Sauerkraut is a fermented food made of raw cabbage. With its probiotics, vitamins, fiber, and few calories, it’s a nutritious choice to add to your diet. As a condiment or side dish, sauerkraut is generally good for you. But some people, such as those who need to limit their sodium intake, may want to avoid sauerkraut or limit how much they eat.
Sauerkraut contains about 1 gram of fiber per 2-tablespoon serving. Along with its many probiotics, which your body can use more easily after fermentation, sauerkraut’s fiber can help support digestion. It helps you have more regular bowel movements and reduces the risk of constipation.
Research also suggests that consuming sauerkraut regularly can improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), like digestive discomfort, in about six to eight weeks. Researchers found this benefit whether people ate pasteurized sauerkraut or raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut.
Sauerkraut is high in vitamin C, with two tablespoons providing 20% of your daily recommended value of the vitamin. Vitamin C, along with several other compounds in sauerkraut, has antioxidant properties. Antioxidants can help reduce inflammation, which can contribute to harmful health effects in your body.
Some research suggests that sauerkraut may help reduce the risks of inflammatory conditions such as:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Some cancers
- Heart disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Your gut microbiome—the community of bacteria, yeasts, viruses, and other micro-organisms that live in your digestive tract to help you digest—plays an important role in regulating your body’s defenses, called your immune system.
Eating sauerkraut can help support a healthy, strong immune system by keeping your microbiome in balance. When there’s an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in your gut, it can lead to inflammation—your immune system’s active response to threats like injury, damage, and infection.
As a fermented food, sauerkraut contains many good bacteria (also known as probiotics) that can help balance your gut environment. Researchers note that immune health benefits from sauerkraut are likely due to the amount of lactic acid-producing bacteria that occur during fermentation.
Some research also suggests that this bolstered immune effect may help reduce the severity of symptoms from autoimmune conditions, where the immune system wrongfully attacks the body when no threat is present.
While evidence is mixed, some experts suggest it may be better to select raw or unpasteurized options that you find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store instead of canned, shelf-stable options. Sauerkraut that is self-stable has been processed in a way that kills some of the good bacteria that lend themselves to sauerkraut’s health benefits.
You can enjoy sauerkraut in several ways. Consider these suggestions:
- Use it as a condiment to top sandwiches and sausages.
- Stir it into cabbage soup or other soups.
- Use it as a flavorful addition to potato salad, pierogis, and other dishes.
- Mix it with other raw or roasted vegetables and herbs in a salad.
- Eat it on its own as a side dish.
If you’re on a limited-sodium diet or a bland-food diet, talk to a doctor before adding sauerkraut as a regular part of your eating plan. With its high sodium content and fiber, it may not be a suitable option. Your doctor may suggest alternatives.
