Dr. Ann Wigmores Rejuvelac A Fermented Living Food Drink

Before your health food store ever carried probiotics, prebiotics and every type of strain and enzyme under the sun, there was Rejuvelac.

Even in the 21 century, Rejuvelac is still a staple that most natural health institutes will always have on hand if they are steeped in the health and healing traditions of Dr. Ann Wigmore. In her all time, living food bestseller, The Blending Book, she tells us why she believes Rejuvelac is so important to drink, on a daily basis.

“Rejuvelac is a slightly fermented, probiotic-rich, wheat berry drink that is one of the most significant items in the living foods lifestyle. Rejuvelac plays a critical role in restoring health. Easily digested, Rejuvelac contains all the wholesome nourishment of wheat without the adverse side effects. It contains the friendly bacteria that are necessary for a healthy colon and to remove toxins. Filled with B-complex vitamins and vitamins C and E.”

In her book, “Hippocrates Live Food Program” Dr. Ann quotes food chemist Harvey Lisle, who did extensive research on Rejuvelac’s contents. “Rejuvelac is rich in proteins, carbohydrates, dextrins, phosphates, saccharins, lactobacilli. The Aspergillus, Oryza, and Amylases are enzymes within the rejuvelac which have the job of breaking down large molecules of glucose, starch, and glycogens.

Rejuvelac is one of my favorite drinks! It’s easy to make and is full of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and phytonutrients our bodies need to sustain our health and longevity.

Whenever I counsel a raw vegan who is failing to thrive, I always recommend they start to drink Rejuvelac. I also advise them to raise immediately, the amount of cultured, and fermented living foods, to at least thirty percent of the raw food they eat.

Forget about “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Do what Dr. Ann has taught us and drink 3 cups of this powerful enzyme-rich elixir and you will not need a doctor unless you’re injured. I believe that Rejuvelac is the true Fountain of Youth, restoring health to some and protecting the good health of others.

• Filled with life-giving digestive enzymes.
• Loaded with prebiotics and probiotics.
• Use it to start all of your fermentation processes, making nut and seed cheeses, protein nuggets, and all kinds of vegan Kiefer’s and yogurts.
• Because rejuvelac is a pre-digested food, all the proteins are broken down into amino acids making them easy to digest and assimilate.
• Because the nutrients are so quickly absorbed, Rejuvelac increases our energy instead of decreasing it.
• Drinking rejuvelac helps digestion and is a very efficient cure for stomach and colon problems.
• You can use rejuvelac, instead of water in almost any live food recipes.
• Rejuvelac cleanses your colon and fills it with friendly bacteria such as Lactobacillus Bifidus.
• We believe that “all disease starts in the colon”. So, it makes sense; the healthier our colons are, the less chance we will have of contracting a disease.

There are many kinds of rejuvelac and as many ways to make it. At our detox center, we like to use Dr. Ann Wigmore’s whole berry method.

Many of our friends like to put fruits in their rejuvelac, My favorite is lemons, I call the drink Rejuvelade. You can experiment with what fruits you would like to put in your rejuvelac. Many of our students and clients like to create their rejuvelac from different fruits with pineapple being a favorite.

• You will need a glass jar or a nut milk bag for sprouting your wheat berries.
• Another big glass container that has a lid, which you can loosely close, to keep the rejuvelac clean during the fermentation process.

• Soak one cup of wheat berries in a jar overnight, making sure you cover them with pure clean water.
• Next morning: pour the wheat berries into a colander, draining off the old water and rinsing the wheat berries.
• Place the wheat berries back into the jar, turn it on its side, raising the back of the jar by folding a dish towel and placing underneath. This way all the excess water is drained off eliminating the chance of mold, as the berries get fresh air.
• Rinse the wheat berries 2 times a day. The sprouting can take from 1-2 days, depending on the temperature. When a little ‘tail’ appears on the wheat berry, they are ready!

• Place the sprouted wheat berries in the fermenting jar. If you wish to quicken the fermentation time you can add a cup of water and “blend” the berries in a blender for a couple of seconds.
• Pour in one gallon of pure water.
• Place the lid loosely on the jar and put it away in a cool, dark place.
• Stir the fermenting Rejuvlac in the jar once or twice a day. DO NOT USE A METAL SPOON, use a wooden spoon, take a taste each time you stir.
• If it’s tart like lemon and smells like baking bread, it’s ready!
• If not, check it later in the day, or let it sit another day.
• Once it’s ready, pour the rejuvelac through a nut bag or sieve into smaller quart bottles and place in the refrigerator.
• You can add ginger, cinnamon, mint, lemon, lime or your favorite fruit before drinking, or you can drink it Dr.Ann’s way; pure and healthy.

Here at our detox center, and at most of the other live food based lifestyle centers, Quinoa is sometimes used for the sprouted grain base of the rejuvelac. It has an amazingly delicious taste and is full of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and the eight essential amino acids, ensuring that we get the most bio-available form of protein on the planet.

Forget about the store bought, over the counter probiotics. Rejuvelac is one of the best probiotic and nutrient carriers available to mankind. Loaded with the enzymes our bodies need, to help us digest and assimilate our food rejuvelac enhances every aspect of the digestive process. You’re going to want to drink this amazingly delicious fermented concoction every day as it delivers easy to assimilate nutrition to your body’s systems, when and where it’s most needed.

Whether you use wheat berries, quinoa, any other grain, seed, or fruit, rejuvelac is easy to prepare and inexpensive to make, so make sure rejuvelac is always a part of your daily bread.

Robert C Morgan Naturopath and Health Counselor.

Sue Ellen Meisheri RN, BSN and Health Counselor