Beet Kvass is up there with one of my favorite ferments, favorite foods come to that. As usual, I love to put ginger in it, and the combination of slightly sweet beet, slightly tart ferment and slightly spicy ginger tastes really refreshing. This food is really a tonic, and so is supposed to be consumed in relatively small quantities, but I do find it hard to just drink a little.
Fermented foods are a critical part of re-establishing and maintaining good gut bacteria and therefore a healthy immune system. They are a great example of food as medicine and I really believe that everyone should eat them every day. I also think that eating a variety of fermented foods is better than just one. I talk about the ‘all the K’s’: Kraut, Kimchee, Kefir, Kvass and Kombucha and I think if you have a good mix of these, then you are on the right track.
Kvass is a traditional food from the Soviet region, and can be made from things as diverse as rye bread (obviously not on my menu), or parsnips. Beets are a powerhouse of anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, and are also credited with properties that support healthy bile production – an important part of both gut health and appropriate detoxification.
Variations:
- Parsnips can be used as well as beets, but don’t contain the same phytonutrient benefits as beets do.
- Fennel seeds can be added for a different flavour. Apparently mint can as well but I have never tried it myself.
- Garlic can be added for immune benefits if fighting a cold or infection.
Original recipe by Robyn Puglia.
| Beet Kvass |
- 3 medium organic beets peeled and chopped up coarsely (not too small)
- 3 cm Ginger
- 2-4 tsp Sea Salt
- Filtered water
- large glass jar
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Ingredients
Servings:
Units:
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- Place beets in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Stir to combine and then put this mixture into a two litre glass container. Add filtered water to fill the container. Stir well and cover securely. Keep at room temperature for 2 – 5 days until it tastes tart and to your liking, and then transfer the jar to your refrigerator.
- The focus of this ferment is actually the liquid, and I recommend drinking between 30 mls (a shot glass) and 125 mls (1/2 cup / 4oz) per day.
- When most of the liquid has been drunk, you may fill up the container with water and keep at room temperature another two days. The resulting brew will be slightly less strong than the first. After the second brew, discard the beets and start again. You may, however, reserve some of the liquid and use this as your inoculant for the second batch.
It is important for fermentation that the liquid is always completely covering the food. Any food above the liquid line will attract mold.
I actually never do a second ferment. I prefer to eat the pickled beets and ginger and start a fresh batch.
You can make soup out of the beet pieces as well, but heating fermented foods kills the bacteria
Dr. Carnahan,
In your opinion, at what point is it the most optimal to re introduce probiotics and probiotics again? I’m treating for Lyme and Mold. I’ve done about one month of parasite treatments, including twice a week colonics/coffee enemas, use biopure suppositories, gamma rizols and use mimosa pudica. I’ve read a lot about pathogens just re-growing in the gut if the habitat hasn’t been reinoculted with core friendly flora, but am not clear on when to begin eating fermented foods again, do you have any thoughts on this? I don’t know if my treatment should continue for a year before adding things back in or if repair would move along better if I added them back in slowly during the cleansing.
Probiotics may be introduced at any time. As long as no SIBO or histamine intolerance you may also introduce fermented foods
warmly
DR Jill
Thank you for your reply! I tested out the MegaSpore brand but after two days I developed some ezcema on my fingers (the usual spot) – so I’m guessing the histamine is still an issue. Do you have any recommendations for the least histamine producing probiotics?
Dear Alison,
Yes, try Klaire Factor 1 or Klaire Factor 4 – you may order direct from prothera.com using code 618
warmly
Dr Jill
The factor #1 is working beautifully, thank you for that.
I heard you speak on a summitt about being able to get a neuroquant without a doctor’s order for under $500 but i can’t seem to find any more information on this. Can you explain how one might be able to order this? I appreciate your help!
I’m confused about why we’d recommend this recipe when we are eliminating fermented foods for the Low Mold Diet. This looks like a great option generally, but when people are dealing with mold, don’t we eliminate fermented foods? Just a bit confused and would really appreciate an explanation. Thanks for your time.
yes, best to eliminate fermented foods if you have mold issues