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quotes a woman who tried lactic acid fermentation (fermentation with whey instead of vinegar) of beets and apples and recorded their effect on her mother’s blood sugar after 2 hours. Normally beets and apples will cause her blood sugar to spike, but when fermented they had no effect on the blood sugar. The fermented apples were cooked into apple sauce and did not cause a sugar spike either. (2)
Other acids are believed to be similarly effective. Lemon or lime juice in water can reduce blood glucose, according to Professor Jennie-Brand Miller of the University of Sydney, author of the glycemic index. (3) Kombucha is a vinegar made by fermenting tea and sugar with a gelatinous “mushroom” mother culture drunk for health reasons and its benefits may be due to similar mechanisms.
Note that taking vinegar in salad dressing, over meat or in pickled food may be perferable to the taste of drinking vinegar. However I routinely drink blueberry or balsamic vinegar diluted in a cup of water and the taste is not objectionable. Lemon or lime juice in water before breakfast is excellent for the liver and may be more readily accepted in the morning.
Sally Fallon’s excellent cookbook, (4) describes making lactic acid fermented vegetables or fruits which will convert the starches and sugars of fruits and vegetables into lactic acid and creates beneficial enzymes. The lactobacilli are ubiquitous, present on all living things, especially on leaves and roots. However with our long term transportation of food, it is better to add the whey drained from live plain yogurt.
Chop the vegetables and lay in a clean mason jar. Add 2 Tablespoons whey and 2 teaspoons sea salt per cup of water. Fill to within an inch of the top of the jar and tightly cap as lactic acid fermentation is an anerobic process. Leave in a warm room for two days, then move to cold storage. The vegetables can be eaten at once but develop better flavor in 2 months. They are meant to be eaten as condiments rather than as main courses. Don’t worry about white scum or foam which may form on the top. If a batch goes bad it will smell so bad that nothing could persuade you to eat it.
If the vegetables get soft, throw them into a soup stock made with bones from organic meat and boil down to make the mineral-rich gelled stock that helps prevent blood sugar spikes and lowers the glycemic index of the carbohydrates that accompany it. The acid will help pull the gelatin out of the bones and the minerals from the vegetables.
Resources: (1) (2) (3)Brand-Miller, Jennie, Kaye Foster-Powell, and David Mendosa. “What is the advantage of vinegar, lemon juice, and sourdough bread?” in New York: Marlowe & Company, 2003, p. 141-2. This is by far the most extensive discussion of the advantage of acidic foods in the popular literature (4) Fallon, Sally, Enig, Mary and Connolly,Pat. San Diego: ProMotion Publishing. pp81-109 Contact Member: Acupuncture and Herbs by Karen Vaughan, L.Ac. 253 Garfield Place 1R Brooklyn, NY 11215 US (718) 622-6755
Credits: Rick Mendoza, Sally Fallon
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