The Probiotic Powerhouse

At 41, with a preemie baby in the NICU, Donna Schwenk realized that something had to change. She was sick and tired, suffering with diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, and a host of other ailments. So her journey began, and she found kefir, kombucha, and cultured vegetables—a combination that healed her gut and changed her life. In this first lesson, Donna opens your eyes to the healing power of your 100 trillion unseen helpers—the bacteria inside you. With inspiring stories, cutting-edge research, and specific instructions on how to bring these foods into your daily routine, Donna helps you see just how easy it can be to change your life.

In this second lesson, Donna gets into the hands-on process of making kefir, a creamy drink of fermented milk that has been called the champagne of yogurts because of its bubbly nature. She demonstrates two simple ways to make kefir—one using a culture packet and the other using kefir grains—that work with both regular and nondairy milks. With troubleshooting tips and step-by-step demonstrations of some of her favorite kefir recipes—including kefir onion dip, chocolate coconut kefir, and a kefir smoothie bowl—she gets you on your way to consuming kefir every day.

If you’re trying to stop drinking soda but can’t quite give up the bubbles, you should try kombucha! This lesson looks at the second piece of the probiotic powerhouse: a bubbly, refreshing cultured tea. Made by fermenting tea and sugar with a SCOBY—a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast—this drink contains not only good bacteria but also a strain of gut-balancing yeast that is resistant to antibiotics. Join Donna for step-by-step directions and demonstrations of making basic kombucha and then using it to create other drinks—and even some commonly used condiments. She also answers frequently asked questions about brewing this tea and provides a narrated time-lapse video so you know that you’re doing things right.

Of all the cultured foods, cultured vegetables are perhaps the most beautiful. They bring together all the colors of the rainbow—since you can ferment any fruit or vegetable—and they sit on your counter becoming healthier each day. Making them is as simple as submerging vegetables in water, but you can enhance their health benefits even more by using a starter culture. In this lesson, Donna shows you just how to do that, providing the general process and then walking you through four of her favorite recipes, including fermented grapes and orange-infused sauerkraut. She rounds out her lesson by countering common misperceptions about culturing and answering frequently asked questions so you’ll have a complete view of what you need to know to get some veggies fermenting.

In this final lesson, Donna takes this health quest to the next level. First, she looks at prebiotics—the foods that feed the good bacteria you’ve been consuming. With real-life healing stories, she helps you understand just how powerful these are and outlines the best prebiotic sources. Then she moves on to a discussion of how you can use the Trilogy in non-food ways: kefir face masks and nasal washes, SCOBY dog treats, SCOBY drum repairs—you name it, someone’s tried it. And finally, she closes out the program with practical information about how to incorporate kefir, kombucha, and cultured vegetables into your life with an example of a day in her life. Plus she lays out sneaky tips and tricks to bring hesitant, picky eaters along for the probiotic ride.

PDF: The Probiotic Powerhouse Recipe Book

With more than 35 recipes—covering all the demonstrations in this course plus some—this recipe book will give you everything you need to move your kefir, kombucha, and cultured-vegetable making from the computer to the kitchen.

PDF: Candida and Cultured Foods

Many healthcare practitioners don't recommend the consumption of fermented foods if you have a problem with candida. This article discusses the misperceptions about this because of the difference between fermenting as taught in this course and fermenting with vinegar. It also provides a step-by-step example of what Donna has done to address candida in her own life.

Video: Making Water Kefir and Kefir Soda

Water kefir and kefir soda are great ways to get rid of your addiction to soda. Kefir soda is made with the whey from your dairy kefir, and water kefir is a nondairy kefir made with fruit or vegetable juice, or even just water and sugar. Both of these fermented drinks are a simple way to add probiotics to your diet. Join Donna in this video as she teaches you how to make these delightful, bubbly beverages.

Video: Can Sourdough Change the Gluten-Free Diet?

Are you one of the many people who avoid bread because of a sensitivity to gluten? If you are, and you miss bread, this eye-opening video could change your eating life. In it, Donna explains why the bread sold at most stores today hurts you—and how sourdough bread can help heal your gut. Donna has seen gluten intolerances vanish for her daughter and other people in her online community when they have temporarily given up traditional gluten, replacing the bread with sourdough, and eaten kefir, kombucha, and cultured vegetables. Once their microbiome is back in balance, they are able to handle eating some gluten again. Join Donna to learn more about this wonderful cultured bread.

Audio: Three Foods That Can Change Your Life

In this enlightening interview, best-selling author Donna Schwenk shares what led her to look at food as a way to reclaim her health. She attributes her new lease on life to three powerhouse cultured foods: kefir, kombucha, and cultured vegetables. Donna goes on to explain the amazing health benefits of these foods and why they have become so popular in recent years.

These in-course webinars allow you the unique opportunity to interact personally with Donna Schwenk and to ask questions, gain personalized insight about your situation and learn from others in the community. These LIVE webinars are only being offered within the course and are a rare chance to speak with Donna Schwenk to help get you an in-depth understanding on the exercises, tools and techniques in this course.