Top probiotic beverages boosting belly health
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The term “probiotic” has been a buzz word for a while reminding us of the busy ecosystem of bacteria occupying space in our gut. All those approximately 100 trillion little critters need tender loving care and one way to accomplish this is with a probiotic beverage.
Before we talk about probiotic beverages, understand having a happy, healthy gut begins with having a balance of “good” bacteria. All those trillions of bacteria collectively are called the microbiome and a healthy microbiome aids in numerous benefit for us. Some benefits include aiding with digestion, producing vitamins, inhibiting growth of pathogens, converting harmful compounds into less toxic substances, possibly lowering stress in the body and may improve post-meal satiety and hunger suppression. Our microbiome is quite busy!
To keep our microbiome operating smoothly, consuming probiotics can be one way to boost its robustness and your health.
What are probiotics and why are they good for us?
Probiotics are a live culture containing the “good” bacteria, just like the kind found in your gut. Certain foods naturally contain these probiotics such as yogurt, kefir, pickles, and sauerkraut. Consuming foods containing natural probiotics help to change or repopulate intestinal bacteria to balance gut flora. This in turn has a powerful influence on the immune system and our overall health. Certain digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea have shown improvement when a person increases their intake of probiotics from a variety of sources. Even eczema and allergies have been helped when we are consuming sufficient sources of probiotics.
Probiotic beverages are another alternative
Many people turn to yogurt or kefir for their source of probiotics. But not everyone likes the taste of these dairy products or is interested in foods made from cow’s milk.
This is where dairy-free probiotic beverages are making a splash in providing another option in obtaining healthy probiotics. These beverages contain two different water-based probiotic strains, Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and Bacillus Coagulans GBI-30 6086. These two strains have been thoroughly researched and studied with the backing of scientific evidence supporting their health benefits in intestinal health, immune function, blood cholesterol , and diarrheal disease.
There is some sugar added to the dairy-free probiotic beverages mainly to improve the taste. Below is a listing of these beverages to look for at the supermarket you shop at. Try them out selecting the one you like best. Your body will thank you from the bottom of its gut.
1. Kevita Sparkling Probiotic Drink
Serving size is 8 ounces containing 5 calories. Sweetened with stevia leaf extract.
2. Suja Pressed Probiotic Water
Serving size is 14.5 ounces containing 10 or less calories. Sweetened with organic juices.
3. Obi Probiotic Soda
Serving size is 12 ounces containing 10-20 calories. Sweetened with organic fruit juices, agave, stevia.
4. GoodBelly Probiotic Coconut Water
Serving size is 8 ounces containing 70 calories. Sweetened with organic grape juice from concentrate, organic Reb A stevia.
5. Karma Probiotic Wellness Water
Serving size is 18 ounces containing 20 calories. Sweetened with cane sugar.
6. Fizz Sparkling Probiotic Lemonade (The Rejuvenation Company)
Serving size is 8 ounces containing 70 calories or less. Sweetened with evaporated cane juice.