Learn How to Ferment at Home
This small group fermenting workshop is designed to empower you to take your gut health and fermenting into your own hands and into your own kitchen.
This introductory gut health workshop is the perfect opportunity to get expert coaching on how you can better nourish yourself and your family.
Belle's workshop will cover all bases for you to begin your fermenting journey. You'll learn about the benefits of fermenting for gut health, how to ferment your own food and leave with the tools and samples needed to get started right away.
What You'll Learn
About Fermentation
Fermenting is a traditional practice that goes back hundreds of years and has been observed in many different forms and cultures around the world. Fermented foods are essential in helping to build a robust bacterial colony and improve gut health.
Gut health forms the foundation for all health, and including healthy and yummy fermented foods are an essential part of that.
In this fermenting workshop you will get hands on and create your first batches of fermented foods to take back to your family. You will be guided by Belle, a lifelong foodie with 26 years of practitioner experience in the best methods to easily bring this ancient tradition into your home.
You will leave feeling confident and empowered to continue fermenting and nourishing yourself and your family for years to come.
Write Your Own Title Here
Rose Keeping
We spent a wonderful afternoon in Belle's kitchen learning about all things 'Ferment'. The information was clearly presented in a well structured format including our own bags of fermenting gear to get us started. We each got our hands dirty making our own kraut and were finally treated to a delicious, gut-friendly lunch that came together in front of our very eyes.
Servicing Individuals & Corporate Groups
Belle's fermenting workshops are an opportunity to bring likeminded people together to learn about food and health.
Belle offers various dates for her workshops in an effort to suit people's busy lives. These workshops have a group limit of 10 people to ensure Belle is able to offer personalised assistance and expertise to everyone who attends.
This workshop is also available by request for groups and presents the perfect opportunity for learning and connection. Belle has experience running workshops like these for corporate groups, as part of a retreat or simply for larger family groups.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Why is gut health important?The gut is the barometer of our health. It is the intake system for our nutrition or fuel, and the expulsion of our waste and as such gives us a clear picture of the current health of an individual. A malfunction in this system means the body is not receiving the fuel it needs to function, repair or replenish.
-
What are common signs of poor gut health?Bloating, nausea, wind, loose stools, constipation, feeling full and heavy, vomiting, heartburn, aches and pains, brain fog, fatigue, lack of interest in life.
-
What specific health issues is gut health relevant to?Any digestive disease ending in “‘itis” - which simply means inflammation, any inflammatory condition throughout the body, skin conditions, depression, anxiety, malnutrition, hormonal disturbances.
-
What role do probiotics play in gut health?Anyone with a digestive system working below par will have an imbalance in their bacterial colony. Probiotics assist to increase the good bacteria going in which in turn will reduce the numbers of the opportunistic and pathogenic bacterias. It’s all about balance.
-
How can I improve my gut health?Remove all inflammatory foods such as sugar, sweeteners, anything with fillers, numbers or processing, anything containing industrial seed oils such as canola, vegetable oil etc. Eat foods naturally grown and cooked at home.
-
What services does My Gut Store offer?Belle has been an Herbalist for 23 years, a CGP (Certified GAPS Practitioner) for 8 years, and works individually with patients healing their gut and chronic health concerns, as well as current acute conditions. She offers assistance through herbal medicine, nutritional advice and assistance, cooking classes, fermenting workshops etc
-
I want help with my health. where do I start?It’s best to book a Free 15 minute Consultation so you and Belle can discuss your health concerns and together work out a plan to address them.
-
What are some signs that I need gut health support?Digestive symptoms such as bloating, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, abdominal pains, body aches and pains, fatigue, brain fog, headaches, skin problems, allergies, depression, anxiety, overwhelm, food intolerances.
-
What is My Gut StoreMy Gut Store is your one stop shop for any digestive symptoms, chronic inflammatory issues, hormonal problems, emotional disturbances or when you are feeling just so unwell and overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start. Working personally with Belle, who has 23 years clinic experience, feeling fully heard in your story and receiving a personalised solution which works within your current life picture is such a relief.
-
What is your cancellation policy?48 hours notice required to cancel or reschedule an appointment, 24-48 hours a 50% consultation fee will be charged. Less than 24 hours and the full consultation fee is charged.
-
How can herbal medicine support gut health?There is a range of herbs to support various digestive concerns, and also to assist with calming the nervous system, giving more energy, and supporting many other symptoms which may be the result of poor gut health.
-
Can I combine herbal medicine with other treatments?It’s always best to discuss this with your practitioner as there are so many treatments available which will complement your remedy and offer further support to your healing journey. But it’s important for all the practitioners working with you to be informed of all the other modalities to make sure there will be no overlap of supplements which may not work well together.
-
What is herbal medicine?Herbal Medicine is the art of prescribing concentrated nutrition from the plant kingdom for particular health conditions. It’s been used for over 4000 years to support health in many different cultures. Herbs are preserved in a mild alcohol solution and presented in a liquid form to be prescribed for various symptoms and circumstances.
-
Are herbal supplements safe to use?Most herbal remedies are safe to use in most situations. Herbs can react with medications however, or exacerbate certain conditions so it’s important to work with an experienced practitioner for your remedy.
-
Is Herbal Medicine safe for children?Yes. The dosage is of course adjusted and Belle usually boils out the alcohol for children and depending on the age of the child can add some honey to make the medicine go down more easily.
-
Are herbal tonics personalised to my health?Absolutely! When you work with an experienced practitioner who truly hears your story the blend made for you can be life changing. Belle also uses Bach Flowers in her herbal formulas to support emotions, circumstances and trauma etc. So your bottle of herbs is made specifically for your current whole health picture.
-
How long should I follow the GAPS diet?The more the more the more. The more you do the more you heal. The longer you follow the protocol the more you heal. This becomes a lifestyle choice of eating according to the wisdom of traditional cultures and feeding your body what it needs to be the healthiest it can be. But as you heal more, you will be able to test reintroducing foods according to listening to your body’s wisdom.
-
What are the main phases of the GAPS diet?I usually work to personalise the Full GAPS Diet as a starting poin, to help the transition and increase compliance for the commencement of the healing journey. Progression to the Introduction Diet and its stages includes minimising most reactive foods and mainly eating the most healing foods for the gut lining, and may be necessary to move into depending on the individual.
-
What is the GAPS diet?GAPS is the acronym for Gut and Psychology Syndrome, or Gut at Physiology Syndrome. The diet is a protocol for utilising foods and supplements to heal and seal the gut lining, to recolonise the bacterial colony, and to provide the building blocks for the body to heal itself from many acute and chronic disorders including depression, anxiety and overwhelm.
-
What foods are suitable for the GAPS diet?Most naturally grown foods from fruits, vegetables, meats and fish are included in the GAPS Diet, lots of saturated fats from animal sources, nuts and seeds, fermented dairy and vegetables. Grains are however avoided as they break down to sugar and feed the pathogenic bacterias whose numbers we are trying to reduce.
-
Will the GAPS diet help with auto-immunity?Absolutely. Autoimmunity begins with a leaky gut, so following the protocol to heal and seal the gut lining, reduce inflammation and improve your bacterial colony can halt auto-immune conditions. Depending on how far along they are however will depend whether or not the damage already done can be healed.
-
What's included in the workshop?1. Information and discussion about gut health and how to implement nourishing alternatives into your daily diet. 2. You'll leave with a goodie bag including: - Your own Sauerkraut that you've made during the day - Samples of fermented sour cream - Samples of fermented drinks - Recipe booklet - All the tools you'll need to get fermented in your own kitchen 3. Lunch and a shared morning tea providing you with the opportunity to sample the fermented goodies 4. Learn to make sauerkraut 5. Learn to make sour cream 6. Observation and learning of how to make fermented drinks
-
What is the group size?The group are limited to a 12 people to enable Belle to spend personalised time and attention with each participant ensuring they get the most out of their experience.
-
How long does the workshop go for?Belle's workshops start at 10am and finish at around 3pm. These workshops will also include a shared morning tea and lunch of gut nourishing foods, providing you with the perfect opportunity to taste some of the delicious goodies you are learning to ferment.
-
How often are the workshops run?Workshops are run on an at least quarterly basis. Exact dates will be provided on the booking page and updated as new dates are added.
-
Who is this workshop for?This workshop is for anyone who is interesting in learning more about food and their health. It is beginner friendly and people who are curious about gut health are encouraged to book for a sample of how they can begin to bring these practices into their kitchen. This workshop is also for existing patients of Belle's who would like some additional hands on information on how they can implement gut healthy practices into their day to day lives. Friends and family are encouraged to join!
"The healer you have been looking for is your own courage to know and love yourself completely"