Sauerkraut can give you diarrhea if you eat too much of the sauerkraut or if your digestive system does not agree with the sauerkraut probiotics.
Some people who eat too much sauerkraut and intake too much probiotics can experience diarrhea as a result of too much sauerkraut consumption.
If you're getting diarrhea from eating sauerkraut then you likely are eating too much sauerkraut and should slow down on the amount of sauerkraut you're eating.
Or your digestive system may not agree with or be able to digest the sauerkraut or probiotics properly.
Rinsing sauerkraut does reduce probiotics.
When you rinse off sauerkraut you do wash off some of the probiotics but not all of the probiotics.
There's still most of the good probiotics in the sauerkraut even when you rinse it but most of the probiotics remain in the sauerkraut even after you rinse it.
Sauerkraut can and does go bad eventually.
Sauerkraut has a shelf life of around 4 to 6 months when you refrigerate the opened sauerkraut or homemade sauerkraut.
If the sauerkraut is store bought then the sauerkraut as long as it has remained sealed and has never been opened should last a year and sometimes longer.
But it's best to eat the sauerkraut within 6 months of buying it.
If you open the sauerkraut you need to refrigerate any leftover open sauerkraut to prevent spoilage as bad bacteria can grow in the sauerkraut that can make you ill.
Fermented Sauerkraut will last for 2 to 6 months depending on how you store it.
The best way to keep sauerkraut from spoiling is to refrigerate any leftover sauerkraut or any sauerkraut you have and the refrigerated sauerkraut should last up to 6 months.
If you leave sauerkraut out at room temperature it can spoil pretty quickly and may only last a month or even less.
Once you open a can or jar of sauerkraut the sauerkraut does need to be kept refrigerated to prevent spoilage.
If you do not refrigerate your opened sauerkraut or homemade sauerkraut the sauerkraut can grow bad bacteria on and in it which can make you sick.
So make sure to refrigerate the sauerkraut when not using or serving or eat it.
When kept in the refrigerator the sauerkraut should last up to 6 months as long as it's kept refrigerated.
You can also freeze the sauerkraut but it kills off some of the good bacteria.
It's OK to freeze sauerkraut.
But when you freeze sauerkraut you kill off some of the good bacteria known as probiotics so you won't get all the health benefits from frozen sauerkraut as you would get with fresh sauerkraut.
But sauerkraut does freeze well and is still safe to eat after the sauerkraut has been frozen.
Frozen sauerkraut will last for up to a year and longer as long as it's kept frozen but it won't be as fresh and it's best to consume the sauerkraut within 6 months of freezing it.
The longer you leave the sauerkraut in the freezer the less fresh the sauerkraut becomes.
I prefer to just keep my sauerkraut in the refrigerator and eat it within a few months.
The fresher the sauerkraut the better tasting and more nutritious and healthy it is.