@smithlabs - yup, I know all of this, but some people can't eat fermented foods if you can't tolerate histamines & I have a feeling that I can't.

I love kombucha, but my scoby went moldy & I just got a new one from someone.

I made my first batch & either I left it too long (it's very hot here), all I know is it was all vinegar after almost a week, so I had to throw it out.

Kefir I used to make, but found it very stressful to make because I'm only one person, & I figured out I'd have to buy milk every week just to feed them & it's expensive here to get goat milk. It basically meant I had to buy 2 bottles every week.

I also got different answers to ALL of my questions in the FB groups, so after my grains dried up & stopped fermenting the milk, I gave up. It was way too confusing to figure out who was right & who was wrong - sigh.

I just couldn't figure out how to make it work given that I didn't drink it every day, I don't think my body can handle it every day, & all the issues with the milk & too many grains.

And I can't get new grains to try again, I'll have to wait until I get back home to try again.

I tried to make cabbage, carrots & radishes for my FIRST time fermenting veggies, & whatever I did (I think it was a salt issue), I can't eat it.

It hurts my teeth.

I'd been trying to get someone to help me in the various FB groups, but I find that in those groups, I get soooo many conflicting answers, that I don't trust anyone.

The woman who helped me the day I did the batch gave me the wrong amount for the salt. Then she redid the math (math isn't my forte, but my brain can be very logical when it's working, so I brought up how I didn't think her math was right) & I put more salt, then brine on top of it b/c I got NO liquid after putting the salt. Not even after adding the second round of salt.

The 2 jars are still sitting in my fridge.

I was told if I put it in the fridge it would soften the cabbage up b/c it was also too hard for my teeth, but nothing has helped.

I should just throw it out. : (

I have had digestive issues for years.

I have mold poisoning & maybe Lyme & also mercury poisoning.

One thing I have noticed recently is that juicing helps me a lot.

I (like you) didn't have the energy to prep veggies for juicing, but I recently found a good juicer (the juicer matters) for a good price & it took me a while to start, but I juice once a week now & I make too much, so I can get 2-3 days out of it.

I wish I could do it daily, but even just storing the veggies in the fridge is a PIA since it takes up too much room & if I don't get to putting them in water & using them within a few days, they aren't as good after that.

I could never be a vegan. I'm a foodie LOL, so it would be near impossible.

I do love vegetarian food & used to be a p/t vegetarian, but ever since I finally had to accept that tofu is bad for us (unless it's fermented, non GMO & of course organic), I've had to omit that from my diet. And I LOVE a good quality tofu. There's only 2 brands I used to love.

My body can't handle beans & legumes even though I like them too.

Fixing one's digestive issues isn't a magic bullet, especially when you have other health issues.

I'm still learning (I've been studying health since around '97) & at this point I think it's also a cellular issue which almost NO ONE talks about.