Immune Boosting Probiotic : Beetroot & Red Cabbage

Your gut bacteria directly impact immune function.

Fermented foods offer double the gut benefits; they contain probiotics, enriching your gut with more beneficial bacteria, and they act as prebiotics that feed that bacteria and help it flourish.

Research suggests that the good bugs found in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and tempeh can help fight viral diseases like the flu and bolster your defences against future infections.

Fermented foods include sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, miso, kimchi, kombucha and kefir. Making lacto-fermented vegetables at home is super cheap and easy to do.

This beautifully-coloured twist on traditional sauerkraut is another way to get a nutrient and probiotic-rich serving of raw vegetables into your diet.

It is delicious with salads, on oatcakes, or wholegrain bread.

Ingredients

• ½ medium red cabbage head, finely diced
• 1 medium beetroot, peeled and grated
• 2-inch ginger piece, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp sea salt

Add all ingredients in a large bowl, and use your hands for massaging the mixture for two or three minutes, until the vegetables juices start to release and collect into the bowl bottom (you may want to use gloves for this to avoid pink hands).

Layer the mixture into a clean glass jar and press well. If the juices don't cover the mixture you can add more salted water (approx. 1 tsp sea salt for 1 cup of water).

Cover with a lid and leave at room temperature for up to one week. Check the taste after 5 days, if not sour enough leave for longer.

Store in the fridge.

Read more : Bust Those Immune System Myths!