What is in a gut shot?

Store-bought gut shots are usually made with sugar and juices, but this homemade gut shot is savory, made with fermented organic vegetables (creating a vegetable juice), sea salt, whole spices, and filtered water.

Do gut shots actually work?

Yes! Taking a gut shot every day is similar to taking a probiotic or consuming yogurt for microbiome health. The veggie drink contains active probiotic cultures, giving your body an effective probiotic boost.

How often should I take a gut shot?

You can take a gut shot three times a day, with each meal, or you can take one every morning. Overall a few shots a day is ideal to stay healthy!

Do I need to use organic ingredients?

Yes, or homegrown or from your local farmers market. You do not want to ferment anything that has been treated with herbicides or glyphosates.

Probiotic Gut Shot

Name: Gut Shot Recipe (Video)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 120 h
Total time: 120 h 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons whole spices: fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, dill seeds, anise seeds, allspice, black peppercorns, star anise.; ½-1 onion, sliced (or sub leeks or shallot); 10-20 garlic cloves, sliced in half; Optional additions: sliced turmeric root and or sliced ginger root (⅛-¼ cup total); Organic Vegetables (choose 2-3) celery, carrots, fennel, bell pepper, beets, cabbage, etc. sliced or chopped small. (about 3-4 cups). Wash the veggies, but do not peel.; 2 cabbage leaves; Fine Sea salt or Himalayan pink salt; Filtered Water (tap water can contain chlorine, which can prohibit fermentation)

Description

Rich in probiotics, the Gut Shot is a fermented vegetable drink that supports gut health by creating diversity in the gut microbiome—an easy step-by-step guide using veggies you already have with just 15 minutes of hands-on time.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons whole spices: fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, dill seeds, anise seeds, allspice, black peppercorns, star anise.
1/2–1 onion, sliced (or sub leeks or shallot)
10–20 garlic cloves, sliced in half
Optional additions: sliced turmeric root and or sliced ginger root (1/8-1/4 cup total)
Organic Vegetables (choose 2-3) celery, carrots, fennel, bell pepper, beets, cabbage, etc. sliced or chopped small. (about 3-4 cups). Wash the veggies, but do not peel.
2 cabbage leaves
Fine Sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
Filtered Water (tap water can contain chlorine, which can prohibit fermentation)

Instructions

Place whole spices in the bottom of a clean, 8-cup jar.
Add onion, garlic, and optional turmeric root and ginger root.
Add vegetables, slicing thinly, filling up roughly half the jar.
Cover with cabbage leaves (which will keep everything under the brine)
Weight down the cabbage leaves using a fermentation weight or something small and clean that fits into the jar like a shot glass. Press down a little.
Make the brine using a 3% solution. Mix 4 cups filtered water with 1 ½ tablespoons sea salt. Pour this over the weighted cabbage leaves. Fill the jar, leaving 1 1/2 inches of headroom. If you need more brine to fill the jar, use 1 cup water with 1 teaspoon salt.
If any seeds or scraps float to the top, remove them with a slotted spoon. Any debris that floats to the surface may cause mold, so everything needs to be submerged under the brine. ( You can check for this daily during the fermentation period.)
Cover, but do not tighten the lid, and place over a plate to catch any overflow. You want the bubbles from the fermentation to be able to escape. You can also use an airlock system (see photos above).
Place it in a cool place; 65F-70F is ideal. ( In winter, I leave it on my kitchen counter and check daily for any seeds that may have escaped and floated to the surface. In summer, placing the jar in a cool basement or lower cupboard is ideal. )
Let this ferment for 3 days, then taste. The longer you ferment, the more tangy it will become. I like to leave this 5 days for optimum flavor. Place in the fridge, lightly covered. It will continue to ferment in the refrigerator but more slowly and will keep indefinitely.
Drink a 2-ounce glass full of gut shot each day or with each meal. And Yes, the vegetables are edible and delicious!

Notes

If you are new to consuming probiotics, start gently, consuming one teaspoon or tablespoon, per meal, gradually adding more as tolerated.

This must be refrigerated and can not be canned, or frozen in order to keep the cultures alive and active.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 ounces
Calories: 12
Sugar: 0.8 g
Sodium: 767.7 mg
Fat: 0.1 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 2.5 g
Fiber: 0.7 g
Protein: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg