Get good gut health with these probiotic foods

Time for a gut check: Are you missing out on the healing benefits of probiotics? If so, it’s time to join the culture club and learn about some of the best foods providing a probiotic option.

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 foods, 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 that can 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.

Best probiotic foods to choose from

Fortunately, there are many foods rich in probiotics giving us an advantage in growing good gut bacteria and health. Here is a sampling of ones to make a part of your daily diet:

· Kefir

The best way to describe the beverage kefir is to think of it as yogurt’s tangier but more powerful cousin. Kefir is made by seeding milk with kefir “grains” which are tiny bundles of yeast and bacteria. Over time, the grains ferment the milk producing a tart drink full of probiotics or healthy bacteria. A 2013 study found kefir to be helpful in relieving gastrointestinal problems and allergies. Be careful not to choose kefir drinks with high amounts of sugar added. Choose ones with no more than 12 grams of sugar.

· Green bananas

Maybe you go out of your way to avoid green bananas but that green, unripened hue signals a rich source of prebiotics, particularly resistant starch. They also have a healthy dose of both soluble and insoluble fiber, vitamins, and minerals. With a combo like that, no wonder green bananas provide a feast for good gut bacteria.

· Kimchi

If you’re not familiar with kimchi, it’s time to get acquainted. Kimchi is a Korean dish made from fermenting vegetables with probiotic lactic acid bacteria, giving it the same boost of health bacteria found in other fermented foods like yogurt. Made from cruciferous veggies such as bok choy and cabbage, kimchi also has an added bonus of healthy spices like garlic and peppers. Not only does this mega dose of nutrients feed your microbiome, but kimchi can also protect against cancer, obesity, and constipation while lowering cholesterol, boost brain function and immune functioning.

· Sauerkraut

Think of sauerkraut as kimchi’s German cousin. Made from cabbage, carrots, and spices, sauerkraut is brimming with plenty of healthy bacteria to feed your gut. Here’s an unexpected and interesting finding – a study done by William & Mary College found eating a daily serving of sauerkraut significantly helped reduce social anxiety. Researchers attribute this to the fact that more than 80 percent of the calming hormone serotonin, is made in our guts and the bacteria in sauerkraut boosted serotonin production.

· Garlic

This favorite spice is also favored by our gut bacteria thanks to its rich supply of prebiotics. Raw garlic is the one to use but cooked garlic also works well.

· Dark chocolate

Here’s news to our ears. The bacteria within our gut can efficiently ferment chocolate and even produce anti-inflammatory byproducts. These fermentation byproducts have been found to benefit both a healthy gut and also a healthy heart. Look for dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao content.