How to Increase Probiotics in a Diet
The role of probiotics in a diet is becoming widely acknowledged and accepted. Probiotics are live bacteria that are included in food and supplements. Although you normally think of bacteria as being a bad thing, your body needs some of the "good" bacteria to aid in food digestion, fight off harmful bacteria and keep the immune system healthy.
Things You'll Need
- Yogurt
- Buttermilk
- Kefir
- Acidophilus milk
- Fermented vegetables
- Probiotic juices
- Probiotic supplements
Instructions
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Eat yogurt. Most people know that eating yogurt is good for you, especially after taking an antibiotic. This is because the anitbiotic, while killing the harmful bacteria that is making you sick, also kills the good bacteria in your system. Yogurt contains a good amount of the kind of bacteria your bodies need, but you need to be sure and choose yogurt that contains live and active cultures.
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Consume other dairy products such as buttermilk, kefir and acidophilus milk. These dairy products are good sources of probiotics.
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Try including fermented vegetables in your diet. As gross as this sounds, foods such as curtido, sauerkraut and kimchi are good sources of natural probiotics.
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Drink probiotic juices. These are becoming more available on the market and can help with digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome. They may also aid in boosting the immune system.
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Read labels. Manufacturers have started to add probiotics to many foods that do not naturally contain them. As this practice grows in popularity, it will become easier to increase probiotics in a diet. But you must read food labels to determine which foods have added probiotics.
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Consider probiotic supplements, but with caution. Even though these supplements are becoming quite popular, it hasn't been determined whether or not they contain sufficient amounts of good bacteria to be effective. Also, the bacteria does not survive as well in supplements as in foods that naturally contain them.
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Tips & Warnings
While research thusfar has shown the use of probiotics to be quite safe, the study and testing is still young. The potential for side effects exists, particularly in the elderly and very young and in those with immune system problems. It is imperative that you carefully follow dosage amounts and instructions when increasing probiotics in a diet.
