Fermented Beets

23 Sep 2018 Recipes & Home Remedies

A few months ago a Patient brought me a jar of fermented beets that were absolutely delicious. We know that fermented foods are really good for the gut micro biome especially a diverse number of fermented foods as they feed different strains of bacteria. Here is her recipe. I am also sharing some of the local resources for helping you do your own fermentations.

This link below is the Mountain Feed & Farm Store in Ben Lomond where I bought my supplies. https://www.mountainfeed.com/products/complete-mason-jar-fermentation-kit. There are multiple jar systems available to ferment. I chose the Mason Wide tops kit.

For one jar, I used about 1/4 teaspoon or so of Caldwell starter to use less salt.  https://www.culturesforhealth.com/caldwell-starter-culture-for-fresh-vegetables.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItuqBzO6r1wIV0brACh0oHgjLEAQYAiABEgJVkvD_BwE
I used one tablespoon of Celtic grey salt. Many people use Himalayan pink salt, but I found the taste too harsh. Both websites, mountainfeed.com and culturesforhealth.com,  are excellent resources for fermentation.

Instead of using a starter culture, people often use just salt or whey that is strained from yogurt. I have a friend who strains yogurt to make Greek yogurt for desserts with fruit. This article discusses the different choices for fermentation. https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/natural-fermentation/salt-vs-whey-vs-starter-cultures/

FERMENTED BEETS
One quart wide mouth jar
Pickle Pipe Silicone Airlocks (or other airlock system)
Fermentation weight
3.5 Cups distilled water (important to use distilled to avoid bleach which should halt the fermentation)
3 or 4 Beets
1 large Leek
Fresh Basil, rosemary, thyme
Teaspoon of whole pickling spice and a teaspoon of a good Italian seasoning (put in a little muslin bag)
1/4 teaspoon of starter culture

Put the washed jar, top, and weight in a large bowl then pour some boiling water over them to sterilize. Peel and slice beets and leek thinly using a mandolin. Place beet slices in the jar, alternating with fennel and fresh herbs until the jar is almost full. Include some fennel fronds. Put dry herbs and pickling spice into a muslin bag or square of muslin and tie up, then place in the jar. Press everything down tightly with wood tamper included with kit or something similar. Mix distilled water with salt and stir until dissolved, then pour into the jar until all of the beet mixture is under water. Place weight and add more water if needed. Secure with airlock. Shake jar a little to try and release air bubbles.

Find a dark, cool place to store the jar, such as in the rear of the lowest cabinet. After a week the fermentation is complete. Replace the top with a lid and refrigerate.

How to keep a healthy balance.

23 Sep 2018 Tips & Tricks

How to keep a healthy balance

1. Surround yourself with people who help you grow

This is important because love gives us energy and energy is life. When we have people in our life that either take our energy or don’t love us and cause pain and hurt, it takes our energy away from being who we are.

2. Eating Healthy

When we put healthy food in our body, we can have a clear mind and body to function at our best. Some of the common foods to reduce in our diet are sugar, caffeine, wheat and dairy. You can always try eliminating food and see if your body reacts.

3. Spend time doing something you love

It is good to have things in your life that bring you joy and it’s usually better to choose things that are only yours. Spending time with your partner and kids is fine but it needs to be something you can turn to even if you are all alone. Gardening, crafts, cooking, sports, photography are all things you can choose that can be a solo activity enjoyed on your own.

What is autoimmune disease?

23 Sep 2018 Your Overall Health ,

With Autoimmune issues on the rise today, people are more and more concerned with prevention and how to protect themselves.

What is an Autoimmune condition?

Whenever the body starts attacking its own tissue and cells, we characterize this as autoimmune. Some of the most common autoimmune conditions are hypothyroidism, gastro-intestinal issues, arthritis and many more. Autoimmune conditions are categorized by the organ they attack and are not currently being treated as an attack on the whole immune system.

Here are a small sample list of autoimmune diseases:

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Sjogren’s arthritis
  •  Lupus
  • Celiac Disease
  • Polymyalgia Rheumatica
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Vasculitis
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis
  • Type 1 Diabetes

What causes Autoimmune conditions?

As a growing number of conditions falls under the autoimmune category, we wonder the possible causes. Some are more likely to have auto-immunity in their families, some from toxins, more from poor diet (weight can play a factor), smoking, drug use (including prescription), severe or chronic stress and hormonal imbalances. There are more than 80 classified autoimmune diseases and they can be difficult to determine where they come from and which one you have.

What are the most common symptoms of Autoimmune disease?

  • Fatigue
  • Joint Pain
  • Swelling
  • Skin problems (like eczema)
  • Abdominal pain and discomfort
  • Recurring Fevers
  • Swollen Glands

If these symptoms sound vague and like the symptoms of a lot of different diseases, you would be right and this makes diagnosis so difficult.

What testing is done?

Doctor’s start with laboratory testing to determine which type or category of disease a patient has and may order the following tests:

  • Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA)
  • Autoantibodies (thyroid or other organ based)
  • Immunoglobulin A (IgA)
  • C-reactive Protein (CRP) Test
  • Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
  • Complement Test C1, C1q, C2, C3, C4, CH50, CH100, Total Complement

How is it treated?

Autoimmune conditions are treated in several ways such as diet, exercise, nutraceuticals, hormones, anti-inflammatories and sometimes steroids if the attack is severe enough. Most people try and use natural alternatives and only steroids when more severe attacks occur. Below is a list of treatments including Dr. Walker’s favorite functional medicine strategies:

  • Diet: Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP) similar to paleo but much stricter (see a basic list on our website link)
  • Exercise: Low impact exercise such as yoga, biking, swimming and walking with mild weight lifting being done as ability allows
  • Nutraceuticals: Vitamin A and D, Liposomal Glutathione, Short-chain Fatty acids, Turmeric, Boswellia, L-Glutamine, essential minerals (some of Dr. Walker’s list)
  • Steroids and autoimmune suppressants: in more severe cases: Hormones, estrogen, progesterone, thyroid hormone, melatonin to help balance the system.
  • Anti-inflammatory drugs: Ibuprofen and Naproxen

If you are struggling with what you think may be autoimmune don’t suffer alone, there are lots of health care professionals to help you and at our office we work together with your specialist to make sure you are uniting both functional medicine and Western care to have the best and healthiest you possible. We don’t want the feeling of sickness to prevent you from enjoying life!

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