Why I am now cultured

Since my last column I have become more cultured. I haven’t been to the opera or the ballet (unless of course seeing Billy Elliot in the West End counts!). I have however become a little more knowledgeable and indeed started eating cultured vegetables, and drinking kefir.

If you are from Eastern Europe you will be well aware of the benefits of Sauerkraut and fermented milk but if you are from good old blighty it’s likely that the closest you’ve got to enjoying this beneficial bacteria is from eating pickles at Christmas and having the odd slice of blue cheese.

A new book Cultured Food for life – How to make and serve delicious probiotic foods for better health and wellness by Donna Schwerk has been published by Hay House. It knocks on its head the understanding that pickles can be bad for us and that only raw and fresh is ever good when it comes to our veggies.

According the book and the research I have been genning up on, fermentation provides abundant vitamins, minerals and healthy bacteria and has been used by humans for thousands of years for nutritional, holistic health.