Feel-Good hormones should be a major priority for all of us, right? After all, they are CREATED and CULTIVATED and don't just drop out of the sky on special occasions. So if you could simply make some small daily changes that made your serotonin levels sky-rocket, you would, right? After all, the signs and symptoms of serotonin deficiency are bleak, uncomfortable, painful and downright anti-social, to put it mildly! They include (but are not limited to):
- Anxiety & nervousness
- Depression
- Pre-menstrual symptoms
- Panic
- Menopausal and post-menopausal symptoms
- Phobias and obsessions
- Sleep-cycle disturbances
- Pain
- Carbohydrate cravings
- Gastro-intestinal discomfort
Serotonin is also a key player in appetite management, and pivotal to maintaining a healthy weight. Serotonin is critical to sustained, healthy weight reduction and there are many clinical studies now confirming this - here's one to get you started: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721203058.htm
So how do you create and cultivate higher levels of serotonin in your body? Your body produces 90% of its serotonin the gut, and you need a DIVERSE microbiome to facilitate it. Contemporary science now goes as far as calling the gut "the second brain" and there are many trials and studies out there confirming serotonin's role in managing everything from autism symptoms & attention behaviours to helping to treat the underlying emotional causes for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
Does this mean you need to slug down 50,000 million-gerzillion specific expensive Big-Pharma produced bacteria? Heck no. It means you need to get busy in the kitchen!
Lacto-fermentation from organic vegetables produces an incredibly simple, live cultured food which many specialists claim has the highest bacterial diversity. Lacto-fermented vegetables produce basically a tasty, raw pickle that you can serve on the side with any meal. The broader the range of vegetables, this higher the diversity of bacteria in your finished product.
I first posted this "how to" on facebook 12 months ago and literally get requests to share the "how to" regularly. Today I am immortalizing my lacto-ferment "how to" on the Steem blockchain and giving a special "shout out" and nod to Ms Susan Dustin for her tenacity and patience in asking me to do this. Again.
So where to start?
Use fresh only-organic veggies. My selection changes each time, depending what's available. Conventional pesticide-grown vegetables inhibit bacterial growth - apart from ingesting all the nasty pesticides (urgh!) you simply don't & can't get a good probiotic result. I generally don't add garlic as it is well documented to inhibit bacterial growth. Sometimes I include red onions, coriander seeds and fresh green peppercorns.
This next part is my meditation. Wash, slice & shred finely - you want optimal surface area to facilitate a good fermentation. Nope, I don't use graters, shredders or food processors. Infusing your food with love and intention is pivotal and best done while you are focused with a razor-sharp knife. Enjoy the process!! Add 2-3 tablespoons of high quality mineral, sea or Himalayan salt, mix, and leave overnight for the salt to draw the natural juices out of the veggies. I NEVER use plastics - use a nice big stainless steel bowl.
The next day put everything in your fermenting jar. Add an extra cup of good quality, pure, unfluoridated water if the juices are not enough. My fermenting "jar" is a big glass flower vase. Important that you be able to weight the veggies to keep them under the liquid. I use a saucer upside down, which I hold down with a little jar filled with water.
It took me some trial and error to get a good fitting saucer in the right shaped 'jar'.
The extra weight on top of the saucer keeps everything safely under the liquid so no risk of spoilage.
And just cover with some muslin to keep dust and bugs out.
Label and date and put in a warmish out-of-the-way spot for 5-7 days. Yep - the top of our fridge is a good fermenting station... usually have kombucha and kefir and maybe a tincture or two processing up there.
This is how it looks after 1 week.
If it is done well, there is no scum or smell. If you do get some scum on the top, simply skim it off & discard. The batch is NOT ruined.
The finished product. A crisp, sour-salty vegetable pickle. Pack into clean recycled glass jars, cover with the natural juice and store in the fridge. Keeps (covered by the fermenting fluid) for months! Serve on the side with meals, toss into salads or just eat straight from the jar. 😊 Don't discard the juice when the veggies are eaten!! Mix with some good quality cold pressed oil and a tablespoon of tahini for an AWESOME probiotic salad dressing! 😋
So, get on it! Our happy hormones are within our own control. As is our natural, glowing, health. Be your own doctor and enjoy yummy organic probiotic foods as medicine. Make lots and share with your friends, community, guests & extended family.
Life is Good!
BlissednBlessed
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