# Why is sauerkraut recommended for IBS?



## Guest (Feb 28, 2000)

Please explain why sauerkraut has is often mentioned as something worth considering. Is it just another worthless recommendation that can do more harm than good. Thank you.


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## Rose (Mar 25, 1999)

My sister swears sauerkraut helps her "C".------------------"Remember To Stop and Smell the Roses"Rose


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## SteveE (Jan 7, 1999)

Cabbage is supposedly excellent for the digestive system in general. I have found that red cabbage is one of the few veggies I can eat raw without obvious negative side effects, and since it is very nutritious I do make sure I have some from time to time.As for the dish sauerkraut...uhh...ick is about all I can say.


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## moms777 (Jan 29, 2000)

Hi! I have a book called "Seven Weeks to a Settled Stomach" and it says sauerkraut can help restore your intestinal ecology. On another page it says that it helps you digest and is very nourishing. I, personally, have not tried this, I just wanted to pass the information on.


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Very interesting info. However, isn't cabbage too gassy for some people with sensitive systems? Isn't sauerkraut all vinegary, which some of us here can't tolerate? I think it could be another one of those frustrating dilemmas....maybe sauerkraut is beneficial for "healthy" people but not for sick people?


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## Persistance (Jul 11, 1999)

As far as I know, saurkraut would be "recommended" -- only on the "Avoid" list for IBS-D. It is obviously a crufiferous vegetable which is, as HipJan says, gassy. For IBSC it just might be the ticket.


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2000)

ANSWER: FOR THE FRIENDLY BACTERIASauerkraut, like other brine fermented vegatables, is rich in Lactobacillus Plantarum. This probiotic is believed by some to be a superior gut resident for a number of reasons. It seems to have a superior ability to adhere to the gut lining, and to crowd out pathogenic microbes, including candida. see the Probi abstract below, which claims help for flatulence. To get these benefits, obviously you need cold packed kraut and must eat it uncooked. For info on sauerkraut yogurt, etc. go to: www.cas.muohio.edu/~mbi-ws/foodmicro/foodproduction.htm For 2 abstracts dealing with the value of L. Plantarum go to: www.probi.se/international/abs8.asp And www.hscsyr.edu/~nutrition/b798/abst04.htm [This message has been edited by Chuck-w (edited 02-28-2000).][This message has been edited by Chuck-w (edited 02-28-2000).]


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Chuck, I grew up on sauerkraut, and every time I read your post it makes me hungry all over again. I'm going to have to try some this weekend!







JeanG------------------Member of "The Advance Guard for the Ozone Rangers".May the "farce" be with you. JeanG


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2000)

I wonder if this is why my sister, who was a C all the years we were growing up, use to drink *dill pickle juice* right out of the jar when she got really "stopped up". It usually did the trick for her!


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## Guest (Feb 29, 2000)

Thank you everyone for answering my question.A special thanks to Chuck W. I never realized sauer kraut or anything fermented was that good. I served sauer kraut only at Christmas time but then I cooked it with sausage which I suppose is not that good. That's interesting about dill pickles. I only served them once a year. I have a condition called MSA and need to have more salt.


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## Guest (Feb 29, 2000)

Uncooked sauerkraut? Somewhere in my stack of "recipes to try" is a sauerkraut salad which is served at every Polish Festival dinner in Portland. Will be looking for that one as soon as I'm done here!snagridge


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## Pekeluvr (Feb 7, 1999)

* UGH Odeal!!*<fights visual>


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## Guest (Feb 29, 2000)

Well, I have trouble eating the stuff, all the time, so I put it in the blender after washing out the brine and puree it, than either eat it quickly or just mix some water or other liguid with it and drink it. I should mention that I have seen questions about whether store bought kraut actually has any bacteria in it, that even the chilled stuff is pasturized at the plant. in which case I guess its just a friendly food for my tummy. i've been trying to find a kraut co. homepage to ask. I don't see why they would bother. By the way, L. plantarum is available in some freeze dried products like Jarrow-dophilus by jarrow labs.[This message has been edited by Chuck-w (edited 02-29-2000).]


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## zigmissus (May 19, 1999)

Sauerkraut? Holy diarrhea, Batman! Sauerkraut, bean sprouts and coconut and three substances GUARANTEED to spaz their way through my system, irritating everything they touch on the way. Was this advice for "C" people, perhaps?


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## Persistance (Jul 11, 1999)

Liked that one, Zig! To paraphrase Jack Nicholson in "Five Easy Pieces:" "I'll have a hot dog with beans and sauerkraut..hold the dog, hold the beans, hold the sauerkraut..."Ah, yup! Makes me run just to think about it!


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2000)

I've tried it, and it gave me bad D. I haven't had it since. I tried it because I heard it will clean out your intestinal track, well it did for me, but it worked a little to well.


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Mmmmmmm. Sauerkraut and kielbasa. Sauerkraut and pork. Sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Sauerkraut and spareribs.







JeanG------------------Member of "The Advance Guard for the Ozone Rangers".May the "farce" be with you. JeanG


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## NancyCat (Jul 16, 1999)

Very interesting about sauerkraut. I havent had any for a long time-figured it would flareup the IBS D and at the least would be very gassy.







------------------Nancy


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## Guest (Mar 1, 2000)

I made a sauerkraut salad tonight. Put in grated carrots, chopped up apples, celery seed and minced parsley. It was great. Thanks, again, ChuckW.


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