Sauerkraut vs Pickled Cucumber – Which is Healthier?

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Our Verdict

When comparing sauerkraut to pickled cucumber, we picked the sauerkraut.

Why?

Both of these fermented foods can give a gut-healthy microbiome boost, but how do they stack up otherwise?

In terms of macros, sauerkraut has more protein, carbs, and fiber. They are both low glycemic index foods, so we’ll go with the one that has more fiber out of the two, and that’s the ‘kraut.

In the category of vitamins, sauerkraut has more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, E, and choline, while pickled cucumbers have more of vitamins A and K. An easy win for sauerkraut.

When it comes to minerals, sauerkraut has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while pickled cucumbers are not higher in any mineral, except sodium (on average, pickled cucumbers have about 2x the sodium of sauerkraut). Another clear win for sauerkraut.

In short, enjoy either or both in moderation, but it’s clear which boasts the most nutritional benefits, and that’s the sauerkraut!

Want to learn more?

You might like to read:

Make Friends With Your Gut (You Can Thank Us Later)

Take care!

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  • Glutathione: More Than An Antioxidant

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Glutathione’s Benefits: The Usual And The Unique

    Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that does all the things we might reasonably expect an antioxidant to do, plus some beneficial quirks of its own.

    We do make glutathione in our bodies, but we can also get it from our diet, and of course, we can also supplement it.

    What foods is it in?

    It’s in a lot of foods, but some top examples include:

    • turmeric
    • avocado
    • asparagus
    • almonds
    • cruciferous vegetables
    • watermelon
    • garlic

    For a fuller list and discussion, see:

    Glutathione for Food and Health Applications with Emphasis on Extraction, Identification, and Quantification Methods: A Review

    What does it do?

    Let’s start with the obvious; as with most things that are antioxidant, it is also anti-inflammatory. Increasing or decreasing glutathione levels is associated with decreased or increased inflammation, respectively. For example:

    Glutathione S-transferase theta 1 protects against colitis through goblet cell differentiation via interleukin-22

    It being anti-inflammatory also means it can be beneficial in calming autoimmune disorders:

    Glutathione: a key player in autoimmunity

    And to complete the triad of “those three things that generally go together”, yes, this means it also has anticancer potential, but watch out!

    ❝Although in healthy cells [glutathione] is crucial for the removal and detoxification of carcinogens, elevated [glutathione] levels in tumor cells are associated with tumor progression and increased resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs❞

    ~ Dr. Miroslava Cuperlovic-Culf et al.

    Read in full: Role of Glutathione in Cancer: From Mechanisms to Therapies

    So in other words, when it comes to cancer risk management, glutathione is a great preventative, but the opposite of a cure.

    What were those “beneficial quirks of its own”?

    They are mainly twofold, and the first is that it improves insulin sensitivity. There are many studies showing this, but here’s a recent one from earlier this year:

    The Role of Glutathione and Its Precursors in Type 2 Diabetes

    The other main “beneficial quirk of its own” is that it helps prevent and/or reverse non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, as in this study from last year:

    Glutathione: Pharmacological aspects and implications for clinical use in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

    Because of glutathione’s presence in nuts, fruits, and vegetables, this makes it a great thing to work in tandem with a dietary approach to preventing/reversing NAFLD, by the way:

    How To Unfatty A Fatty Liver

    Anything else?

    It’s being investigated as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease symptoms, but the science is young for this one, so there is no definitive recommendation yet in this case. If you’re interested in that, though, do check out the current state of the science at:

    Potential use of glutathione as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease

    Is it safe?

    While there is no 100% blanket statement of safety that can ever be made about anything (even water can kill people, and oxygen ultimately kills everyone that something else doesn’t get first), glutathione has one of the safest general safety profiles possible, with the exception we noted earlier (if you have cancer, it is probably better to skip this one unless an oncologist or similar advises you otherwise).

    As ever, do speak with your doctor/pharmacist to be sure in any case, though!

    Want to try some?

    We don’t sell it, but here for your convenience is an example product on Amazon 😎

    Enjoy!

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  • Stop Using The Wrong Hairbrush For Your Hair Type

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    When you brush your hair, you’re either making it healthier or damaging it, depending on what you’re using and how. To avoid pulling your hair out, and to enjoy healthy hair of whatever kind you have and whatever length suits you, it pays to know a little about different brushes, and the different techniques involved.

    Head-to-head

    Brush shapes and sizes are designed to achieve different effects in hair, not just for decoration. For example:

    • Rat tail combs are excellent for parting and sectioning hair with clean lines. The rat tail part is actually more important than the comb part.
    • Regular combs are multipurpose but best for use with flat irons, ensuring straighter hair for a longer time.
    • Wide-tooth combs should not be used for detangling as they can cause breakage; instead, use a proper detangling brush. Speaking of detangling…
    • Detangling brushes are essential for daily use. Whichever you use, start brushing from the bottom to prevent tangles from stacking and worsening. As for kinds of detangling brush:
      • The “Tangle Teaser” is a good beginner option, but it may not detangle well for thicker hair.
      • Wet Brush (this is a brand name, and is not about any inherent wetness) is the recommended detangling brush for most people. It can be used on wet or dry hair.
      • Mason Pearson brush is a luxury detangling brush (see it here on Amazon) that works slightly more quickly and efficiently, but is expensive and not necessary for most people.
    • Teasing brushes are for adding volume by backcombing—but require skill to prevent visible tangles. Best avoided for most people.
    • Ceramic round brushes are the best for blow-drying, because they hold tension and help hair dry smoother and shinier.
    • Blow-dryer brushes are great for easy blow-drying but should not be used on dry hair, to avoid damage.
    • Denman brushes are for people with natural curls, enhancing curls without straightening them like a Wet brush would.

    For more on all of these brushes, plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    Gentler Hair Health Options

    Take care!

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  • Eat Well With Arthritis – by Emily Johnson, with Dr. Deepak Ravindran

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Author Emily Johnson was diagnosed with arthritis in her early 20s, but it had been affecting her life since the age of 4. Suffice it to say, managing the condition has been integral to her life.

    She’s written this book with not only her own accumulated knowledge, but also the input of professional experts; the book contains insights from chronic pain specialist Dr. Deepak Ravindran, and gets an additional medical thumbs-up in a foreword by rheumatologist Dr. Lauren Freid.

    The recipes themselves are clear and easy, and the ingredients are not obscure. There’s information on what makes each dish anti-inflammatory, per ingredient, so if you have cause to make any substitutions, that’s useful to know.

    Speaking of ingredients, the recipes are mostly plant-based (though there are some chicken/fish ones) and free from common allergens—but not all of them are, so each of those is marked appropriately.

    Beyond the recipes, there are also sections on managing arthritis more generally, and information on things to get for your kitchen that can make your life with arthritis a lot easier!

    Bottom line: if you have arthritis, cook for somebody with arthritis, or would just like a low-inflammation diet, then this is an excellent book for you.

    Click here to check out Eat Well With Arthritis, and make your cooking work for you rather than against you!

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  • Acorns vs Chestnuts – Which is Healthier?
  • The Best Exercise to Stop Your Legs From Giving Out

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Dr. Doug Weiss, seniors-specialist physio, has an exercise that stops your knees from being tricked into collapsing (which is very common) by a misfiring (also common) reflex.

    Step up…

     Setup to step up thus:

    •         Use a sturdy support like a countertop or chair.
    •         Have an aerobic step or similar firm surface to step onto.

       When you’re ready:

    •         Stand facing away from the step.
    •         Place one hand on the support for stability.
    •         Step backwards up onto the step with your right leg, then your left leg, so both feet are on the step.
    •         Step forward to come back down.

    Once you’re confident of the series of movements, do it without the support, and do it for a few minutes each day. Don’t worry about how easy it becomes; this is not, first and foremost, a strength-training exercise; you don’t have to start adding weights or anything (although of course you can if you want).

    How it works: there’s a part of you called the Golgi tendon organ, and it can trigger a Golgi tendon reflex, which is one of the body’s equivalents of a steam valve. However, instead of letting off steam to avoid a boiler explosion, it collapses a joint to save it from overload. However, if not exercised regularly, it can get overly sensitive, causing it to mistake your mere bodyweight for an overload. So, it collapses, thinking it is saving you from snapping a tendon, but it’s not. By exercising in the way described, the Golgi tendon reflex will go back to only being triggered by an actual overload, not the mere act of stepping.

    Writer’s note: this one’s interesting to me as I have a) a strong lower body b) hypermobile joints that thus occasionally just fold like laundry regardless. Could it be that this will fix that? I guess I’ll find out 🙂

    Meanwhile, for more on all of the above plus a visual demonstration, enjoy:

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    Want to learn more?

    You might also like:

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    Take care!

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  • What’s the difference between ADD and ADHD?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood.

    ADHD is diagnosed when people experience problems with inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that negatively impacts them at school or work, in social settings and at home.

    Some people call the condition attention-deficit disorder, or ADD. So what’s the difference?

    In short, what was previously called ADD is now known as ADHD. So how did we get here?

    Let’s start with some history

    The first clinical description of children with inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity was in 1902. British paediatrician Professor George Still presented a series of lectures about his observations of 43 children who were defiant, aggressive, undisciplined and extremely emotional or passionate.

    Since then, our understanding of the condition evolved and made its way into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM. Clinicians use the DSM to diagnose mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.

    The first DSM, published in 1952, did not include a specific related child or adolescent category. But the second edition, published in 1968, included a section on behaviour disorders in young people. It referred to ADHD-type characteristics as “hyperkinetic reaction of childhood or adolescence”. This described the excessive, involuntary movement of children with the disorder.

    Kids in the 60s playing
    It took a while for ADHD-type behaviour to make in into the diagnostic manual. Elzbieta Sekowska/Shutterstock

    In the early 1980s, the third DSM added a condition it called “attention deficit disorder”, listing two types: attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH) and attention deficit disorder as the subtype without the hyperactivity.

    However, seven years later, a revised DSM (DSM-III-R) replaced ADD (and its two sub-types) with ADHD and three sub-types we have today:

    • predominantly inattentive
    • predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
    • combined.

    Why change ADD to ADHD?

    ADHD replaced ADD in the DSM-III-R in 1987 for a number of reasons.

    First was the controversy and debate over the presence or absence of hyperactivity: the “H” in ADHD. When ADD was initially named, little research had been done to determine the similarities and differences between the two sub-types.

    The next issue was around the term “attention-deficit” and whether these deficits were similar or different across both sub-types. Questions also arose about the extent of these differences: if these sub-types were so different, were they actually different conditions?

    Meanwhile, a new focus on inattention (an “attention deficit”) recognised that children with inattentive behaviours may not necessarily be disruptive and challenging but are more likely to be forgetful and daydreamers.

    Woman daydreams
    People with inattentive behaviours may be more forgetful or daydreamers. fizkes/Shutterstock

    Why do some people use the term ADD?

    There was a surge of diagnoses in the 1980s. So it’s understandable that some people still hold onto the term ADD.

    Some may identify as having ADD because out of habit, because this is what they were originally diagnosed with or because they don’t have hyperactivity/impulsivity traits.

    Others who don’t have ADHD may use the term they came across in the 80s or 90s, not knowing the terminology has changed.

    How is ADHD currently diagnosed?

    The three sub-types of ADHD, outlined in the DSM-5 are:

    • predominantly inattentive. People with the inattentive sub-type have difficulty sustaining concentration, are easily distracted and forgetful, lose things frequently, and are unable to follow detailed instructions
    • predominantly hyperactive-impulsive. Those with this sub-type find it hard to be still, need to move constantly in structured situations, frequently interrupt others, talk non-stop and struggle with self control
    • combined. Those with the combined sub-type experience the characteristics of those who are inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive.

    ADHD diagnoses continue to rise among children and adults. And while ADHD was commonly diagnosed in boys, more recently we have seen growing numbers of girls and women seeking diagnoses.

    However, some international experts contest the expanded definition of ADHD, driven by clinical practice in the United States. They argue the challenges of unwanted behaviours and educational outcomes for young people with the condition are uniquely shaped by each country’s cultural, political and local factors.

    Regardless of the name change to reflect what we know about the condition, ADHD continues to impact educational, social and life situations of many children, adolescents and adults.

    Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    Don’t Forget…

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  • Be A Plant-Based Woman Warrior – by Jane Esselstyn & Ann Esselstyn

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Notwithstanding the title, this book is not about being a woman or a warrior, but let us share what one reviewer on Amazon wrote:

    ❝I don’t want to become a plant based woman warrior. The sex change would be traumatic for me. However, as a man who proudly takes ballet classes and Pilates, I am old enough not to worry about stereotypes. When I see a good thing, I am going to use it❞

    The authors, a mother-and-daughter team in their 80s and 50s respectively, do give a focus on things that disproportionally affect women, and rectifying those things with diet, especially in one of the opening chapters.

    Most the book, however, is about preventing/reversing things that can affect everyone, such as heart disease, diabetes, inflammation and the autoimmune diseases associated with such, and cancer in general, hence the dietary advice being good for most people (unless you have an unusually restrictive diet).

    We get an overview of the pantry we should cultivate and curate, as well as some basic kitchen skills that will see us well for the rest of the book, such as how to make oat flour and other similar mini-recipes, before getting into the main recipes themselves.

    About the recipes: they are mostly quite simple, though often rely on having pre-prepared items from the mini-recipes we mentioned earlier. They’re all vegan, mostly but not all gluten-free, whole foods, no added sugar, and as for oil… Well, it seems to be not necessarily oil-free, but rather oil-taboo. You see, they just don’t mention it. For example, when they say to caramelize onions, they say to heat a skillet, and when it is hot, add the onions, and stir until browned. They don’t mention any oil in the ingredients or in the steps. It is a mystery. 10almonds note: we recommend olive oil, or avocado oil if you prefer a milder taste and/or need a higher smoke point.

    Bottom line: the odd oil taboo aside, this is a good book of simple recipes that teaches some good plant-based kitchen skills while working with a healthy, whole food pantry.

    Click here to check out Be A Plant-Based Woman Warrior, and be a plant-based woman warrior!

    Or at the very least: be a plant-based cook regardless of gender, hopefully without war, and enjoy the additions to your culinary repertoire

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