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Cultured Food for Health: A Guide to Healing Yourself with Probiotic Foods Kefir * Kombucha * Cultured Vegetables
If you’re having digestive problems or feeling sick and rundown—or if you simply want to feel better and have more energy—this is the book for you. In Cultured Food for Health , Donna Schwenk opens your eyes to the amazing healing potential of cultured foods. Focusing on the notion that all disease begins in the gut—a claim made by Hippocrates, the father of medicine, more than 2000 years ago—she brings together cutting-edge research, firsthand accounts from her online community, and her personal healing story to highlight the links between an imbalanced microbiome and a host of ailments, including high blood pressure, allergies, depression, autism, IBS, and so many more. Then she puts the power in your hands, teaching you how to bring three potent probiotic foods—kefir, kombucha, and cultured vegetables—into your diet. Following the advice in these pages, along with her 21-day program, you can easily (and deliciously!) flood your system with billions of good bacteria, which will balance your body and allow it to heal naturally.
In this book, you’ll
• Step-by-step instructions on how to make basic kefir, kombucha, and cultured vegetables
• More than 100 tasty, easy-to-make recipes, from smoothies to desserts, that feature probiotic foods • A three-week program with day-by-day instructions on gathering supplies and ingredients, and making and eating cultured foods
• Helpful answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about culturing
• Hints and tips about how to easily incorporate cultured foods into your life
• Exciting information on the probiotic-enhancing properties of prebiotic foods, such as apples, broccoli, onions, squash, brussels sprouts, and honey
Cultured Food for Health takes the fear out of fermentation so you can heal your gut and experience the energy, health, and vitality that are available when your body is working as it’s meant to. So join Donna today, and learn to love the food that loves you back!
In this book, you’ll
• Step-by-step instructions on how to make basic kefir, kombucha, and cultured vegetables
• More than 100 tasty, easy-to-make recipes, from smoothies to desserts, that feature probiotic foods • A three-week program with day-by-day instructions on gathering supplies and ingredients, and making and eating cultured foods
• Helpful answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about culturing
• Hints and tips about how to easily incorporate cultured foods into your life
• Exciting information on the probiotic-enhancing properties of prebiotic foods, such as apples, broccoli, onions, squash, brussels sprouts, and honey
Cultured Food for Health takes the fear out of fermentation so you can heal your gut and experience the energy, health, and vitality that are available when your body is working as it’s meant to. So join Donna today, and learn to love the food that loves you back!
248 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 8, 2015
When Schwenk started eating cultured foods in 2002, she had diabetes, high blood pressure, and a premature newborn. Keen to see if good bacteria could help with her medical problems, she started introducing the “healing powerhouse” of kefir (a fermented milk product resembling thin yogurt), kombucha (bubbly tea), and cultured vegetables into her diet, and soon reaped the rewards. About a quarter of the book is background information about probiotic foods. Bullet-pointed lists of health benefits, along with an alphabetical inventory of the diseases that cultured foods can treat, should prove particularly helpful. The rest of the book is devoted to recipes, most of them vegetarian.
(See my full review at Foreword.)
(See my full review at Foreword.)
November 25, 2015
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Cultured Food for Life is a cookbook and introduction to the health benefits of cultured foods; specifically: kefir, kambucha, and cultured vegetables. The recipes are varied and there are some fascinating things to cook - from Watermelon Pico De Gallo to Flu-Prevention Cultured Vegetables. But the lack of images, ingredients hard to come by in normal stores, and that every single recipe includes an ingredient you have to buy from the author's website/webstore do let the book down.The book breaks down as follows: Part I: Fermenting Health (The hundred trillion friends you didn't know you had; The trilogy; Prebiotics: another digestive ally; Your health and cultured foods; Bringing the trilogy into you life). Part II: The Recipes (The basics; Breakfast treats and smoothies; Dips and appetizers; Main courses; Side dishes and salads; Desserts; Beverages; Condiments, dressings, flavorings, and pickles. Afterward, appendix (21 day trilogy program, metric conversion table, index, endnotes).
I can't fault the author for her enthusiasm over the topic - the introduction chapters are full of health accolades of what cultured foods might do for you: from curing acne to IBS. From the description, the three cultured food types, when taking together and regular, are one step toward curing cancer, not to mention the common cold. Yes, it is a lot of anecdotal evidence of how it helped her family with nearly any ailment with an occasional study result thrown in - but certainly probiotics and the gut are hot topics right now in the diet and health industry. I just don't believe they are the panacea the author makes them out to be.
There were two frustrations with this book I had, though. First and foremost, nearly everything requires a starter. Starters are live cultures so they aren't something you're going to find in your neighborhood stores. And you need to always have a culture growing somewhere, even when you go on vacation, or you have to start all over again. So if you live overseas or in a small town, you might have some trouble keeping up with the cultures/purchasing cultures. Pretty much every single recipe requires one.
But frustrating to me is when health and recipe books tout recipes that have ingredients that can only be bought from that author. Sure, the author can say that it is a convenience to readers, but Schwenk is careful to mention that her starters have been perfected and much better than store bought ones. And all her recipes call for 'packets' of her starters - without mentioning how much that would equate with any other starter product. Since the author mentions many times how important measurements are to get the culture right, it means you're pretty much going to be shelling out money to her to get the recipes followed. Honestly, I find it disingenuous when she says you can use any starter but then lists recipes very specific to her own products.
There aren't a lot of cookbooks out there for cultured foods and that is where this cookbook shines. The author clearly has a love of the topic and has experimented for years in order to create the recipes. And although I am unable to use any of them, they certainly do sound very intriguing. As well, there is a great breadth and depth in the recipes listed and a lot of creativity has gone into them.
So for me, this book is a mixed bag. I certainly wouldn't appreciate being a consumer who buys the book expecting to start making cultured foods - only to find out that to best follow the recipes, I have to pay more money to the author and wait for the items to arrive from her webstore. But on the other side, for those wanting to incorporate more cultured foods into their diet, this is a very creative group of recipes. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
October 18, 2015
Donna Schwenk is one of the most well-known names in the new world of fermenting. I've brewed my own kombucha and kefir for a few years now, and Donna's site is always one I refer to when I have a fermenting problem.
Donna's newest book details the benefits of fermented drinks and foods for our health – and how to make them for yourself! Even though I'm no stranger to fermenting, I still found myself learning from this book. Donna's "trifecta" of ferments to get a varied amount of probiotics in daily is something I hadn't heard of before. I knew it's important to get a variety of cultures in, but I never thought to approach it that way.
She also includes a lot of recipes to make your "plain" ferments into culinary treats – I didn't have a chance to try them all, but we loved the ones we did try!
This book is definitely a must for anyone pursuing better health – research has proven again and again how our micro biome is linked to everything from allergies to Parkinson's disease! No matter what your experience with fermenting and cooking with ferments is, you'll have cultures bubbling away in no time with Donna's simple instructions.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, it did not influence my opinion in this review.
Donna's newest book details the benefits of fermented drinks and foods for our health – and how to make them for yourself! Even though I'm no stranger to fermenting, I still found myself learning from this book. Donna's "trifecta" of ferments to get a varied amount of probiotics in daily is something I hadn't heard of before. I knew it's important to get a variety of cultures in, but I never thought to approach it that way.
She also includes a lot of recipes to make your "plain" ferments into culinary treats – I didn't have a chance to try them all, but we loved the ones we did try!
This book is definitely a must for anyone pursuing better health – research has proven again and again how our micro biome is linked to everything from allergies to Parkinson's disease! No matter what your experience with fermenting and cooking with ferments is, you'll have cultures bubbling away in no time with Donna's simple instructions.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, it did not influence my opinion in this review.
February 8, 2018
Interesting introduction to the benefits of cultured food/drink. The first part of the book gives a great overview of 3 types of cultured foods and the second half of the book talks about how to make your own kefir, kombucha and veggies as well as how to incorporate them into dishes. The book gives a great basic level overview but I would want to read a little more info before making these myself.
September 18, 2022
A great intro into cultured foods- fermented veggies, kefir and kombucha. She lists all the ailments cultured foods and beverages can help with and then she gives step by step instructions on how to prepare and use them.
I’m excited to jump into the world of fermented veggies!
Content:
Completely clean
I’m excited to jump into the world of fermented veggies!
Content:
Completely clean
August 22, 2022
I got this book from the library to remind myself of the ins and outs of making cultured veggies. I had read her first book years ago, but this one is so much better researched and has amazing recipes. I am super excited to branch out my fermented foods repertoire after reading this.
January 29, 2023
Great cultured food information!
The simple steps to making our own fermented and cultured foods were so easy to understand, and I’m excited to try a bunch of the recipes that the author listed in the book.
The simple steps to making our own fermented and cultured foods were so easy to understand, and I’m excited to try a bunch of the recipes that the author listed in the book.
July 8, 2017
I kept getting this book from the library and decided I needed to buy it! The recipes are delicious and I feel so much better adding probiotic foods (the trio!) to my diet.
July 10, 2019
Solid beginners guide to culturing food. I like that it goes over the basics of kombucha, kefir, and culturing vegetables, as well as having recipe ideas for ways to use them in some recipes.
March 1, 2016
I would like to thank Hay House for a free ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an open and honest review.
What an incredibly interesting book! As I am keen to learn more about gut health, gut flora and good bacteria these days I found ‘Cultured Food for Health’ a fantastic book to read.
I really enjoyed the first part of the book where it talks about ‘The Trilogy’ and how to make them, what they’re good for, etc. I actually got a head cold while reviewing it and, like I have started doing lately, went out and grabbed me some locally made organic kombucha drink – cleared up that cold in a couple of days. I just found the coincidence amusing and, look at that, the kombucha helped kill my cold! I would have been stuck with it for longer without that gut goodness help.
The main reason I’ve not scored this book higher than I have is, well, I sort of lost interest when we got to the recipes section. I was far more interested in learning about the trilogy than using them as ingredients in other dishes. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a brilliant way to get people into using them! I just don’t think I’m that ready or keen just yet and so wasn’t as interested in the recipe section as I thought I would be. I do happily have kefir, kombucha and fermented veggies – not as often as I should I know – so maybe that’s why this part of the book wasn’t for me? The fault was totally with the reader!
Formatting wise, the recipe section was great – short, sharp and shiny the way a good recipe should be. They were easy to read, easy to follow and – if I was at the point of making such things – something I would have enjoyed toying with.
Another, very mild, issue I had was there were a lot of claims about what the trilogy does for our health – and trust me, I believe in a lot of it! However, I didn’t feel these claims were referenced enough to come across as credible statements more than wishful thinking. I know that sounds harsh and it’s probably because I’m currently studying all about academic and professional communication and the necessity to back your claims up with good citations and referenced material… there was some, but not a heck of a lot. And, as much as I do believe in a lot of what was said, more factual evidence to back up the claims would have been nice.
I’m sure I’m just being a tad too picky.
Would I recommend this book to others? Possibly. A lot of my friends know and use the trilogy (or at least parts of it) already and so I might suggest it as ways they could mix up using these beneficial foods in their lives… But then again I might not. It’s hard to say. I really liked this book, but I just got a deep sense of something being missing and until I pinpoint what that was I’m not too sure I would recommend it.
Would I buy this book for myself? No right now I wouldn’t. I’m still fairly new and taking the baby steps of getting the trilogy into my, and my family’s, diet on a daily basis. Once that has been achieved then yes, I MIGHT seek this book out, I might not.
In summary: A really interesting book and a helpful guide to learning more about the importance of good gut health and how to get and maintain it. There was just something lacking though - and I wish I know what - that stopped me from loving this book as much as I had hoped I would.
What an incredibly interesting book! As I am keen to learn more about gut health, gut flora and good bacteria these days I found ‘Cultured Food for Health’ a fantastic book to read.
I really enjoyed the first part of the book where it talks about ‘The Trilogy’ and how to make them, what they’re good for, etc. I actually got a head cold while reviewing it and, like I have started doing lately, went out and grabbed me some locally made organic kombucha drink – cleared up that cold in a couple of days. I just found the coincidence amusing and, look at that, the kombucha helped kill my cold! I would have been stuck with it for longer without that gut goodness help.
The main reason I’ve not scored this book higher than I have is, well, I sort of lost interest when we got to the recipes section. I was far more interested in learning about the trilogy than using them as ingredients in other dishes. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a brilliant way to get people into using them! I just don’t think I’m that ready or keen just yet and so wasn’t as interested in the recipe section as I thought I would be. I do happily have kefir, kombucha and fermented veggies – not as often as I should I know – so maybe that’s why this part of the book wasn’t for me? The fault was totally with the reader!
Formatting wise, the recipe section was great – short, sharp and shiny the way a good recipe should be. They were easy to read, easy to follow and – if I was at the point of making such things – something I would have enjoyed toying with.
Another, very mild, issue I had was there were a lot of claims about what the trilogy does for our health – and trust me, I believe in a lot of it! However, I didn’t feel these claims were referenced enough to come across as credible statements more than wishful thinking. I know that sounds harsh and it’s probably because I’m currently studying all about academic and professional communication and the necessity to back your claims up with good citations and referenced material… there was some, but not a heck of a lot. And, as much as I do believe in a lot of what was said, more factual evidence to back up the claims would have been nice.
I’m sure I’m just being a tad too picky.
Would I recommend this book to others? Possibly. A lot of my friends know and use the trilogy (or at least parts of it) already and so I might suggest it as ways they could mix up using these beneficial foods in their lives… But then again I might not. It’s hard to say. I really liked this book, but I just got a deep sense of something being missing and until I pinpoint what that was I’m not too sure I would recommend it.
Would I buy this book for myself? No right now I wouldn’t. I’m still fairly new and taking the baby steps of getting the trilogy into my, and my family’s, diet on a daily basis. Once that has been achieved then yes, I MIGHT seek this book out, I might not.
In summary: A really interesting book and a helpful guide to learning more about the importance of good gut health and how to get and maintain it. There was just something lacking though - and I wish I know what - that stopped me from loving this book as much as I had hoped I would.
January 13, 2016
Recently I got a new product that simplifies making lactic-fermented pickles and so was interested when I saw this book for review on NetGalley. The book begins with a discussion of the benefits of increasing the consumption of lactic fermented foods for one's digestive system and therefore other health improvements. These chapters are supported by scientific literature and there is a reference list in the back. Then it starts with instructions for how to make basic fermented foods such as kefir and pickles. These fermented foods are naturally fermented and do not use vinegar, so are acceptable for people with reflex as they are not acidic.
The author is a blogger and has a store that sells items for fermenting foods. She does mention her own products, but also others, and makes it clear that there is flexibility in the approach. Personally, while I knew there were cultures and such for making kefir, I hadn't realized there were cultures you could purchase to speed up pickles made in brine. I also hadn't realized that the salt isn't really needed to fermentation, which led me on an internet search about this fact, and it's true.
The book has a variety of recipes for fermented foods that can fit all meals and snacks. The author also includes a meal plan to help people increase their consumption of fermented foods gradually. This plan includes instructions for when to start making certain foods so that they will be ready to eat later in the program.
I made two of the recipes: Mexican Carrots and Pickled Garlic. Not wanting to shell out over $20 to purchase the culture (that develops naturally anyway), I just used some salt with my filtered water. The recipes called for 3 days of fermentation. At that time I opened the jars and found that while the flavor was good, they hadn't fermented so much. While the author discusses the variability in fermentation time and one's own preferences for how sour foods become, I think the times are only based on using the starter culture and don't describe that traditional fermentation will likely take longer.
The range of recipes is interesting, and I'm planning to try some of the fruit ferments in the near future. However, I was surprised that food safety was not addressed in the book. While washing jars is mentioned in the kombucha recipe, ways of cleaning jars and equipment and their importance aren't addressed other than to say not to use jars hot from the dishwasher. In addition, which salt is not necessary for fermentation, it does serve a food safety role that is not mentioned.
My husband has finished off the jar of carrots in just a couple of days, and is snacking on the garlic, and I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes like the Cultured Carrot Cake in a Jar. However, I will be paying close attention to cleanliness and ensuring I add enough salt to help prohibit the grow of undesirable bacteria and toxins.
The author is a blogger and has a store that sells items for fermenting foods. She does mention her own products, but also others, and makes it clear that there is flexibility in the approach. Personally, while I knew there were cultures and such for making kefir, I hadn't realized there were cultures you could purchase to speed up pickles made in brine. I also hadn't realized that the salt isn't really needed to fermentation, which led me on an internet search about this fact, and it's true.
The book has a variety of recipes for fermented foods that can fit all meals and snacks. The author also includes a meal plan to help people increase their consumption of fermented foods gradually. This plan includes instructions for when to start making certain foods so that they will be ready to eat later in the program.
I made two of the recipes: Mexican Carrots and Pickled Garlic. Not wanting to shell out over $20 to purchase the culture (that develops naturally anyway), I just used some salt with my filtered water. The recipes called for 3 days of fermentation. At that time I opened the jars and found that while the flavor was good, they hadn't fermented so much. While the author discusses the variability in fermentation time and one's own preferences for how sour foods become, I think the times are only based on using the starter culture and don't describe that traditional fermentation will likely take longer.
The range of recipes is interesting, and I'm planning to try some of the fruit ferments in the near future. However, I was surprised that food safety was not addressed in the book. While washing jars is mentioned in the kombucha recipe, ways of cleaning jars and equipment and their importance aren't addressed other than to say not to use jars hot from the dishwasher. In addition, which salt is not necessary for fermentation, it does serve a food safety role that is not mentioned.
My husband has finished off the jar of carrots in just a couple of days, and is snacking on the garlic, and I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes like the Cultured Carrot Cake in a Jar. However, I will be paying close attention to cleanliness and ensuring I add enough salt to help prohibit the grow of undesirable bacteria and toxins.
May 29, 2016
Having read Donna Scwenk's first book, Cultured Food for Life, I wondered if her followup book would yield even more information. Cultured Food for Health did not disappoint.
Once again, she focuses on kefir, kombucha and fermented vegetables but, she adds information about prebiotics, which are mainly found in fruit and vegetables.
She is unfailingly positive in her approach, focusing on health. And defining illness as "a sign from your body that it needs help correcting something."
For me, that highlights the thread running running this book....trust. Trust that you can learn not only from other's stories but from your own body. Using her step by step instructions on how to sequence getting started cooking and ingesting these foods, she supports the reader in trusting that they can do this.
For me, creating bubbling foods that sit out on the kitchen counter for days did not feel natural. Cooking was about subjecting food to heat, stirring and hoping for the best. Because of Donna, I realize food can morph into something healthy if I place it in a container and get out of the way.
Once again, she focuses on kefir, kombucha and fermented vegetables but, she adds information about prebiotics, which are mainly found in fruit and vegetables.
She is unfailingly positive in her approach, focusing on health. And defining illness as "a sign from your body that it needs help correcting something."
For me, that highlights the thread running running this book....trust. Trust that you can learn not only from other's stories but from your own body. Using her step by step instructions on how to sequence getting started cooking and ingesting these foods, she supports the reader in trusting that they can do this.
For me, creating bubbling foods that sit out on the kitchen counter for days did not feel natural. Cooking was about subjecting food to heat, stirring and hoping for the best. Because of Donna, I realize food can morph into something healthy if I place it in a container and get out of the way.
July 18, 2017
I've started brewing kombucha and want to try kefir so this book popped up in my searches of the local libraries catalog. This has some good information about both of these as well as fermented veggies. It has a lot of recipes not only to make all three, but how to use them in other recipes as well. If you are starting out with these types of fermented/cultured/goodbacteria/yeast style foods then this book is one you should take a look at!
It does not have a lot of pictures like I usually want to see in cookbooks, but the content makes it worth it even with just the few pictures contained in the middle of the book.
It does not have a lot of pictures like I usually want to see in cookbooks, but the content makes it worth it even with just the few pictures contained in the middle of the book.
November 17, 2015
I'm always curious about new, or old methods of eating to improve my health. Since I already enjoy a few cultured foods, it seemed like a great idea to check out this intriguing book.
If you are new to the idea of adding cultured foods into your diet, this book is a wonderful place to start. It is packed with information and recipes. The author, who is well known for being very knowledgeable about this topic, also has a website that is worth exploring.
If you are new to the idea of adding cultured foods into your diet, this book is a wonderful place to start. It is packed with information and recipes. The author, who is well known for being very knowledgeable about this topic, also has a website that is worth exploring.
December 3, 2015
This book could change your life and mine
This book is Easy to read but fascinating, with a combination of scientific studies and antidotal stories to teach the healing possibilities. The clear recipes are calling me to try them.
This book is Easy to read but fascinating, with a combination of scientific studies and antidotal stories to teach the healing possibilities. The clear recipes are calling me to try them.
June 21, 2016
I had to return this to the library before I finished it, but it has lots of interesting information and instructions/ recipes. It is good enough to put on hold again so I will finish it next time it comes around.
February 17, 2016
Definitely inspired my interest in making all of these foods ;)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews