Part of eating a nutritious diet includes making sure that you eat plenty of probiotics. While you often think of food items like yogurt for your probiotic intake, that is far from the only food from which you can get probiotics. Sauerkraut can be an excellent source, but you should know that not all store-bought sauerkraut has the probiotics that you are looking for.

When buying sauerkraut at the store beware that the canned and jarred sauerkraut varieties do not offer the nutritional benefits of probiotics. To get the probiotics that you are looking for, you need to stick to the refrigerated options. You should specifically look for selections that say “probiotic” or “raw” on the package.

Does Canned or Jarred Sauerkraut Have Probiotics?

Canned and jarred sauerkraut often do not contain probiotics, due to the pasteurization and canning/jarring process. The high heat is used to not only kill the bacteria, but it is also used to make sure that the cans and jars do not explode while they are being stored. The problem is that the high heat kills off the probiotics. Another problem is that due to the nature of the canning and jarring process, there are a lot more preservatives used to keep the sauerkraut longer, which can have negative effects on your health.

The same principle applies to any fermented foods that you buy, including kimchi. Stick to the fermented foods found in the refrigerated aisle and make sure that you read the label to make sure you are purchasing the healthiest product.

Does Cooking Sauerkraut Kill the Probiotics?

Yes, cooking sauerkraut can kill probiotics, which is one reason why some sauerkraut in the stores lack the probiotics that you want. For instance, much store-bought sauerkraut is pasteurized. The heat used during the pasteurization kills off the probiotics. As you cook sauerkraut to kill the harmful bacteria, you are also killing the good beneficial bacteria. Your best bet is not to cook it to get the most nutritional benefit of the sauerkraut.

Does Rinsing Sauerkraut Reduce Probiotics?

The answer here is both yes and no. When you rinse the sauerkraut, you are losing some of the probiotics, but there will still be probiotics contained in the sauerkraut after being rinsed. There are a few reasons why people rinse their sauerkraut. Some people find the smell and flavor to be too pungent for them, so they rinse the sauerkraut to make it more palatable for them. Others rinse the sauerkraut to reduce the sodium intake from consuming this product. If you want to get the full benefit of the probiotics in sauerkraut, it’s best to leave it as is since the brine can be just as beneficial as the cabbage.

Where Can I Buy Probiotic-Rich Sauerkraut?

The first thing that you should know is how to choose the right probiotics. Sauerkraut needs to be kept at a stable and cooler temperature to keep the probiotics alive. Keeping this probiotic-rich food at a steady and cooler temperature means that the most nutritious sauerkraut will be found in the refrigerated section of the store. Sauerkraut is live, which is why it needs the cool temperatures of the refrigerator. Sauerkraut that you see in the regular aisles are dead and lack the probiotics that you need. In many cases, you will notice that the best quality and most nutritious sauerkraut is in pouches rather than cans or jars.

You should also pay attention to the ingredients. Read the label and make sure that cabbage is the first ingredient listed. Other components to look for are other vegetables, spices, and salt. However, you will want to avoid any sauerkraut that contains vinegar, Sodium Benzoate/Sodium Bisulfate, any other scientific words, and sugar. Vinegar is a preservative, which means that the product has been pasteurized rather than allowing for the natural fermentation process. The ingredients should be natural and straightforward. Otherwise, the product is not as healthy as you think it is.

Fortunately, there are some great store-bought options that you can trust to have the probiotics you want. Here are my top picks for the best store-bought sauerkraut full of the gut-healthy probiotics we desire.

Farmhouse Culture Kraut:

One of the great features of this brand of sauerkraut is the fact that you have so many different types of kraut from which to choose. From the packaging, you can see that it says “Probiotics” so you know that this is a product that will give you the nutritional benefit you need. One of the other options from this brand is their kimchi, which offers the same probiotic benefits as sauerkraut but offers a more prominent flavor punch.

Brine-Craft Probiotic Raw Sauerkraut:

Even though this product is in a jar, this is a perishable raw sauerkraut option that gives you the probiotics you are looking for. The ingredient list is simple, meaning that there are no preservatives in the jar. This is a raw, natural, and mild flavored sauerkraut that is especially perfect for people who may not be big fans of sauerkraut but still want all of the benefits of eating it.

Gold Mine Sauerkraut:

Raw, organic, and full of probiotics, Gold Mine’s sauerkraut is a nutritious sauerkraut option. This organic sauerkraut is not pasteurized and is full of the living microorganisms that are essential to great probiotics. It’s carefully packaged, hand-crafted in small batches with sea salt and aged in ceramic crocks to maximize the fermentation process. According to testing, this particular sauerkraut has about 468 million CFUs of live Lactobacillus and bifid bacterium species per ¼ serving.

Conclusion

Sauerkraut is an excellent item to add to your diet to make sure that you get the probiotics that your body needs to thrive. Probiotics may seem like a buzzword, but these live microorganisms are incredibly helpful in ensuring that your digestive tract is working as it’s supposed to. Many problems are associated with a lack of essential probiotics in the body, which can leave you feeling sluggish and uncomfortable. To choose the right sauerkraut, make sure you only select options that are raw, non-pasteurized, and found in the refrigerated aisle.