation. Actually, you can ferment any vegetable in this way. Just put it in the water/salt brine and let it stay for a while. Keep it at a room temperature to allow the development of good bacteria.
In this way, the fermented vegetable will contain high amounts of Lactobacilli and other types of probiotics. Lactobacillus stimulates the production of lactic acid which prevents the food from being attacked by pathogenic bacteria.
The beneficial bacteria are acid resistant and can repopulate in your gut as you eat the fermented food. What’s more, Lacto-fermented veggies are “pre-digested” so they are assimilated more easily. Fermentation produces natural probiotic and other beneficial nutrients.
The author of Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, explains fermentation improves the vegetable’s digestibility and boosts the levels of vitamins. Lactobacilli create a number of beneficial enzymes, anti-carcinogenic and antibiotic substances.
The lactic acid, as their primary product, makes sure the fermented food is perfectly preserved and the growth of healthy flora in gut enhanced.
The best source of good bacteria which can detox your body from toxins and heavy metals are fermented foods. In fact, there are even studies which claim probiotic rich foods are associated with the overall health.
So, here’s the right way to make fermented beets to use their highly nutritious content and detox your body.
Naturally Fermented Pickled Beets – Preparation
These ingredients make one jar of pickled beets. But, you can double the amount and get two of them.
- 6 medium beets
- 2 cups water
- Half a teaspoon of sea salt
- Optional Seasonings – coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, cloves
Instructions
Before you start making your own naturally fermented pickled beets, make sure you wash them well. Let them dry and poke them in few places. Then, put them on a baking sheet and bake for three hours until soft (at 300 degrees). Peel them, and then chop them into julienne strips.
Take a quart-sized canning jar with a wide opening, and pack the strips firmly. Prepare a solution of sea salt and water and pour it over the strips until the brine is 1,5 inch from the jar’s opening. Make sure you submerge the beet strips in the liquid.
Finally, cover the jar tightly and keep it at a room temperature for three days. Then, you can transfer
