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- Kimchi (fermented Korean vegetables)
- Miso- soup, paste etc.
- Kefir (fermented milk drink)
- Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage)
- Kombucha (fermented tea)
- Yogurt (especially thicker varieties, like Greek or Icelandic)
- Fortified foods or supplements
What Are Probiotics… and Does Your Gut Need More of Them?
Enjoyed what you learned in my last article about the microbiome? Here’s a follow-up article explaining how you can promote the health of your friendly gut bacteria with probiotics!
Next time you walk into a health food store or pharmacy, notice the vast array of probiotic products exploding from the shelves. Today, these health-supportive bacterial concoctions are getting a lot of attention. But what’s all the hype about? Interestingly enough, probiotics are not a novel phenomenon. They have actually been used as digestive aids for thousands of years! For instance, Roman Pliny the Elder utilized fermented milk to help treat and heal a gastrointestinal infection. Even though these products have historical roots, they are still quite a mystery to many who see them lined up on grocery shelves. So, we’d like to demystify and answer the question, “What are probiotics?!”
The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization both define probiotics as “live microorganisms that confer a health benefit on the host when administered in adequate amounts.” Practically speaking, they are “friendly” bacteria that we can ingest via a range of fermented foods. The following familiar foods are good sources of probiotics:
