Sauerkraut: 30 to 100 grams per day

It is a fermented vegetable, meaning cabbage plus what develops in it during fermentation. In a diet where grains and fruit have been removed, this product has a place of its own.

Plus fiber and volume with a very small amount of carbohydrates. And flavor: the sour taste breaks up the monotony of a diet consisting of meat, fish, and greens.

Because cabbage itself causes gas, and fermented cabbage even more so, while an unaccustomed digestive system needs time.

It is the same pattern as with fats and seeds: a sharp increase in quantity causes a reaction, while a gradual increase does not. The treatment is the same: halve the amount and increase it more slowly.

If bloating does not go away even at 30 grams, it is better to replace the product.

Choose one whose ingredients contain only cabbage, salt, and possibly carrots and spices. There should be nothing else.

Warning signs: sugar in any form, vinegar in the ingredients of an industrially prepared product, and preservatives. Cabbage covered with vinegar is pickled, not fermented, and is not a fermented product.

Homemade is simplest: cabbage, salt, and time. But that is a separate topic and requires a separate jar.

As a side dish with meat and fish. In a green salad — it replaces both acidity and crunch. On its own, by the spoonful, together with a meal.

What not to do: heat it. Heating destroys the purpose of a fermented product, leaving simply sour cabbage.

And one more thing: this is not a snack. There are no snacks in the method at all, and cabbage is no exception.

With gastritis with high acidity, reflux, and peptic ulcer disease, sour cabbage is often poorly tolerated.

With arterial hypertension, heart failure, and kidney disease, remember that sauerkraut is salty: it counts toward the total daily sodium intake, while the guideline of 3-5 g of salt applies to a healthy adult.

With irritable bowel syndrome, fermented products should be introduced especially cautiously and preferably in consultation with a doctor.

By the method of preparation, and the difference is fundamental. Fermented cabbage is made with salt and time: cabbage, salt, and several days. Pickled cabbage is covered with vinegar immediately.

You can see this at a glance from the ingredients. Sauerkraut contains cabbage, salt, and sometimes carrots and spices. Pickled cabbage lists vinegar, often sugar and preservatives.

They are also easy to distinguish by taste: sauerkraut is mildly sour and smells of fermentation, while pickled cabbage has a sharp vinegar flavor.

Not much: cabbage itself is an above-ground vegetable, and during fermentation some of its sugars are used up.

One hundred grams easily fit into the daily allowance of 50-70 g. There is no need to count it separately — it is included in the overall vegetable total and does not take up a significant share.

What really should be counted is salt. Sauerkraut is salty and counts toward the total daily sodium intake.

Yes, and it is cheaper than any store-bought version. You need cabbage, salt, and a jar.

The ratio is simple: about 20 grams of salt per kilogram of shredded cabbage. Rub it with your hands until juice appears, pack it firmly into a jar so that the juice completely covers the cabbage, leave it at room temperature for three to five days, and then refrigerate.

The main condition is that the cabbage must remain under the layer of juice. Anything sticking out spoils.