Sauerkraut Skillet

Fermented food is all the rage lately and with good reason! Fermented foods contain probiotics, good gut bacteria. This bacteria replaces bacteria that may be lost from antibiotic use, excessive starch/sugar consumption, and candida overgrowth. A year ago I had severe acid reflux and drinking apple cider vinegar, a fermented food, cured it! My doctor wanted me to take a prescription and get a quick fix, but I knew better. After some research I found out I had overgrowth of a mean bacteria in my gut. More research told me I needed to up my probiotic intake and cut back on starch and sugar. No wonder the apple cider vinegar got rid of the symptoms. Coming back from my tangent, probiotics are great for digestive health and can be found in fermented foods (sauerkraut, homemade kefir, kombucha, yogurt, etc.) or taken as a supplement. Sauerkraut is my go to fermented food. It's cheap, easy and stores well! To get the best benefits eat it raw, but you can heat it to about 105F without killing the bacteria. I tried out a few recipes and here is one of my favorites:

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast cooked and diced (you can precook this or throw it in before the other ingredients and cook until no pink is showing)

1/2 cup sauerkraut

1/2 cup cooked Brussels sprouts

1/4 red pepper diced

Fresh Diced Tomato

2 strips bacon cooked and crumbled

3 mushrooms chopped

1 cup lettuce of choice

1tbs coconut oil 

In a skillet heat the coconut oil and add in all ingredients except the lettuce. Cook until all ingredients are heated. Do not overcook as it will kill the probiotics in the sauerkraut. Serve over the lettuce. I did not need dressing but olive oil and lemon juice would go great! Vinegar might make the dish too sour since the sauerkraut is pretty sour itself. 

Notes: I take a probiotic supplement every other day. I no longer drink apple cider vinegar because my symptoms are gone since changing my diet. When I did I would mix 1-2 tbs in 8oz of tea. Water would also be fine. Do not drink vinegar without diluting it first! I learned the hard way and burned my throat.