Foods With Highest Probiotics Content

Probiotic---literally meaning "for life"---is a term used to describe foods and supplements containing beneficial, health-enhancing strains of bacteria. By restoring important microorganisms in the digestive tract, probiotics help combat the "bad bacteria" responsible for a host of intestinal problems, and can improve conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic diarrhea, respiratory infections and kidney stones. To benefit from the health properties of probiotics, include a variety of probiotic-rich foods in your diet.

Yogurt

Yogurt is one of the most popular probiotic foods on the market. By Food and Drug Administration regulations, yogurt companies must culture their products with the probiotic strains Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, resulting in a product that's teeming with friendly bacteria. However, some manufacturers pasteurize their yogurt after the culturing process, which destroys most of the probiotic value. To ensure you're getting a truly probiotic yogurt, look for the "Live and Active Cultures" seal on the container; this indicates that each gram of the product has at least 100 million bacterial cultures. Although most probiotic yogurts are dairy-based, some soy yogurts also contain active cultures.

Kefir

Though less common on store shelves than yogurt, kefir is another cultured dairy food with probiotic properties. With millennium-old roots tracing back to Eastern Europe, kefir comes from fresh milk fermented with "kefir grains"---clusters of beneficial microorganisms bound by polysaccharides. The bacteria in kefir can protect against dangerous pathogens, such as Salmonella, and promote intestinal health. As with yogurt, some kefir brands are pasteurized after the culturing process, so look for the "Live and Active Cultures" label to ensure your kefir is truly probiotic.

Miso

A popular item in Japanese cuisine, miso is a salty, soy-based paste commonly used in soup. Cultured soybeans and grains are the main components of miso, and the fermentation process results in a product that's rich with healthy bacteria. To make sure you're consuming probiotic miso, nix the restaurant-ordered soups and buy your own miso paste labeled "unpasteurized." This guarantees that your miso still retains its probiotic qualities.

Sauerkraut

A traditional German food, sauerkraut is a condiment made from pickled cabbage. The process of making sauerkraut involves fermenting cabbage leaves with lactic acid cultures, creating a "live" food packed with friendly bacteria. Most brands of sauerkraut are pasteurized after the culturing process, killing the original probiotic strains, but some companies make unpasteurized sauerkraut with high probiotic content. Look for labels reading "raw," "unpasteurized" or "unheated" to distinguish probiotic sauerkraut from the pasteurized brands.

Considerations

Although probiotics have clinically-proven health benefits, they can occasionally cause digestive distress and bloating---especially if you consume them in large quantities. If you're just introducing probiotic foods into your diet, start slowly; consume only small amounts until you've gauged how your body responds. This way, you can reap the rewards of probiotic foods while avoiding any adverse side effects.

References

• Probiotics Basics
• Holistic Medicine Probiotics
• Live and Active Culture Yogurt

Resources

• An Introduction to Probiotics