Probiotics: Food and Supplement Sources

Recently I wrote about the importance of probiotics on our health. Many things can cause our GI tract flora to decrease the amount of good bacteria. But there are two specific ways that you can increase your body’s good bacteria balance: eating fermented foods and supplementation.

Foods Containing Probiotics

Eating foods that have been fermented, can help to restore your body’s good bacteria balance. For centuries, fermented foods have been part of a healthy diet in many cultures. Examples of fermented foods are:

Kefir. Keifer is a cultured, creamy product that is similar to a drink-style yogurt. It contains beneficial yeast as well as friendly ‘probiotic’ bacteria.

Yogurt. Yogurt is a semisolid, slightly sour food created from fermented milk with live bacteria cultures.

Fermented Fruits and Vegetables. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, umeboshi, and kimchi are excellent sources of probiotics.

Kombucha. Kombucha is a drink that contains a culture of symbiotic beneficial bacteria and yeasts. It is  created by brewing tea and mixing it with sugar, allowing it to ferment into a sweet and sour drink.

Fermented Soybeans. Soybeans that have been fermented are also great sources of probiotics. Foods such as natto, tempeh, and miso are just a few examples of fermented soybeans.

If you do not normally eat any of these traditional fermented foods regularly, you should consider supplementing your diet with a high-quality probiotics supplement for a healthy GI tract flora. Probiotics are very safe and have very little if any side effects or drug interactions.

Quality Probiotics Supplements

Often we cannot or do not get enough probiotics from the foods we eat. In this case, we need to supplement you diet with a probiotic supplement. When choosing a probiotic supplement, it is important to look at four factors: strains, bacteria count, coating, and probiotic activity. In addition, be sure that you choose a supplement from a well-known, reputable probiotics company to ensure the highest quality probiotics. 

1. Strains. There are anywhere from 300 to 500 strains of bacteria in the GI tract. Ensure that the supplement that you choose contains one or more of the following health-promoting bacteria strains:

Bifidobacterium bifidum

Bifidobacterium breve

Bifidobacterium infantis

Bifidobacterium longum

Lactobacillus acidophilus

Lactobacillus bulgaricus

Lactobacillus casei

Lactobacillus paracasei

Lactobacillus plantarum

Lactobacillus rhamnosus

Lactobacillus salivarius

Streptococcus thermophilus

 Stay tuned tomorrow for my review of Hyperbiotics PRO-15 probiotics.