Ok. You're probably sick of hearing about your gut, but just stick with me.

Spring cleaning your gut is all about having good gut bacteria.

We hit on this back in the summer when I zoodled my pinkie nail right off (!) and countered the course of antibiotics I was put on with whole food probiotics.

What are some reasons why you'd want more good gut bacteria than bad?

To get glowing skin
To feel more satisfied after meals
To reduce sugar cravings
To increase digestion

And the #1 reason you want good gut bacteria….to lose weight.

Overweight people have more of a type of gut bacteria that causes them to extract more calories from food, making them gain weight.*

And now I’m gonna just go there and get a little graphic…

There was a ground-breaking study done in 2013 of twins where the gut bacteria from the obese twin was transferred into a thin mouse and the mouse grew fat.

And when the bacteria from the thin twin was put into a thin mouse, the mouse stayed thin as long as it ate a healthy diet.*

Pretty cool, huh? (Nothin' like a little talk about fecal transplants to whet your appetite! ;D )

Anyway :)....one of the most awesome ways to boost good gut bacteria and get thin is by eating fermented (cultured) veggies.

Guess what I’m going to write next…

Yup, ferment your own veggies :)

It's not that hard (!), just give it shot. Below you'll find a recipe for Fresh + Light Cultured Veggies.

And to show you that fermenting is not that difficult once you wrap your head around the mechanics, I've made a quick video.

Enjoy and have fun with it!

Xoxo,
Lauren

* Info credit: Brain Maker, David Perlmutter, MD

Fresh + Light Cultured Veggies

Ingredients
-2 medium heads of tightly packed cabbage, shredded in a food processor (NOTE: keep the outer cabbage leaves, these will be used later)
-4 carrots, shredded in a food processor
-5 to 6 scallions, thinly sliced
-2 to 4 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
-1 to 2 tbsp red pepper flakes
-1 orange, juiced and zested
-1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional but it adds good flavor)
-2 tbsp honey or 1-3 scoops of EcoBloom (a prebiotic, I use Body Ecology **)
-1 packet of a culture starter (I use Body Ecology **)
-some type of veggie for the brine (I used broccoli stalks), or you could use some of the shredded cabbage

Equipment
-food processor
-very large bowl **
-high powered blender
-4 or 5 quart size mason jars (I bought a 6 pack)
-canning funnel **
-dowel (optional)

Directions
1. Take a packet of the culture starter and the prebiotic (honey or EcoBloom) and add it to a bowl with 1 1/2 cups of warm water (90 degrees); let it sit for at least 20 minutes.

2. After they are shredded and cut, put the cabbage, carrots, scallions, ginger, red pepper flakes, orange zest and garlic into a very large bowl.

3. While you are waiting for the culture starter to be ready, put the orange juice, the broccoli stalks, other greens or a handful or two of the shredded cabbage and add it to a blender with water filled about 3/4 of the way up the container (this depends on how big your cabbage heads are); blend well.

4. When the culture starter/prebiotic mixture is ready, add it to the brine.

5. Add the culture starter/brine mixture to the bowl of veggies and combine well, even squeezing the veggies with your hands a bit to create a bit more liquid.

6. Begin filling each of the mason jars, packing down the veggies very tightly with a dowel or the back of a thick wooden spoon; leave about 2 inches at the top for the veggies to expand and pour the rest of the brine on top of them, making sure they are covered in liquid.

7. Roll up a cabbage leaf and insert it at the top of each jar, still making sure the veggies are below the liquid; put the lids on.

8. Let the jars sit out at least 3 days, preferably a week and then refrigerate.

Creates many servings; if you have 1/2 cup a day with lunch or dinner it could last you about a month

**I'm an affiliate of Body Ecology and Amazon, so I get a small commission if you purchase through the links above