Define "benefits" to you. It is the probiotics you are after? Or the fiber? There are numerous salt free sources of both including OTC products. But no, you can't make any fermented products without using salt.

Dave

Of course, after making the kraut you can rinse it well to remove excess salt, just before eating.

I didn't think of that!

Sometimes I go beyond rinsing sauerkraut. I will soak it for a while to lessen both the salt and the sour, then rinse. Especially if I want to eat it more like a vegetable than a condiment, I'm likely to soak and rinse. Results in a milder product. I have no doubt that I still consume trillions of the fermentation bacteria, if that is what you are thinking of.

Couldn't think of the name of this book when I posted, but this links to a book with some recipes for fermenting without salt. The single recipe I tried called for rinsing the first days of fermenting. I admit that I was afraid to try the results even though I could smell that the vegetable had acidified (It was swiss chard stems, as in one of the recipes.) http://www.chelseagreen.com/food-drink/preserving-food-without-freezing-or-canning

I think most would consider salt-less fermentation to be risky, right?

In fermented foods, it is salt that triggers the growth of the necessary desirable bacteria. It also plays a role in inhibiting the development of pathogenic bacteria. So yes, most would consider salt-less fermentation to be risky.

NCHFP offers guidelines for LO-salt fermentation where the food is first acidified with vinegar but salt is still needed.

But no one isn't forced to choose between a source of probiotics and fiber or salt. As I said above, salt-free sources are readily available for both probiotics and fiber. It isn't as if fermented foods is the only, or even the best, source for them.

Dave

"They don't add salt to ferment grapes for wine. Or how about beer."

That's a different type of fermentation than what is being talked about here. In the case of wine and beer and such yeast is added to convert sugars into alcohol. For pickles, kraut, kimchee, beet kvass, and the like you are relying on bacteria to convert the sugars into lactic acid and for these to ferment properly you need a certain amount of salt initially to prevent things from going awry.

Rodney