What's In My Jar

The Cheapest Thing on the List

Most of us with autoimmunity are on medications that wreck gut balance: immunosuppressants, NSAIDs, steroids, antibiotics cycling in and out. The microbiome takes the hit quietly, and the symptoms get blamed on the disease instead of the disruption.

Fermentation is one of the cheapest, most direct ways to push back.

My ferment delivers: live probiotics to repopulate what medications strip, fiber to feed what survives, and vitamin C. Plus Sulforaphane: a cruciferous compound that acts as a precursor to glutathione, the body's primary antioxidant, with documented effects on inflammation and Nrf2 pathway activation.

Medications don't just suppress immune activity — they deplete the nutrients and gut flora that support it. → Drug-Nutrient Depletions — AAFP

Research links gut dysbiosis to the onset and progression of autoimmune conditions — including RA, lupus, and POTS — with disrupted microbial balance affecting immune regulation at the cellular level. (Frontiers in Immunology, 2024 / NIH/PMC)

Not a cure protocol. A floor-raiser. Relatively economical, no prescription required.

One Caveat: Fermented foods are high in histamine. If you react to aged cheeses, wine, or vinegar, start cautiously. Histamine intolerance overlaps significantly with mast cell activation and some autoimmune conditions. I don't have that issue, but I'd rather name it.

Wicked Kraut

Not traditional. Loosely inspired by Curtido — the Salvadoran cabbage side — built for color, complexity, and actually wanting to eat it every day. A friend saw the color (from red cabbage) and said "wicked." The name stuck.

Yield: roughly 2–3 tall mason jars. Active time: 30-45 min. Ferment: 5–7 days.

Method

Two groups prepared separately, optional third for heat. Group 1 hand-crushed with salt to release liquid. Groups 2 and 3 folded in gently, crushing kills the texture.

Crush less for crunch, more for soft. Slice coarse for crunch, thin for softer. I go minimal crush, coarse slice.

Salt: 2.0% of total weight. Weigh everything, don't guess. If you need more liquid to submerge, brine at 2.0% salt to water weight. Spring water only: tap can stall or kill fermentation.

Watch and Learn the Technique First

→ Sauerkraut Tutorial — Joshua Weissman
→ The Guide to Lacto-Fermentation: How To Ferment Nearly Anything

Group 1 (hand crush with salt)

• 1 large red cabbage (or green, if you prefer)
• 3-4 carrots, grated or sliced to preference
• 3–4 garlic cloves, de-germed, coarse dice or smashed
• 5–6 whole peppercorns
• ¼ tsp whole cumin seed
• ¼ tsp sage, thyme, dill (dried)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 bay leaf, large, whole
• Salt to 2.0% of total weight

Group 2 (mix gently, fold into Group 1)

• 1 large red or orange bell pepper
• 2 green onions
• 1 large onion (red or sweet), sliced to preference
• Salt to 2.0% of total weight

Group 3 — Optional Heat (fold in last)

• 1 tsp Aleppo red pepper flakes
• 3–4 jalapeños, sliced to preference
• 4–6 finger-size pieces fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• Salt to 2.0% of total weight

Further Reading

→ Drug-Nutrient Depletions — AAFP
→ Gut Dysbiosis/Autoimmune Disease — Frontiers in Immunology, 2024
→ Gut Microbiome and Autoimmunity — NIH/PMC
→ Sulforaphane and Glutathione — NIH/PMC
→ Sulforaphane and Autoimmune T-Cell Modulation — PubMed

Raising the Floor: Tools That Helped Me Function Again

These are the resources that helped raise my baseline - enough to even imagine hiking again.

Still Rolling OutdoorsS. Rolling

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* Peer reflection, not medical or nutrition advice. Your body is yours — what works for me may not work for you. *