So be sure you grab some for your warm-weather cookouts.
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Key Takeaways
Your gut does more than just digest your food.
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Your guts microbiome contains living organisms, including bacteria and yeast, that affect your healthhopefully in positive ways.
But what you eat greatly influences what your microbiome is made up of.
Eating fermented foods, like yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut, can help you add beneficial probiotics.
Some foods play a dual role as both prebiotic and probiotic.
For example, kimchi and sauerkraut are fermented, providing probiotics.
And because theyre made from cabbage, they also provide food for that beneficial bacteria.
When these beneficial bacteria eat, they produce metabolites.
A healthy intestinal wall is made up of healthy cells that are properly joined together.
Specifically, researchers were testing whether sauerkrauts and cabbages metabolites could help protect intestinal cells from inflammation-related damage.
Their findings were published in April 2025 inApplied Environmental Microbiology.Lets break down what they found.
How Was This Study Conducted?
Researchers examined the metabolites in two types of sauerkraut, the brine from the sauerkraut and raw cabbage.
The two types of sauerkraut included store-bought and homemade sauerkrauts.
What Did This Study Show?
Researchers found that all sauerkraut samplesstore-bought and homemadehelped protect the intestinal cells from inflammation.
The sauerkraut brine and raw cabbage did not have these effects.
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
Thisin vitrostudy suggests that homemade and store-bought sauerkraut may protect the intestinal wall from inflammation.
Is one better than the others?
When Marco says made correctly, she refers to the sauerkraut not being heated.
Refrigerated andhomemade sauerkrautare produced simply by combining cabbage with salt and allowing the fermentation process to happen over time.
Not a sauerkraut fan?
Other fermented foods, like yogurt and kefir, will also add beneficial bacteria to your gut.
When your microbiome is balanced with plenty of beneficial bacteria, it reduces inflammation.
This does not mean thatraw or cooked cabbageisnt good for you, though.
However, fermented foods are good to include as a part of a healthy diet, concludes Marco.
