Probiotic seems to be quite a buzz word these days.  The world of probiotic foods goes far beyond yogurt.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can have probiotic drinks, vegetables, dips, condiments, sourdough bread and so much more.  But, how does it work?  What are probiotic foods and why are they so important anyways?  These are some questions I’m going to answer in this article so keep on reading.

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are essential to basic human health.  Probiotics are live microorganisms (bacteria and yeast) that are naturally found in the digestive system.  The word probiotic comes from the words “pro and biota,” meaning “for life.” Our digestive system or “gut” is lined with an estimated 100 trillion microorganisms representing more than 500 different species weighing  between 3 and 41/2 pounds in every normal, healthy bowel.

These microorganisms keep the intestines healthy and help with digestion, bowel function and nutrient absorption. They also help strengthen our immune system as around 80% of our immune system is housed in our digestive track! Probiotics are available in supplement form which seems to be so popular these days but can also be found in fermented foods in much more potent quantities.

Fermented Foods

Probiotic organisms are consumed as we eat fermented foods (often called lacto-fermented) with active live cultures which are in yogurt, kefir, kombucha and fermented veggies like sauerkraut. The picture above shows from left to right water kefir, milk kefir, and fermented cabbage (sauerkraut). There are many different strains of probiotic organisms, but the most common available today are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Pasteurized foods do not contain any probiotic organisms because they are killed with heat.

Fermenting foods increases the amounts of Vitamin C and B exponentially.  Fermented dairy such as kefir is a great probiotic food that is high in lactase, which is the enzyme that is required to digest the milk sugar lactose.  Often those who have difficulty digesting milk will be okay with kefir. The fermenting organisms also  help to make the calcium more easily absorbed.

Fermented foods are high in enzymes, which are proteins, that help with digestion.  Our bodies produce a finite amount of enzymes so it’s important to consume foods with these beneficial enzymes. Cooked foods don’t contain any enzymes, raw foods contain some but fermented foods contain the highest amounts, so I always try to eat some fermented foods, like sauerkraut (not store bought and pasteurized) when I’m eating meat or really anything cooked just to help my body digest everything better.

Benefits Of Probiotic Foods

Probiotic or Fermented foods are SO important to incorporate into our daily diets for many many reasons.  As I mentioned above probiotics help with the digestion and assimilation of nutrients in our food.  They can help with many digestive issues such as Irritable Bowl Syndrome or IBS,  Urinary Tract Infections, and allergies. They also help to maintain a healthy immune system, and have been proven to lower blood pressure and help with tooth decay.  Eating probiotic foods greatly reduces the likelihood of diarrhea when taking antibiotics and also repopulates the digestive tract with good bacteria after a portion of it has been killed by antibiotics. Probiotic foods help those with Eczema, and reduce frequency and duration of upper respiratory infections. A study was done where nursing mothers of colicky babies took probiotics and their babies cried 194 minutes less per day than the group that did not consume probiotics, woah!

How do I increase my intake of probiotic foods?

Like with any journey towards a healthier life it’s a process.  It can get so overwhelming when you start reading about health and natural lifestyles so remember, baby steps.  I’m a few years into it and it will continue to be a lifelong process of learning, which is the fun part, so enjoy it!

Incorporating Probiotic Foods For Beginners

There are a few ways you can increase your intake of probiotics.  The easiest way would be to consume plain yogurt.  You don’t need to start making your own just purchase some plain yogurt at the store. Just make sure it says live active cultures on the container. You can add it to smoothies, or sweeten it with honey, maple syrup or jam and top it with some homemade granola. I buy plain yogurt because then you can control how much, if any sweetener you add to it.  Another thing you can do is buy probiotic supplements from your local health food store or go online and check out these and these.  There are probiotic supplements for kids as well.

There are also many types of fermented drinks and products at grocery stores these days.  You can purchase kefir (Lifeway Brand), kombucha, or fermented pickles and sauerkraut (Bubbie’s Brand) if you’re not quite ready to dive in to making your own.

One major benefit of making your own is the cost savings.  I will talk more about this in the near future.

Incorporating Probiotic Foods For Intermediates:

You can check out this article at Cultures For Health that talks about the 3 easiest cultured foods to make on your own.  I make kefir at home with starter cultures (grains) and milk.  Once you have the grains all you need is whole milk (raw is best) and you can keep making batches of milk kefir daily and use the same “grains” over and over. A great way to get kids to consume kefir is by making these homemade probiotic pops.

Another very easy thing to do is make your own fermented veggies.  All you need to do is cut up some veggies, add them to a quart wide mouth mason jar, sprinkle 1 T. real salt over them and cover with water.  Place a plastic lid on tightly and let them sit for 4-7 days, each day pushing the veggies back down into the water to make sure the vegetables stay submerged.

As time goes on you can learn more about different ways of fermenting and adding these beneficial foods to your diet.  I would start by reading The Idiots Guide To Fermenting Foods by Wardeh Harmon or  Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz or Cultured Food For Life by Donna Schwenk.  Educate yourself by reading a bit online and checking out these books and then choose which food you think you would most enjoy or would be the easiest for you to make at home and test it out.  I’ve tried some things and determined it wasn’t for me, you might come back to them in a few months and realize you are now ready.

Personally, my favorite fermented food is milk kefir.  I make it and drink it daily in a fruit smoothie and I love it.  It tastes a bit like buttermilk, it’s thicker than regular milk, and can also be described as drinkable yogurt.  It’s tangy and fresh and tastes great with a banana or a couple dates and fruit blended in.  Drinking kefir daily helps me feel more energized, full, satisfied, happier, and really helps keep me from getting sick!

The world of probiotic rich fermented foods is vast. Hopefully this post shed a little light on these foods and why it’s so important to incorporate probiotic rich foods into your diet.  Please let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer them.  I’d love to hear if you make any fermented foods at home and how you incorporate probiotics into your diet.  Please comment below and check out the recommended reading for more information and recipes.

Recommended Reading:

http://www.culturedfoodlife.com/

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/

http://gnowfglins.com/

Sources:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0905c.shtml

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/what-are-probiotics

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264721.php

http://www.naturalnews.com/031293_probiotics_children.html

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/fact-sheet-probiotics

http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/surprising-benefits-probiotics#3

This post was shared on the following natural living/real food blogs, go check them out for more great reading: The Prairie Homestead, Natural Living Mama, Homegrown & Healthy, Time Warp Wife, Growing Home Blog, Real Food Forager, Richly Rooted, Whole New Mom, Kelly The Kitchen Kop, Raising Homemakers, Food Renegade, My Healthy Green Family, Small Footprint Family, Frugally Sustainable