Raw, fermented foods are brimming with health-promoting probiotics, and have been staples of the human diet for thousands of years. One such ancient food is sauerkraut, produced simply by breaking and covering cabbage leaves, and letting this sit for several days or weeks. Naturally occurring bacteria on the surface of the cabbage leaves thrive in this environment, chemically changing the cabbage and increasing its B vitamin content.

Ancient sailors took advantage of this superfood, and brought casks of sauerkraut along with them on long voyages to stave off scurvy, the debilitating disease of vitamin C deficiency. Shipboard records show that scurvy was nearly absent on ships that carried sauerkraut.

More raw food ideas? See Ann Wigmore’s RECIPES FOR LONGER LIFE.