How to Make Pickles!!

I have always been a lover of pickles in any form, spicy dill pickles, fried pickles, pickles on my burger, even Indian pickles but that’s a whole other blog post HAHA So like most people who didn’t even think of how to make home made pickles I would just buy a jar of dill pickles and just throw that thing into my fridge!! Little did I know that these spears of joy I was consuming was not benefiting me in anyway. First off, store bought pickles contain preservatives such as citric acid, sodium benzoate, polysorbate 80, yellow #5, calcium chloride, natural flavors, and sugar, obviously to maintain an extended shelf-life (or refrigerator-life). I don’t know or want any of those ingredients, considering it only takes 5 ingredients to make. The preservatives prevent the probiotics from actually serving any purpose, they cease to exist. When I found out about this, I had to put my knowledge to the test, I wanted to consume living foods with prana (energy), this is what gives us energy and helps repopulate and heal the gut microbiota.

Recently I learned how to make pickles and sauerkraut, which is so simple and takes about 5 minutes to prepare. They contain an abundance and variety of probiotics as well, if anyone is ever questioning which kind of probiotic to get from the store, what kind of strain? How many CFUs? Skip the hassle and eat your creation!! I wanted to first make my own batch to make sure it didn’t kill me before I shared it with all you loyal knowledge seekers! My parents and my friend can also agree that they were [what us American’s say] THE BOMB!!! As you can tell I am so excited about this post because they really turned out way better than I had expected and I could hands down say as a Master of Pickles that they tasted so much better than any store bought pickle I have had in my life time. So I would like to share this magnificent discovery with everyone.

5 Ingredients: Using a 32oz mason jar

• mini cucumbers cut into quarters
• 1 tbsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1 tbsp pickling seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic
• filtered water
• (optional) 1 tsp red chili flakes for spicy pickles YUM!

Put the quartered mini cucumbers into the jar, add garlic, the 1tbsp of pink Himalayan salt and pickling seasoning, fill with filtered water to the top. SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE! Now just leave it sitting out on the counter for 10-15 days. I left mine out for 10 days and they went through periods of cloudiness and fizziness but do not be alarmed that is just part of the process!!! I went through a panic when I wasn’t able to get into my pickles jar so OPEN AND CHECK THEM EVERYDAY the jar might be hard to open as it ferments longer and longer. Once you are ready to eat your home made probiotics just put them into the fridge as the temperature now slows now the fermentation. The pictures below show day 1 (left), day 5 (middle), and day 10 (right) after refrigeration.

Voila! Making pickles is that simple with no preservatives and they last in the fridge for a long time as well. I ate about 3 a day since they were amazing and gave some away so they lasted about 4-5 days after I began eating them. They were in the fridge for 10 days while I was on vacation in Europe dancing the night away! No one died in the making of these pickles!!! You can create your own make and model of probiotic enriched pickles!

Have a wonderful weekend!!! Happy pickling!!!

Ever Have Digestive Issues?

All throughout my life I have been surrounded by people with mild to severe digestive issues and growing up I never quite understood what these folks were going through. I personally don’t experience the symptoms that go along with the IBS diagnosis, such as constipation and diarrhea but now I have a strong urge to help those around me suffer less.

Over the last year I have become more aware of my body, I have come to the conclusion that I have lower than normal levels of HCL to properly digest my foods. This is preventing my body from up-taking the nutrients I need from those food sources which has lead to health issues such as dry skin, allergies and not being able to gain weight. I decided it was time to finally take charge of my gut!!

Everything begins in the gut, it is our second brain where 95% of serotonin is created. So if you are feeling depressed, having anxiety, chronic fatigue, autoimmune disorders (such as hypothyroidism, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, crohn’s, and colitis) it’s most likely physically manifested due to gut dysbiosis.

I’ve written about fungal overgrowth known as candida, but have you heard of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth? Known as SIBO for short, a lot of digestive issues like gas, bloating, IBS C (constipation), and IBS D (diarrhea) have been linked to this. So how do we bring the gut to a state of equilibrium from those pesky bacterias? Following a low FODMAP diet has significantly shown to change the gut microbiome diversity and help decrease symptoms. FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols.

Being a holistic health coach, I never recommend staying on a diet for more than 30-60 days because diets are usually a one size fits all solution and I’ve come to learn that each individual needs their own unique diet that specifically works for them. I recommend creating a lifestyle out of it, diets are short-term and usually benefit during detoxes and cleanses but a lifestyle is one that will have you feeling your best your whole life! Eliminating foods you know that cause you discomfort should be easy to give up, adding probiotic supplements and food sources are vital!

Oligosaccharides are indigestible, humans lack the enzymes to break it down in the small intestine, so once it reaches the large intestine, the good bacteria ferment (break down) to nutrients that are absorbed for energy. The following foods should be eaten in smaller quantities to prevent gas and bloating:

• beans
• peas
• lentils
• cabbage
• whole grains
• artichokes
• onions

Disaccharides include lactose which is found in dairy, try switching to alternative dairy products like coconut or almond milk.

Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates and sugars and includes fructose. Limit high glycemic fruits, eliminate refined carbohydrates and sugars.

Polyols are alcohol sugars such as xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, and maltitol, avoid these.