Excerpts about Raw Cultured Vegetables
from The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates:
 

 
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Page 91: CHAPTER 14 RAW CULTURED VEGETABLES

"Raw cultured vegetables have been around for thousands of years, but we have never needed them more than we do today. Rich in lactobacilli and enzymes, alkaline-forming, and loaded with vitamins, they are an ideal food that can and should be consumed with every meal.

Since they are an excellent source of Vitamin C, Dutch seamen used to carry them to prevent scurvy. For centuries, the Chinese have cultured cabbage each fall to ensure a source of greens through the winter (if they have no refrigeration). Cultured vegetables are a favorite food of the long-lived Hunzas. Yogurt ads lead us to believe that eating yogurt ensures a long life, but it’s really the active cultures of friendly bacteria (lactobacilli) in the yogurt that are responsible for the health of these people. Similarly, the friendly bacteria, the
enzymes, and the high lactic acid in raw cultured vegetables add to health and longevity.

They taste tangy. It may be a new taste for you, but you will soon feel that no meal is complete without them. Even better, since they are all-vegetable, they combine with either a protein or a starch meal. They are slightly to the expansive end of the expansion/contraction continuum, so they help balance the contractive nature of animal foods and sea salt. So what exactly are raw cultured vegetables?

They’re sauerkraut. The Austrians coined this word, from sauer (sour) and kraut (greens or plants). But we call them raw cultured vegetables, because we don’t want you to mistake them for the salted and pasteurized sauerkraut sold in supermarkets and even some health food stores. That kind of sauerkraut is definitely not on the Diet, because it is pasteurized. The pasteurization (heating) process destroys precious enzymes, and the added salt eliminates any health benefits. We’ll teach you how to make these delicious raw cultured vegetables without heat or preservatives.

Page 94: "There is no one perfect way to make raw sauerkraut, but the following recipe is one we learned from one of the great cultured vegetable masters, Evan Richards, president of Rejuvenative Foods in Santa Cruz, California. We are deeply grateful for his efforts and guidance. Over the last ten years he has patiently produced and sold raw cultured vegetables when very few recognized the importance of these vital foods."

Benefits

Page 92:

  Raw cultured vegetables help reestablish your inner ecosystem.

The friendly bacteria in raw cultured vegetables are a less expensive alternative to probiotics....

• They improve digestion.

Knowing the benefits of raw foods, you may have decided to include raw vegetables with each meal. Yet when you begin the Diet, your digestive tract and spleen may be too weak to tolerate them. Cultured vegetables eliminate this concern, since they are already pre-digested. This means that even before they enter your mouth, the friendly bacteria have already converted the natural sugars and starches in the vegetables into lactic acid, a job your own saliva and digestive enzymes would do anyway. The enzymes in the cultured vegetables also help digest other foods eaten with them.

• They increase longevity.

You could think of the friendly bacteria in raw cultured vegetables as little enzyme powerhouses. By eating the vegetables, you will maintain your own enzyme reserve and use it to eliminate toxins, rejuvenate your cells, and strengthen your immune system—which all adds up to a longer, healthier life.

• They control cravings.

Homemade cultured vegetables are ideal for appetite control and thus weight control. The veggies help take away cravings for the sweet taste in pastries, colas, bread, pasta, dairy, fruit, and other expansive foods not on the Diet.

• They are ideal for pregnant and nursing women.

Pregnant women should eat cultured vegetables to ensure their ecosystems will be rich in friendly bacteria. The vegetables also help alleviate morning sickness during the early part of the pregnancy. Once the baby is born, the mother should continue eating the vegetables and drinking the juice. And the liquid from the cultured vegetables can be fed to the baby in tiny spoonfuls to relieve colic.

• Raw cultured vegetables are alkaline and very cleansing.

They help restore balance if your body is in a toxic, acidic condition. Because they do trigger cleansing, you may have an increase in intestinal gas initially as the vegetables stir up waste and toxins in the intestinal tract. Soon, however, you will notice an improvement in your stools. To ease the discomfort of the gas, colonics and enemas are very useful during this period."

Page 128: "Babies love the juice or liquid found in salt-free cultured vegetables....A child who is fed in this manner never has digestive problems."

Page 98: "[One way] to combat your sweet tooth [is to eat] lots of cultured vegetables. Besides providing an abundance of friendly bacteria, these enzyme-rich foods are a high-quality, alkaline, expansive food, which balances out the more contracting animal proteins and salty foods that make us crave acid-forming sugars."

Page 99: "If you find yourself craving sweets, try the following before giving in to the demands of your yeast: ... Eat one-half cup cultured vegetables."

Page 110: "Vitamin and mineral supplements also can be mucus forming. It’s better to spend your money instead on raw cultured vegetables."

Page 113: "Salt-free cultured vegetables (see Chapter 14) help keep the colon clean and allow friendly bacteria to grow. Remember, they must be salt-free."

*Page 127: "Pregnant women would do well to...eat lots of cultured vegetables....Nursing mothers of colicky babies have gotten relief from many sleepless nights just by eating raw cultured vegetables....All babies
(especially necessary for bottle-fed babies) can be fed finy spoonfuls of the juice of cultured vegetabes."

Page 140: "Raw cultured vegetables are excellent because they are cleansing and easily digested."

Page 67: Raw cultured vegetables [are] an excellent expansive food....These enzyme-rich vegetables greatly enhance digestion of protein.

Page 72: "Unsalted raw cultured vetetables...provide these important plant enzymes. Remember, foods properly used balance our bodies."

Page 149: "Menu Tip: Try oil-free, blue corn chips with...cultured vegetables to reduce the drying, contracting effect of the chips."

Page 164: "If you’re constipated...eat...raw cultured vegetables...."

Page 166: "Include at least 1/4 cup of cultured vegetables with your morning meals. Animal protein foods and grain dishes always digest better when eaten with these enzyme-rich vegetables. No medicine can replace the benefit of the friendly bacteria they create."

Additional information pertaining to raw cultured vegetables can be found on pages 70, 76, 77, 78, 99, 100, 114, 129, 132, 142, 143, 152, 165, 168, 178, 182. Page 183 suggests a week-long menu in which raw cultured vegetables are listed for 12 out of 28 meals. The Body Ecology Diet Shopping List on page 253 lists the Rejuvenative Foods phone number and two Rejuvenative Foods products. This is the only brand of raw cultured vegetables that The Body Ecology Diet recommends.

Excerpts about Raw Cultured Vegetables
from Healing With Whole Foods

by Paul Pitchford

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Page 619: "Raw, saltless sauerkraut is an excellent food for regenerating the intestines. It harmonizes the digestion by balancing the secretions of the stomach, helps in the formation of enzymes and vitamins, strengthens the function of the pancreas, and improves the digestion of fats. Raw, saltless sauerkraut also helps maintain the acid-alkaline balance of the body, strengthens the nerves and the immune system, and stimulates blood formation. Its numerous benefits help to rejuvenate the whole body."

Page 569: "RAW SALTLESS SAUERKRAUT* (with Salt Option) ...

*The technique for making raw sauerkraut is adapted from Raw Cultured Vegetables by Evan Richards. Note: Most commercial sauerkraut is pasteurized."

Page 379: "Brassica-genus vegetables—[including] cabbage—have been recommended in general by the National Cancer Institute for cancer prevention. These contain dithiolthiones, a group of compounds which have anti-cancer, antioxidant properties; indoles, substances which protect against breast and colon cancer; and sulphur, which has antibiotic and antiviral characteristics. This family of vegetables also mildly stimulates the liver and other tissues out of stagnancy. Cabbage and its juice are particularly useful because they help clear mental depression. Another therapeutic use of cabbage is in the form of raw saltless sauerkraut...which promotes better nutrient absorption as well as the growth of healthful (acidophilus) intestinal flora. In the context of such a beneficial ferment, gastro-intestinal renewal is enhanced; in addition, all the properties of cabbage become more effective."

Page 33: "If antibiotics must be taken, re-establishing a healthy flora during and after their use can be done with acidophilus culture... [and] raw sauerkraut."

Page 35: "Regular consumption of raw saltless sauerkraut, which can include...garlic, and other vegetables in addition to cabbage, is highly recommended to candida sufferers. It establishes the beneficial acidophilus culture in the digestive tract."

Pages 38-39: "The following practices help to increase and distribute oxygen in the body...

• Eating fresh, raw or lightly cooked...vegetables...and specially cultured vegetables such as raw saltless sauerkraut."

Page 101: "Vegetarians...should take supplements if they want to meet the RDA for B12....Also, it is helpful to use some enzyme-rich foods such...unpasteurized sauerkraut...to maximize the spawning and uptake of B12 in the digestive tract."

Page 373: "...use of plant sources for oxidizing enzymes has increased since [Gerson’s] time: ...raw unsalted sauerkraut."