You Need Probiotics in Your Diet – The Health Benefits Are Amazing!
Bacteria. Just the word seems to indicate problems and infections. We try to get rid of bacteria in our homes for example – but did you know that NOT all bacteria are bad for you?
In fact, your body relies on millions of healthy, helpful bacteria to keep you safe and healthy every day.
And by giving your body beneficial probiotics, you can improve the population of helpful bacteria inside your body that are necessary for your continued health.
Eating foods that are rich in probiotics can not only prevent illness but also treat some disorders and imbalances. And there are 2 other ways to ensure probiotics thrive – and when probiotics thrive in your body, you feel better and stay healthier, so read on!
Why You Need Probiotics
You have bacteria, yeast, and other microbes all over your body, both inside and out. Luckily, many of those organisms are helpful bacteria that perform vital functions for your cells, tissues, organs, and bodily systems.
Probiotics and the beneficial bacteria they support can help:
- Boost your immune system, allowing you to heal faster from sickness and injury.
- Prevent infection by stopping hostile bacteria from taking over.
- Improve your digestion, which allows you to better absorb nutrients from the foods you eat.
The majority of helpful bacteria in your body live in your gut. When you keep your digestive micro-flora healthy, you not only help your digestion, but you also ensure that your immune system is working properly, so you stay healthy.
Probiotics and Antibiotics
Sometimes, the balance of good versus bad bacteria in your gut is disrupted – for example, when you are sick, and/or if you take antibiotics.
But when you take antibiotics to treat an infection, two things happen
- You eliminate the bad bacteria that are making you sick (good)
- You also eliminate the healthy, beneficial bacteria that keep you well (not good).
When you take probiotics during and after using antibiotics, you are helping to restore the natural gut micro-flora that your body needs quickly.
Healthy gut bacteria can also help increase the effectiveness of antibiotics, which can help you feel better faster – and require fewer and smaller doses of antibiotics in the future. That’s great!
Probiotic-Rich Foods
Foods that are cultured or fermented are good sources of probiotics, because bacteria are what create their flavor and texture. Examples of foods that are high in probiotics include
- cultured yogurt,
- miso,
- tempeh,
- kefir,
- buttermilk,
- sauerkraut,
- kombucha,
- kimchi, and
- nattō.
These foods and beverages contain one or more of the following strains of probiotics:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Lactobacillus casei
- Bifidobacterium bifidum
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus
- Lactobacillus gasseri
- Saccharomyces boulardii
- Lactobacillus plantarum
- Bifidobacterium lactis
- Enterococcus faecium
- Bifidobacterium longum
Any food that claims to have probiotics should contain at least one of the strains listed here. This is also true for probiotic supplements, so always read the label if you are in doubt.
They’re NOT All Equal!
Be aware however, that some foods have bacteria which grow naturally, and some include bacteria that are added in during the preparation process. Probiotics added to processed foods (e.g. cereals) are not likely to be beneficial. They are separated from their original source, and high temperatures (e.g. during processing) often kill them. Foods like this are simply trying to make you think they are healthier than they really are.
What About Supermarket Yogurt?
Sadly, much of the yogurt sold in supermarkets does not have live probiotics. However, some do.
Look for the “live cultures” label, that’s the simplest thing to do.
Or, before you go shopping, search Google for “yogurt with live cultures in YOUR AREA” (replace the YOUR AREA with your city, town, state or country, and don’t type the quotes).
And I would always recommend choosing full fat yogurt rather than low-fat or fat-free. Reduced-fat products are more heavily processed and often contain chemical additives – more details here.
Other Ways To Help Probiotics Thrive
As well as eating probiotic-rich foods, you can also help the healthy bacteria in your body to thrive in 2 other ways:
- Alter the pH of your digestive system by eating some sour foods. Fermented vegetables and vinegars contain small amounts of probiotic, and their acid content allows probiotics to flourish.
- A high-fiber diet makes sure that your good bacteria have plenty of fuel or food. The fermentable fiber in fresh vegetables, fruits, flax and chia seeds are perfect for giving probiotics the food they need to maintain your healthy bacteria levels.
What about probiotic supplements?
There is a wide range of probiotic supplements available for you to purchase (click here to view), and it’s great to have that choice.
However, it’s ALWAYS better to get your probiotics the natural way, through healthy food choices.
It’s probably NOT a good idea to continually take probiotic supplements.
Summary – Why You Should Eat Probiotic-Rich Foods
Adding probiotics to your diet is a great way to improve your health. These foods contain beneficial bacteria that your body needs to fend off unwanted visitors.
It’s better to get probiotics via food that is naturally probiotic-rich. Supplements, and processed food are not as effective.
It’s easy to do, so give your body a boost today – include probiotics in your next snack or meal and get all the benefits they’ll give you!
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Do you take probiotics? Let me know in the comments below.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated.
Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download your FREE weightloss smoothie recipes here!
Related:
- Is your body too acidic? Here’s what to do about it
- Home remedies for acid reflux
- Why You DON’T want anti-bacterial cleaners
