Now more than ever, there is so much information to sift through surrounding health and wellness. Especially when it comes to things like gut health, good vs. bad bacteria and probiotics. Inside your gut, there are trillions of live microorganisms that make up your microbiome. All of these play a role in promoting either health or disease. Probiotics are live bacteria lining your digestive tract, supporting your ability to absorb nutrients and fight infection. They help by boosting the good bacteria in your gut. Historically, people were getting plenty of probiotics through their diets. Foods with fresh ingredients that were grown in high-quality soil, and fermented foods were doing the trick.
Now, with the way most foods are processed and sanitized, agricultural practices, and even refrigeration, many readily available foods have little to no probiotics.
Benefits of Probiotics:
Probiotics are great for so many different things. By taking care of and boosting your gut health, you are caring for so many other parts of your body. 80% of your immune system is in your gut. So, by feeding those healthy bacteria, you are aiding in immune function. In addition, probiotics help reduce inflammation, help with the digestion of food, keep your gut lining healthy to prevent bad bacteria from getting in and even help with your skin.
Pair with Fibre:
It is common knowledge that almost everyone needs to be eating more fibre, for so many reasons. Furthermore, fibre feeds probiotics. By pairing probiotics with fibre, you are helping the probiotic work its best.
What Foods are Probiotics?
Some foods that are natural probiotics are tempeh, miso, natto, kombucha, raw cheese, yogurt, sourdough bread, kimchi and sauerkraut. But, if none of these are sounding that yummy to you, you can always take a daily probiotic supplement or incorporate them into your daily shake.