fermented cucumbers, aka "pickles"
(juice from FERMENTED pickles, of course! and I’m NOT kidding!)
So we are full swing in flu season. And many moms ask me whether I recommend flu shots for them or for the children. I NEVER recommend flu shots. For many reasons, not the least of which is that it is an INVASIVE practice. So……..how to keep you and your child well through flu season? You KNOW I’m going to start with FOOD. REAL food, as always…REAL food, nutrient-dense food.
How does eating REAL food keep you and your children well? When one eats PROCESSED FOOD, the body is not getting the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and strong. Eating PROCESSED FOOD also TAXES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, because it is constantly having to counter the CHEMICAL TOXINS in the food. When the immune system is constantly under stress, it gets tired…the body gets tired…and the child or you get sick.
How else can REAL food help? I wasn’t kidding in FERMENTS class this past Saturday when I suggested that people DRINK THE (fermented) PICKLE JUICE. Or the fermented sauerkraut juice. Or the whey straight off the yogurt. Or strain the yogurt to get a jar of whey and a cup or so of delicious yogurt cheese. Fermented pickles and other “FERMENTS’ are packed full of good bacteria–lactobacilli–the ones that keep you well. The ones that help to keep your body in balance through ANY and EVERY season. So if you get a stomach ache or a flu bug, DRINK your probiotics! Whey, juice from fermented pickles or sauerkraut, or salsa…fermented punch or ginger ale…EAT your probiotics! The pickles, the sauerkraut, the apple butter, the KETCHUP! All fermented, all live, all packed FULL of GUT GOOD GUYS!
Don’t get (or give) a flu shot! DRINK the (FERMENTED) PICKLE JUICE!!!
****Next class on MAKING THE KETCHUP…and other IMMUNE BOOSTERS, aka “FERMENTS” is Tuesday, November 2 in Oakton, Virginia at 9:30am. (Register HERE.)
…and if you are in a pickle because you are out of your own fermented pickles, pick up a jar of pickles at the store. First clue they are fermented–you will find them in the refrigerated section. Second clue, the only ingredients are cucumbers, water, salt and spices. (No vinegar, no sugar, and NOT in the DEAD ZONE.)
Straining liquid gold in Nutrient-Dense Stock class!
and keep a look out for my next post…SERVE THE HOMEMADE STOCK!! (Next class on Making Nutrient-Dense Stocks in Great Falls, Virginia, on Saturday, November 6 at 9:30am. Register HERE.)
Monica Corrado
Simply Being Well 
I’m going to go get some yummy pickles today! 🙂 Thanks for this great post, Monica!
Great Korina! then you can learn how to make them! 🙂
http://www.cookingforwell-being.com/DVD.html
I LOVE drinking the juice from my fermented 1/2 sour pickles, kimchi, and saurkrauts etc! YUM! I use to chase away the nasty taste of the Fermented Cod Liver Oil. Works like a charm!!
Great for you, Valerie! Yes, I love drinking any of the juice from the ferments I make. Delicious!
I love pickle juice(and drink it often actually) but I am going to keep my bets on the flu shot containing bits and piece of killed flu viruses to get my body to create antigens towards that strain and boost power against similar strains.
Acetic acid(the acid that gives vinegar it’s kick, which is used in fermenting pickles and is the bulk of pickle juice alongside sodium chloride ions) had some antibiotic properties(that’s why the pcikles ferment instead of bacteria causing it to rot) So pickle juice may help you will some bacterial infections but unfortunely this will not help with preventing the flu-a virus. Get your kids and yourself vaccinated! The reason people are scared of flu shots is because they a. think it can give them the flu(it cannot the virus is deactivated, it has lost it’s RNA[flu is an RNA virus] or the most common one causing controversy b. they think the perservativesand mercury in the shot will give their children autism ect.. for one, you get more mercury from eating fish than you do in a flu shot, so if you plan to avoid the seasonal vaccine for this reason then you better avoid fish as well! This huge issue people have about it is called the thiomersal controvesy.
The reason we have perservatives in flu (and other killed virus vaccines) is because if we did not there would be a very high risk of pathogenic bacteria getting into the vaccine and actually making people sick by directly insert a plethora of bacteria into their bodies.(this actually did happen once! Sadly I cannot find the exact name of the incident but I will keep looking)
Mind you flu shots are cultivated from chicken eggs(fertilized chicken eggs) so yes, you will want something in there to prevent bacterial contamination. Again, the amount of these is so minute it will not have any large impact on your health (other than making you immune to the various strains in the vaccine)
So in conclusion while eating natural foods will make you healthier, it will not give you anywhere near the coverage that a vaccine will.
Sorry about the long rant, I’m a virology nerd and a micro major so when people start freakin out about vaccines and don’t get their kids vaccinated against these human only viruses like measles, and chickenpox I go crazy.
We elimanted smallpox from the earth(ahem well from nature, not counting our samples in labs) and the same can be done with any virus that only has humans as a host-but because people do not get kids vaccinated they get sick and mind you measles is a pretty serious illness it was a major killer of native americans alongside variola major(smallpox) and was also a devastating killer in many wars(as disease always was during war times and in the trenches) Not to mention both these childhood ailments are very serious in adults. There is something different about childrens immune systems that allows them to manage and fight off varcella and the like much easier and less painfully than adults.
Wheh okay I am done lol
Hi there
I am speaking only of pickles that are truly fermented cucumbers. There is no vinegar at all in fermented cukes, and they are full of good for your gut bacteria.
This last November my whole family was sick with the flu….and we all had the flu shot. Nausea, body aches, fever, etc. The difference was PICKLES! My family was sick first. They were all on antibiotics and were sick for 5-7 days. I craved pickles. Ate at least three per day. I was completely over my sickness in 2 days!
Since then, I have read that the juice is also good for muscle cramps. So my son takes a small sports bottle with the juice to his soccer games. The cramps are reduced significantly as a result.
Hey Todd, thanks for the message. Fermented pickles, right?
Whether or not pickles can help, I don’t see the point of a flu shot. So you get the flu. You’re sick for three days. So what? I’d rather naturally develop antibodies the good old fashioned way, rather than trick the body.
On the other hand, I’d rather not risk getting (or having my kids get) a truly life threatening disease.
I don’t think flu shots or any vaccine is perfectly harmless. There is a small risk. The question is: Is it worth it. For the flu, I say no!
My two bits.
Thanks for the note, Ruth. I don’t advocate the flu shot ever. :))
I’ve never had a flu shot and dont plan on it.. but can I ask why you say I don’t advocate the flu shot ever? I’m sure it will just solidify my decision but I would like to know more!
Growing up, my sister had a habit of drinking pickle juice. Ew, we all thought! I sent her your post. She stated that she still drinks pickle juice today. She says it’s great if you are fatigued and helpful if you have had one drink too much of alcohol.
Thanks for your post!
JenE
Jen, thanks for your note!! keep on drinking that pickle juice! Fermented, of course…just cukes, salt, water and spices. :))
@Crystal: First, the pickle juice and skj fight off the colds and flus by boosting your immyne system. They do not diectly kill the micro-organisms. It’s not the acetic acid in them that is beneficial, it’s the probiotics.
Second, vaccines contain dangerous substances. Some are known, in fact they’ve been put there as preservatives. Presumption is that the tiny amount cannot do harm, Hmm. But others are discovered later, like the monkey virus that was administered to most of the planet’s population along with the vaccine, and causes cancer. AND gets transmitted to the next generation, and the next. So there is no end to the harm that was done by this vaccination program. Look it up. SV40. Who know what else is in the plethora of vaccines we thoughtlessly give our children?
I’m old enough to have had measles, chickenpox and mumps in childhood. I’m sure it was inconvenient for my parents and somewhat uncomfortable for me, but no one thought I or me siblings were gonna die! Those diseases are dangerous only to undernourished populations. Ditch the expensive research and programs, spend the oney on teaching people to grow food.
Probiotics are great, but the flu is a virus. Far better to eat healthy AND get the vaccine; the flu can and does kill people every year. Some commenters seem to be confusing the flu with the common cold, which is far less dangerous. Influenza epidemics killed hundreds of thousands of people only a century ago. Again, probiotics are great. Pickles are delicious. But there is no way that eating pickle juice will confer immunity like a vaccine can, and to suggest otherwise is disingenuous and irresponsible.
We fundamentally disagree on this point. Be well.