Probiotics are basically what we call having the good bacteria within. It is what comes within your body in a natural manner. Did you know that you have what we call good and bad bacteria in the body anyway. It is when you get an infection, you will have a larger amount of bad bacteria in the body. The good bacteria is needed otherwise the stable level of bacteria gets knocked off balance. It is at this time when you need to have a strong probiotics diet, to ensure that good bacteria is added into your body.
In this article, I am going to be talking about how it is essential that you have a good amount of this ‘helpful’ bacteria as it is essential in keeping your body health.
The good thing is that you can find these probiotics in a number of food items including that of supplements as well as other types.
Let’s dive into the details of how probiotics diet is a major win for you.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics basically relates to when you have a good combination of live bacteria as well as yeast combination in the body. It is not of alien nature and comes to your body’s framework in a natural way.
So people assume bacteria is actually something which is negative. The name itself suggests the same. However that is not really the case.
There are mainly two kinds of bacteria in the body- the good and the bad bacteria. When we talk about probiotics, it falls in the category of good bacteria. They are needed in the body to keep it healthy and in good condition. It is actually essential as it fights off any bad bacteria you may have and it also makes you feel better when suffering from an illness or condition as such. It’s major advantage is that it will fighting off the bad bacteria in a strong manner. This allows you to feel better in no time.
In today’s time, it has become important that you adapt healthy eating regime and diet. It allows for you to make a conscious effort in adapting what is best for the microbiome.
What are Microbes?
Now before going further, let me give a glimpse into what is called microbes. These are basically extremely small, tiny organisms in the whole of the body. They consist of various elements including:
- bacteria- the good kind which you need
- fungi- this will be including what we call yeastsa
- viruses- interestingly there are plenty that fall into the category
- protozoa-microbes will be including strings of protozoa as well
There is one thing you should know. No two people will be having the same microbiome. Every person has a unique microbiome. This is because no two people have the same microbial cells. It is different structure for every person.
But how can we call a microbe a probiotic. This is when it comes with several different characteristics. This will include:
- It is isolated from the humans
- Even after ingestion, it will survive
- There are several proven benefits of eating it
- You can assure they will be consumed in a proper and safe manner
Increasing Good Probiotics in the Body
There is a manner in which you increase the good microbes in the body. This is simply done through consuming the right kind of foods and drinks. Also you can consume different kinds of supplements.
There are already several foods in your diet which are good sources of probiotic foods. The only issue is you are probably not aware of that.
This is especially true in the case of consuming fermented foods. In particular we are talking about yogurt and pickles.
You would be surprised to know that there are also certain fermented drinks as well kombucha which is like a form of fermented tea but we will be getting into those later.
Now let’s talk about getting probiotics from food:
A Healthy & Varied Probiotics Diet
It is possible that you can increase the kind of beneficial microbes you can get in your body. There are certain foods which have probiotics in them and they are very healthy to your complete immune system.
These are the kinds of foods which help your diet and allow you to consume a good amount of probiotics.
In order to gain the complete advantage of the same, it is best that you read the labels to understand the contents. When there is something like ‘live and active cultures‘ given on the print, it means you have plenty of probiotics to go with.
It is essential that you are able to create and maintain a balanced diet which is probiotic-enriched. It is all about how you are balancing it well. You should try to add food from different food groups so as to reap the benefits from it all.
What About Probiotic Supplements
There are different ways in which you will be taking probiotic supplements. They can come in a variety of manner. This includes in the form of :
- foods
- drinks
- pills
- powders
- liquids
You can also combine with prebiotic and this leads to getting a major boost of the good bacteria in the body.
Now let’s get into the details of what are the major sources of probiotics and how to attain the good bacteria:
Probiotics Diet with Super Healthy Food
There are several food elements and types which essentially ensure your probiotic needs are being met. Let me share with you some of the leading food types which are probiotic in nature:
Yogurt
This is one of the best sources of probiotics. It gives a major boost to your health. Made from milk as well as having gone through a fermentation process with friendly bacteria and lactic acid, it helps in reducing diarrhea symptoms too. But to gain the full spectrum of benefits you should be consuming yogurt which comes with active or live cultures. Just make sure you don’t have certain allergies like milk allergies which will limit your diet intake.
Sauerkraut
Now this may come as a surprise to many of you but sauerkrauts are actually really good for your health too. It is what we call shredded cabbage and it comes with fermented lactic acid bacteria.
A popular food from Europe, it comes with a sour and salty taste and is possible to be consumed over a coarse of a few month even. It is rich in fiber and has multi-vitamins in it. It contains antioxidants as well and gives you a major nutritional boost.
Pickles
We have already talked about this one. These are basically cucumbers which are actually pickled with salt and water.
They are fermented over a coarse of time. And they have lactic acid bacteria present in them. This is how they become sour. Pickles help in improving digestion. They are actually low in calories and they have a range of vitamins in them.
Buttermilk
This is what we call fermented dairy drinks. There are actually several kinds of buttermilks to choose from but they can be divided into major two kinds- traditional and cultured.
What we call traditional is what is leftover liquid when you are making butter. It contains a good amount of probiotics.
If you look for cultured buttermilk, this type actually consists of a very limited amount of probiotics. Know that buttermilk can be very low in fat and calories. But it does come with good amount of vitamins and minerals.
This includes vitamins like B12, riboflavin, calcium as well as phosphorus.
Cheese
And lastly, cheese. There are several kinds of cheese out there which go through the fermentation process. But the difference is that not all of them will be containing probiotics.
You just have to make sure you read the food labels properly to understand which ones have live and active cultures and which ones don’t.
Know that the good bacteria is able to survive the aging process in some cheeses. This includes the likes of gouda, mozzarella, cheddar and even cottage cheese.
We know that cheese is super healthy and nutritious as well as being rich in calcium. It has many vitamins and minerals in it. You have to identify which kinds of cheese you should be consuming and which are not so good for your health.
Probiotics Diet for My Kids
It is essential that we touch upon and talk how probiotics plays a role in your child’s growth and well-being.
Probiotics can definitely be benefitting for your child’s health. When your child is sick, it will help if you are giving them certain probiotics which allows for the treatment to get stronger. It also helps in relieving the symptoms of constipation, acid reflux, gas and even eczema in your children.
A safe way to introduce probiotics in your child’s diet is through food. This includes foods like yogurt and cottage cheese. These also taste good and allow your child to remain healthy and fit.
Conclusion
For the health of your children and yourself, it is best that you adapt a strong probiotics diet which will be allowing you to stay safe from various diseases and problems. There are many food types and choices which are rich in probiotics. In this article we talked about identifying them with labels, and ensuring that you know the kind of advantages you can take from them.
