Probiotics
play an important role in the world of food. These foods contain live
bacteria. When we hear the word bacteria, we tend to cringe considering
that bacteria are harmful and unhealthy. But not all of them. There are
many bacterial species that live in human body and are
beneficial for health.
Probiotics are those bacteria that are beneficial for controlling the activities of the organs in the human body.
The
helpful bacteria present in the digestive tract help in reducing the
gas problems, maintain the cholesterol levels and also in boosting the
immune system. These
probiotics benefits make us sit up and know what are probiotics, how do these good angels of health act in our body.
What are Probiotics?
The word
probiotic comes from the Greek word ‘pro’ means promoting and ‘biotic’ means life. These
little helpful bacteria present in the gut are nowadays in the list of
recommended foods and have been a mandatory addition among the health
conscious. Our normal
human digestive tract contains over 400 types of probiotics
that are helpful in digestion and also in lowering the number of
harmful bacteria.Our gut flora contains a balance of good and harmful
bacteria, as in
85 percent good bacteria and 15 percent bad bacteria.
If this balance goes off, then a condition called dysbiosis occurs in
which there is excessive fungus, yeast or bacteria in our body that can
affect us in a negative way. Hence consuming certain types of foods or
probiotics can bring the balance to normal.
The largest group of probiotic bacteria in the intestine is the lactic acid bacteria and
Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of the significant bacteria present in the mouth, vagina and intestine.
So much is being told about
probiotics in terms of being beneficial and helpful; we should know the
effects of probiotics benefits.
Probiotics Benefits
Coming to know about the
probiotics benefits, it is mandatory to add probiotics in our
regular diet.
The addition should be done gradually and then can be slowly increased.
There are many probiotic foods and supplements available in markets in
packaged form. But why go for artificial probiotic foods when you can
get it naturally? Hence let us know the
natural foods that are rich in probiotics.
Probiotic Foods
Probiotic foods that are available are.
1. Yogurt
Yogurt
is one of the best probiotic foods that contain friendly bacteria that
can improve our health. It is made from milk which is cultured with
bacteria like
lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria.
Yogurt is better than milk especially for those having lactose
intolerance as the bacteria converts the lactose in milk to lactic acid.
Yogurt helps to keep a healthy balance in your gut. It acts against the
gas formation, diarrhea, and other digestive problems. But make sure
that you select the yogurt with live and active culture. Watch out for
yogurts that have added sugar and syrups.
2. Sauerkraut
If you feel the only
yogurt is the sole option for probiotics, then you need to think again. Another
probiotic food called sauerkraut
has been hitting the market positively. Sauerkraut is the fermented
form of shredded cabbage and salt with fewer amounts of seasonings. It
is allowed to ferment slowly and naturally without any starters for two
weeks and more. The fermentation of cabbage allows the formation of
lactic acid which gives a sour taste to the food. Sauerkraut gives an
acidic tinge to the food when added as a topping on the hot dogs or
consumed with other foods. Sauerkraut is a good source of
Vitamin C and other digestive enzymes. The bacteria present in sauerkraut are
pneumococcus and lactobacillus. It is good against gastrointestinal conditions like
constipation and diarrhea and is flu preventive beverage.
3. Dark Chocolate
You would be pleasantly surprised to know that a
bar of organic, dark chocolate has a number of
health benefits.
It promotes a healthier gut microbial environment. The friendly gut
bacteria break down and ferment the dark chocolate compounds creating
anti-
inflammatory benefits. However, that doesn’t mean
that we can gorge royally on chocolates thinking it’s a healthy food. It
is, of course, a caloric dessert. Prefer
dark chocolate made
of 70% or more of cocoa. It should be free of high fructose corn syrup
or artificial sweeteners or GMO. Go organic, get the dark bar.
4. Miso
Miso is a seasoning in Asian region which is prepared by fermenting a mixture of soybean, barley, brown rice and other grains with
Aspergillus Oryza. This
results in a smooth textured paste with a strong and salty flavor. It
is beneficial as probiotic as it adds beneficial microorganisms into the
intestinal flora thus supporting digestion. Miso paste also helps in
treating diarrhea and other intestinal infections. Miso filled with
probiotics is used to make soups that are low in calories and rich in
B vitamins.
To use miso paste, you can also use it as spread on the crackers or on
the corn in cobs instead of salt and butter. However, the high salt
content in miso needs to be kept in mind before adding into the soups or
spread. To preserve the live microorganisms of the miso paste, do add
the paste after the food is already heated or cooked.
5. Kefir
In the scenario of
probiotics benefits, kefir
has been gaining popularity and has been recognized as a stronger
version than yogurt. Kefir is unsweetened and unflavored drinkable
yogurt style prepared by fermenting cow’s milk or goat’s milk with kefir
grains composed of bacteria, yeast, and polysaccharides.
Kefir is better than the probiotic supplements; it contains about
1.5 trillions of beneficial bacteria.
It harmonizes the beneficial bacteria in our body by canceling out the
antibiotic attack. It is loaded with nutrients and definitely consumed
by lactose intolerants.
6. Kombucha
Kombucha is a
fermented beverage of black tea and sugar
which is fermented by bacteria and yeast known as “SCOBY” (symbiotic
colony of bacteria and yeast). Kombucha boosts the immune system and
energy levels. The ability of kombucha to detox the body produces
healthy liver and helps in
cancer prevention. Kombucha contains glucosamine which helps in relieving arthritic pain and preserves the cartilage tissues.
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