Your Kitchen Counter is a Science Lab (And It'll Save You a Fortune)

Well, hello there! Last time we chatted, we agreed to stop treating our bodies like rental cars we picked up in our twenties. The plan was simple: eat less, eat real food, move a bit more.

I can hear the collective groan from here. It’s a beautiful idea, isn’t it? A fantasy of leisurely strolling through a farmer’s market, basket in hand, before returning to a sun-drenched kitchen to lovingly prepare a wholesome meal from scratch.

Then reality hits. It’s 6:30 PM, you’ve just survived another day of meetings that could have been emails, your brain is fried, and the siren song of the Uber Eats app is calling your name. The idea of chopping, sautéing, and then—God forbid—washing dishes feels like a cruel joke.

I get it. When you’re in the thick of the daily grind, convenience is king. The freezer aisle is your friend. But here’s the thing: preparing for a healthier future doesn’t mean you have to become a gourmet chef overnight. It just means you need to start thinking like a bit of a mad scientist.

The Supermarket Is Selling You Your Own Stuff at a Ridiculous Markup

Your future retired self will have one resource you currently lack: time. You’ll have time to bake bread, simmer soups, and tend a garden if you want. But you can start laying the groundwork now by mastering a few simple, almost laughably easy kitchen tricks that will save you a fortune in the future and wean you off the ultra-processed stuff.

Today I’m talking about the ancient magic of fermentation, but in the future, I will show you some other hacks, which produce cheap and healthy goodies.

Now, don't let the word scare you. "Fermentation" sounds complicated, like something that requires a lab coat and safety goggles. It’s not. It's what our grandparents just called "making food." It's letting good bacteria or yeast do all the work for you while you sleep or go to work.

And the best part? The things you pay a premium for in boutique health food stores can be made on your kitchen counter for pennies. If you can manage it, you can even calculate how much money you save preparing this stuff during few weekend minutes and pay it into your retirement fund now. Remember, every dollar today is probably worth four dollars in the future.

Let’s start with the easy stuff.

Yoghurt & Kefir

You know that fancy Greek yoghurt or kefir that costs an arm and a leg in the supermarket? The internet is more or less correctly telling you that all your illnesses come from your gut flora (hopefully you have no fauna there), and to fix it, you need plenty of probiotics. Your supermarket is eager to sell you a huge variety of little bottles of probiotic elixirs, which, per volume, work out more expensive than cognac. You can make a week’s worth of this for the price of a carton of milk. Seriously. You get some starter culture (a spoonful of existing yoghurt or some kefir grains), add it to milk, leave it on your counter, and—poof—you’ve made magic. It's healthier, cheaper, and you'll feel like a genius.

Sauerkraut

I see you buying those hipster jars of fermented cabbage. I’m not mad, I don’t buy them; I’m impressed by their marketing. But let me tell you, making your own is ridiculously easy. It’s cabbage, salt, and time. That’s it. You chop it, salt it, squish it into a jar, and let it bubble away. You get a probiotic powerhouse for the price of a cabbage, and the taste is so much better as all the stuff sold in jars, as in order to meet public health standards, it is pasteurised (meaning almost cooked) and tastes like sh….. I mean, different from the stuff you can make at home.

This isn't about adding more chores to your already packed schedule. This is about planting a seed. It’s a small act of rebellion against the convenience-industrial complex.

Start with one thing. Pick one weekend to turn a carton of milk into yoghurt or a head of cabbage into sauerkraut. You’ll be shocked at how simple it is. And when you’re enjoying your homemade creation, you’ll have started a new skill—one that will fill your days with joy, health, and a little extra cash in your pocket when you finally have all the time in the world.

If you’re curious about how to get started, I am putting together some dead-simple instructions. You can find them on my YouTube channel, right over here.

Now go on, unleash your inner mad scientist. Your gut and your wallet will be impressed.