If you’re attempting to eat healthier and looking for more nutrients to add to your diet, you’ve probably come across the term “probiotics.” What are these and how do you benefit from them? We can tell you all about them and we’ll even let you know what foods at your local organic market contain probiotics. Here’s what you need to know.
What Are Probiotics?
Essentially, probiotics are microorganisms. They’re usually the “good” kind of bacteria, but they can also be certain types of yeast. They stick around in your gut for a while, encouraging the growth of more good bacteria and eliminating some of the extra “bad” bacteria that have been milling around.
As a result, consuming more foods that contain probiotics can help bring back a balance to your gut. You’ll have a better mix of bacteria, and this can be beneficial in some key ways.
Benefits of Probiotics
One of the biggest benefits of probiotics is an improvement in digestive health. Because you have a better balance of gut bacteria, digestion is smoother and you might be able to avoid stomach issues that you used to struggle with. Good gut flora can also perform many different health functions, so having more of it is beneficial. It can help manufacture certain types of vitamins, like vitamin K, and turn fibers into fats that can perform metabolic functions. These also help strengthen your gut wall.
Probiotics could have other benefits as well. People believe that increased probiotics intake can result in weight loss, enhanced immune function, and healthier skin. These substances might even help reduce your risk of developing certain diseases. However, not all effects of probiotics are agreed upon by scientists just yet, so it’s important to temper expectations and makes sure that you’re here primarily for improved gut health!
Sources of Probiotics
Adding more probiotics to your diet isn’t particularly difficult. What you want to look for are fermented foods. The fermentation process creates food with bold and unique flavors. The process also helps stimulate the growth of probiotics. The following foods could help you get the probiotics that you need:
- Yogurt
- Sauerkraut
- Tempeh
- Kimchi
- Sourdough Bread
- Kombucha
- Kefir
- Cottage Cheese
- Miso Soup
There are also probiotics supplements, like powders and pills, that can directly add more probiotics to your daily nutritional intake.
Not to be Confused With…
Prebiotics. While the terms sound the same, they are different substances. Prebiotics are carbs and fibers. They can help feed good bacteria in your gut, making digestion smoother. So these are good for you too, but they’re not the same as probiotics and they often come from different food and beverage sources.
Learn More About Healthy Eating
If you want to learn more about eating healthy and things like probiotics, simply visit the Organic Restaurants blog. We’re covering topics like this all the time, and we’ll make it easy to learn everything that you want to know about healthy eating and feeling better about your diet.