Kriben Govender (Honours Degree in Food Science & Technology) and James Shadrach (Honours Degree in Psychology) have an entertaining and real conversation with home fermentation guru Donna Schwenk from Cultured Food Life on living the fermented foods life and mastering the holy trinity of fermented foods: Kefir, Kombucha and Fermented vegetables.   Bio:   Donna Schwenk’s world changed when she discovered cultured foods. After a difficult pregnancy and various health problems, she became determined to find answers to what ailed her. And in her quest, she came across the ancient art of home fermentation, a food preparation technique that supercharges everyday foods with beneficial bacteria to balance your digestive system, and vitamins and minerals to enhance your overall health. This simple, natural process has been used for thousands of years to create everything from drinks like kefir and kombucha to foods like kimchi and pickles.      After incorporating fermented foods into her life, Donna began to experience a vitality that she had never known. And then she was hooked! She started a new life as a teacher and writer, blogging on her website culturedfoodlife.com, in an effort to bring the beautiful world of fermented foods to as many people as possible. She now works with thousands of people to open the door to a world of foods that can help improve an array of health problems including high blood pressure, diabetes, allergies, acne, hypertension, asthma, and irritable bowel syndrome.     Topics discussed: Donna’s health issues and her discovery of kefir Book inspiration-  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/products/nourishing-traditions Donna Books   Cultured Food for Life https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/products/cultured-food-for-life   Cultured Food for Health https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/products/cultured-food-for-health   Cultured Food in a Jar https://www.amazon.com.au/Cultured-Food-Jar-Donna-Schwenk/dp/1401951260/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1550624041&sr=8-3   Donna’s favourite fermented food Transformation of food through fermentation Dairy and Non Dairy Kefir The Effects of Stopping Kefir consumption Transient bacteria in Kefir Hunger reduction with Kefir Health benefits of Kefir Blood glucose modulation with Kefir Fermentation explosions in the Kitchen Second Fermentation The best bottles to use for second fermentation Milk kefir - aerobic vs anaerobic (lid on vs lid off) Milk kefir: are metal strainers ok? Kefirko Kefir Maker  https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/collections/organic-kefir-starter-cultures   Kefirko Cheese Maker https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/collections/cheese-making   Metal and Kombucha Kombucha and Detoxification Candida, Yeast and Mercury degradation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC182692/ Candida and antibiotics Best storage containers for Kombucha Probiotic yeast S.boulardii - Number one probiotic used in hospitals world wide https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/products/yeast-biotic-capsules Benefits of making fermented vegetable with a starter cultures (Caldwells or Cutting Edge) https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/products/caldwells-starter-culture-100-dairy-free Back slopping  Recipe for cultured vegetables without a starter culture https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/recipe/cultured-vegetables-without-a-culture/ Donna’s tips for boosting grain growth of milk kefir grains Fertiliser for kefir grains https://www.nourishmeorganics.com.au/products/milk-kefir-growth-booster-100g?variant=1219721071 Kefir Grains and Non Dairy Making sure the baby kefir grains get fed Is rinsing Milk Kefir Grains OK? How to store kefir grains when not in use? Is freezing kefir grains acceptable for storage? Fermented foods for mental health and joy Connecting to the microbiome Donna’s top tip for Gut Health     Brought to you