I take a probiotic on a daily basis, but not in the form of a pill or powder. I get my daily fill of probiotics in the form of sauerkraut, a fermented vegetable that’s loaded with beneficial bacteria. It goes into my “beast of a salad” every day. Sauerkraut is one food that you should consume on a regular basis for optimum health.

You can make your own sauerkraut if you wish (Sally Fallon Morell tells you exactly how to do it in Nourishing Traditional Diets), or you can buy it. Make sure to find a brand that’s free of preservatives and is fermented by salt, not vinegar. Ideally, you should purchase sauerkraut that’s unpasteurized and refrigerated.

One of my favorites is Karthein’s Organic Carrots & Ginger Unpasteurized Sauerkraut which is made with certified organic cabbage, carrots, ginger, unrefined grey sea salt, and bacterial culture. I usually pick it up from a local health food store for $9.49.

Occasionally, I’ll purchase Kühne Traditional Barrel Sauerkraut which contains only two ingredients: white cabbage and salt. I get it from a local grocery store for $2.99. Unfortunately, store-bought sauerkraut that’s sitting on a shelf like this is typically pasteurized, so there’s no active bacteria and thus no probiotics. Put simply, it’s dead! I found a way to “resurrect” it though…

Unlike Karthein’s sauerkraut which is refrigerated and unpasteurized, the Kühne brand is unrefrigerated and pasteurized, but it’s less than a third of the price of Karthein’s and you can bring it back to life with this simple tip: Once you finish a bottle of Karthein’s, transfer the juice to Kühne – the beneficial bacteria will colonize and make a new home there.

Give this method a shot next time you buy pasteurized sauerkraut. You’ll get all the health benefits that good bacteria can provide, and you’ll save a few bucks in the process!