Meat Stock and Homemade Soup

A cup of meat stock and a bowl of homemade soup are stapple items in the GAPS diet and should be consumed regularly if not daily to speed up the healing process and optimise the diet to its full potential.  The meat stocks and soups alone will speed up the healing process and create their own die off reaction.  Meat stock provides the building blocks to repair the microvilli on the enterocytes which play a major role in digestion and absorption.

Stock, made from the meat and bones of animals, has been used as a clasic healing remedy for humankind throughout the ages. It’s healing remedies have been used for the basic cold flu,  gastrointestinal problems and much more.  Stock is a valuable food for the GAPS Protocol and is encouraged to be consumed daily for the duration that the nutrition protocol period.  Just as many people take medicine or supplements, stock should be viewed as natures medicine, a valuable healing food.

Meat Stock, Bone Stock, Soup and Broth: What is the difference?

From my experience, the terms stock and broth have often been used interchangeably and many people get confused with the terminology and often need to confirm the difference between them.  The stock in the introduction diet is in fact a Meat Stock made from tubular bones with marrow, joints and animal meats.  The GAPS protocol also suggests adding pig’s trotters, hooves or chicken feet to produce good gelatine.  After these ingredients have been simmering for a few hours or more, the meat and the bones are removed from the stock pot and the liquid is strained.

The liquid remaining is the meat stock and must be stored in the fridge or freezer to be readily available for re-heating on the stove for drinking with each main meal.  Whilst a large proportion of this meat stock is frozen so that you will have plenty on hand, you will need to have enough left over to make your meat and vegetable soup.

To make the soup you simply pull off all the meat from the bones (that were previously put aside from making the meat stock) and joints and add it back to the stock pot with the remaining stock juice.  The marrow is retrieved from the bones and also added to the soup.  This is done by bashing on the bones and scooping the marrow out.

The guiding difference between stock and soup is that soup contains solids such as the meat and vegetables (sometimes presented as a purée) while a stock is the liquid in which solids have been simmered and then removed. Soup is generally prepared as a meal and stock (whether it be meat or bone based) is termed as the starting ingredient for making the soup, and is prepared separately.

Both meat stock and bone stock are generally accepted as a broth and the difference between them is determined by their cooking time.  Meat stock is cooked on a low heat for a few hours or more, where as bone stock is traditionally cooked for longer and can be made over a full day and perhaps overnight.  Regardless of the time, both meat or bone stock can contain the same ingredients like meat, joints and bones.  When bones have been cooked for long periods like this, they can be ground up into a paste and added as a natural rich calcium and mineral supplement.  The longer you cook them, the more tender they become and the more nutrients they give out.

The GAPS introduction diet suggests people begin with the meat stock initially and bone stock can then follow some time after the intro diet.  For the purpose of the GAPS protocol, we will be referring to the following terms.

Meat Stock = the liquid in which meats and bones have been simmered and removal of bones and meat through a strainer.

Soup = a solid meal that was made from stock prepared earlier, with added meat and vegetables.

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Kefir

Fermented foods are essential to introduce to the GAPS diet from the beginning and kefir can be managed after whey and yoghurt have been successfully introduced.   Supplementing with probiotics alone will allow beneficial flora to do its job primarily in the upper parts of the digestive system which does not generally reach all the way down to the lower bowel however, fermented dairy will carry probiotic microbes all the way down to the end of the digestive system. Whilst yoghurt carries some very beneficial forms of beneficial flora, Kefir has been known to carry colonies as large as 27 different strains or more.  Fermentation predigests the dairy, making it easy for our digestive systems to handle, that is why fermented foods are easily digested by people with damaged gut. Fermentation releases nutrients from the food, making them more bio-available for the body.

Homemade Kefir

You can get a commercial Kefir starter in a sachet or use some live fresh kefir grains as a starter. If you make kefir from organic unpasteurised (raw) milk, then do not heat it, just add the starter and ferment it on the bench. Only pasteurised milk needs heating, as pasteurisation makes milk vulnerable to contamination by pathogenic microbes. Raw milk is usually well protected by its own probiotic bacteria and other factors.

Remember, that kefir contains more potent probiotic microbes than yoghurt, as a result kefir will produce a more pronounced “die-off reaction”. That it is recommended to introduce yoghurt first, then start introducing kefir. Both should be introduced slowly and gradually controlling the “die-off”. Kefir, apart from probiotic bacteria, contains beneficial yeasts. That is why it is essential to introduce for people with yeast overgrowth. A healthy human gut contains plenty of beneficial yeasts, as well as beneficial bacteria and other microbes. In order to get rid of the “bad” yeast, we need to replace it with the “good” yeast.

By dripping your kefir through cheesecloth you can separate it into cottage cheese and whey. Pour the whey into a clean glass jar with a tight lid and keep it in the refrigerator to use as a starter for fermenting different foods, such as vegetables, fish, beans and grains (when your patient is ready to have them). The cottage cheese is delicious with some honey, fruit, soups or as a savoury snack.

Learn more about Kefir here

Click here for: GAPS Recommended Australian and New Zealand Kefir Suppliers

Click here for: Kefir Making support group

View video footage on making kefir here

Ghee (clarified butter)

Ingredients

Organic or unpasteurised unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat your oven to approximately 60 – 120 Degrees Celsius.  Add a large block of unsalted butter to a stainless steel oven dish and leave it in the oven for 45 – 60 minutes.  The liquid in the dish will separate with milk solids on the bottom (liquid creamy white colour), ghee in the middle (yellow) with some floaty bits of whey on top.  The whey can be carefully scooped out with a tea strainer and the yellow liquid which is the ghee can be carefully poured into a jar with a cheese cloth on top to catch any whey or unwanted milk solids.  Try not to disrupt the milk solids and ensure that they remain in the bottom of the pan as you pour out the ghee.   Discard the milk solids and refrigerate the ghee in glass jars.

Ghee can also be rendered on the stove but this method requires more monitoring and demands more time.

Rendered Animal Fats (Stage one appropriate and onwards:  Refer to the GAPS Book or the GAPS Companion)

Rendering animal fats are very simple.

►Lard from Pork FAT

►Tallow & Suet from Beef or Lamb FAT

Ask your butcher for a big bag of any of the above animal fats (preferably organic)

► Dripping from a Duck, or Goose

What is Lard and Tallow? Lard is pigs fat, whether it be in its raw state or rendered for cooking.  Suet comes from beef or lamb and is described as the raw, hard fat from the cavity of the animal. This is collected from the internal layers and parts located near the organs are best. When the suet is rendered it becomes tallow and this is what you store in your fridge to cook with.  Many traditional recipes have used suet in there cooking, however we aim to simply melt the fat into a liquid form.

What about dripping? Dripping has been used for centuries and is the fat collected from a duck, goose or chicken.  The quality of the fat is dependent upon what the bird has eaten.  Dripping collected from poultry produces a very tasty flavour to roasted vegetables.

Note: Rendering lard creates a strong smell.  The lower the temperature to render the fat, the less intrusive the smell will be.

Essential and allowable GAPS FATS for cooking

Pork Tallow and Dripping: These fats are fully saturated fats that do not alter their chemical structure when heated.  These fats are very stable and good for frying.

Coconut Oil: Select Organic Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  Coconut oil contains largely saturated fats and does not change its chemical structure when heated.  It is important to buy good quality coconut oil to avoid those that have need hydrogenated.  It is recommended you acquaint yourself with the benefits of coconut oil and use it generously in your baking.

FATS for Salads and Meals

Olive Oil: Select Organic Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Use daily, drizzled over your meals but do not cook with it as it will change its structure and damage the important minor components.  This oil is delicious over salad with a good squeeze of lemon.  Getting into the habit in using these oils will supplement your diet well with essential fatty acids and reduce the work load on the liver.

Yoghurt Instructions

Ingredient/Supplies

1 litre of Organic Milk or Raw Milk (raw milk is ideal but does not require heating)

1/3 cup of Commercial Organic Yoghurt    or    Yoghurt Culture Starters.

Thermometer

Yoghurt maker or Excalibur dehydrator, a hot plate or place it on top of your hot water system

Bring 1 litre of milk close to boiling in a stainless steel pan & stir occasionally.  By bringing the milk close to boiling point (no higher than 80 degrees Celsius) you destroy any bacteria which may be lingering in the milk and interfere with the fermentation.  It is important not to boil the milk as it will change its taste.  (Boiling point is set at is 100 degrees).

Take the pan off the heat and cover the pan with the lid to cool down.  You can cool it down faster by placing the pan in the sink with cold water until the temperature reaches between 38-45 degrees Celsius.

After the milk has cooled to 38-45 degrees Celsius, add 1/3 cup of the yoghurt into your milk or use your commercial yoghurt starter.  If you are using a commercial yoghurt starter in powder form you need to dissolve the powder in a little milk first before adding it to the pan.  (The amount of yoghurt starter should be contained on the label).  Make sure you add the yoghurt or starter after it has cooled down and not whilst it is still hot or it will kill the beneficial bacteria.  Stir the mixture well and place in your yoghurt maker (or other source) with temperatures maintaining between 38-45 degrees Celsius.  Ferment the yoghurt for 24 hours or longer so that the lactose is all consumed.

When the fermentation is complete, the yoghurt can be placed into a glass jar and put into the fridge to set for a few hours before consuming.

Whey / cottage cheese

If you want to drip the yoghurt to make whey, use a large cheese cloth and line it into a large colander.  Place the colander into a large glass bowl and pour your yoghurt into the lined colander.  Cover it with a tea towel and leave it for a few hours.  The result will establish a liquid in the glass bowl (whey) and remaining residue in the lined colander will resemble cottage cheese.

Pour the whey into a clean glass jar with a tight lid to use with the GAPS introduction stages and keep it in the refrigerator.  The whey can also be used as a starter for fermenting different foods, such as vegetables, fish, beans and grains (when your patient is ready to have them).

Depending on how long you leave your yoghurt dripping, you can make cottage cheese or a thicker yoghurt.  Both the yoghurt and the cheese can be used for baking, adding to salads and soups and as deserts with honey and fruit.  The next time you make your yoghurt, save about a cup of your yoghurt and add it to your next batch as the starter.

Alternatives

• If you do not have a yoghurt maker you can place the mixture in an Excalibur dehydrator, a heat pad or place it on top of your hot water system ensuring that it does not get too cold or too hot. Best temperatures are between 38-45 degrees Celsius.
• If you make yoghurt organic unpasteurised (raw) milk, you don’t need to heat it, just add the starter and ferment. Only pasteurised milk needs heating, as pasteurisation makes milk vulnerable to contamination by pathogenic microbes. Raw milk is usually well protected by its own probiotic bacteria and other factors.  Raw milk is easier for humans to digest than pasteurised milk.
• Goats milk is easier to digest than cows milk and preferred by GAPS people.

Beet Kvass: Three Options (Stage one or two appropriate & onwards)

Option One:  Dairy free

1 kg beetroot

1 ½  tbls salt added to water

1 tsp caraway seeds

3 Garlic Cloves

Place seeds and garlic in glass canning jar and place beetroot Slices (1/2 cm thick) on top until the jar is ¾ full.  Add salt to water in a separate jug and stir well, making sure all the salt is dissolved.  Pour salted water over beetroot and make sure to keep the brine level covering the beets.  Put a clean plate or jar on it to keep them down.

Ferment for 2-5 days (depending on temperature) in a warm place on the bench – turning the jar around a few times a day.  Fermentation is faster in warmer weather.  When fermentation is complete you may store the Beet Kvass in the fridge.

When most of the Kvass has been drunk and a quarter remains, you may top it up again with salt water brine and return it to the bench for another couple of days.  When the water becomes pale, the beetroot is spent and it is time to make a new one.

Serving Suggestions:

1 – 2 tablespoons diluted in a glass of filtered water.  Adding beet kvass to your homemade soups will provide valuable enzymes and lactic acid to aid with digestion.  Remember to introduce in small amounts to reduce the die off reaction.

Beet Kvass is a wonderful digestive aid.  It assists in correcting constipation whilst promoting regularity and alkalises the body with a variety of nutrients and cleansing qualities.  Beet Kvass has great liver supporting properties that assist in reducing morning sickness in pregnant women.

Beet Kvass:  Option Two

Same as above but add ½ a cup of homemade whey dripped from your dairy kefir or yoghurt

Beet Kvass: Option Three -Dairy free

Same as above but add ½ a cup of homemade whey from your coconut or water kefir or

use sauerkraut juice as your starter.

Sauerkraut Lactic Acid Fermentation

“Sauerkraut is a wonderful healing remedy for the digestive

tract, full of digestive enzymes, probiotic bacteria,

vitamins and minerals”. (Dr Natasha Campbell – Mc Bride)

Natural Lactic Acid Fermentation is one of the oldest and healthiest means of food preservation however the benefits of fermented vegetables and fruits go beyond the advantage of preservation.

Sauerkraut is notorious for its numerous health benefits and has been highly regarded for it’s reputation as a Supper Food.

Loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and beneficial bacteria that strengthen digestive power, sauerkraut is both a nourishing food and a potent nutritional medicine.  Naturally produced by lactic acid fermentation, sauerkraut has a long tradition of use in cultures around the world.

Sauerkraut is a staple food in the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride and is highly promoted by Sally Fallon, author of a Nourishing Traditions.

 Sauerkraut – Lactic Acid Fermentation

Sauerkraut is made through a lactic-acid fermentation process.  Lactic – acid is a natural preservative that inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria.  Sugars and starch carbohydrates in vegetables and fruits are consumed and converted into lactic acid by a variety of lactic acid species.  Lactobacillus plantarum is one of the natural occurring lactic acid producing bacteria that have been used for centuries as a preservative.  It produces high acidity in all vegetable fermentations and plays a major role in the healing of the digestive tract.

 The living beneficial bacteria in sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables and fruit, enhance digestibility and increase vitamin content.  They furnish the body with many beneficial enzymes, probiotics and anti-carcinogens.  Consuming live fermented foods on a regular basis helps to balance the inner terrain of the intesti al tract to allow for the repopulation of good gut flora which contain far more beneficial bacteria thatn supplements can alone.

Benefits of Sauerkraut and Fermented Vegetables

   Sauerkraut illuminates disease causing bacteria and reintroduces friendly bacteria to the digestive system.

   Lactic acid fermenting foods contain potent digestive enzymes that boost metabolism and assist in restoring natural digestion.

   Lactic acid fermented recipes are excellent for those with lactose intolerance and weakened digestive systems.

   Lactic acid fermented foods are a holistic part of cancer therapy due to its many antioxidant compounds.

   Results of a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry conclude that sauerkraut is a cancer growth inhibitor.  Especially for lung, colon, liver and breast cancer.

   Lactic acid fermented vegetables assist in restoring normal stomach acidity which then triggers the pancreas to produce its own enzymes to digest food.

   Raw sauerkraut juice has been used as a remedy for worms.  The helpful bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum is a dominant strain of bacteria that is known to actively keep pathogens in check.

   Nursing mothers of colicky babies have gotten relief from many sleepless nights from consuming fermented vegetables.  Colicky bottle fed babies can be fed tiny (progressive) spoonfuls of sauerkraut juice. This introduces some friendly bacteria for bottle fed babies who are not receiving beneficial bacteria from their mothers breast milk.

   Pytochemicals are created during the fermentation process witch assist in boosting the immune system.

   Sauerkraut and its juices are a traditional folk remedy for treating constipation and have a soothing affect on the nervous system.

   Yeast overgrowth such as candida albicans propagating in the digestive tract are precluded by the acidic environment due to lactic acid fermentation in foods like sauerkraut.

   Sauerkraut is rich in vital nutrients and minerals such as calcium and potassium, as well as magnesium and an abundance of vitamin C & K.

   As a nutritious food choice, the sauerkraut and other lactic acid fermented vegetables are a perfect candidate for all round nutrition.

   Protects against environmental toxins like heavy metals, pollution and pesticides.

Sauerkraut Recipe

Ingredients

approximately 5 – 8 kg of organic cabbage for a 10 litre Crock Pot

approximately 5 – 8 grams (15 g max) Nirvana Himalayan Crystal Salt per kg of cabbage

1. Retain two external cabbage leaves and slice the cabbage with a knife or mandoline (v-slicer).
2. Place sliced cabbage in a large bowl and evenly distribute the Himalayan salt amongst the shredded leaves.
3. Leave the cabbage to sit for ten minutes or so. This allows the cabbage to sweat and pull the water out of its leaves to create the brine for fermentation.  The salt also keeps the cabbage crunchy by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that soften it.
4. Massage the cabbage with hands and fists or with a pounder.  The goal is to force the cabbage juice from the leaves to create the brine.  It is easier to massage the kraut if you have someone that can help you who has strong hands.
5. Place the kraut in the crock and pack it down ensuring the brine completely covers the top.
6. Place the retained cabbage leave around the weighting stones and place on top of the kraut.  Ensure that the juice covers the top by 3-4 cm.  If the water is lower than this, some salted filtered water can be added (15g salt to 1 litre).
7. Place lid on top and fill water groove (mote) with filtered water.
8. Leave at room temperature (for best results 20-22 degrees Celsius) for 2 – 3 days.  Bubbling indicates that the fermentation is taking place.
9. Then leave in a cool place (15-18 degrees for best results) for approximately 3 – 8 weeks.

If you would like to make sauerkraut in a different fermenting vessel please read the ’Gut and Psychology Syndrome’ book where Dr Natasha Campbell Mc Bride explains this in detail. 

Click here for the Book.

 Additional notes:

Sauerkraut is a condiment suggested to be eaten as a side dish whenever meat is consumed and especially at the end of the day when the bodies enzyme storage is depleted having already been expended on previous meals earlier in the day.  The evening meal is the most difficult for people who suffer from digestive disorders or associated disease.  Thus sauerkraut is a natural aid for digestion.

According to Nutritional data, sauerkraut provides 102% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K, 35 % of vitamin C and 12% of iron.  It also contains only 32 calories with 4 grams of fibre.

Commercially canned sauerkraut can be pasturised or processed in some way.  Homemade unpasteurised sauerkraut is a power food and once you have tasted homemade sauerkraut, you will never want to buy commercial again, it doesn’t taste or act the same way.

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Himalayan Crystal Salts.