Probiotics can be found in several different foods these days, whereby some foods are more well known than others . We all know that yogurt and some other dairy products have probiotics, or, friendly bacteria, in them. Other foods that contain probiotics include kefir, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut, kim chi and brewer’s yeast. Many fermented foods and drinks contain probiotics. Among these, live brewed Kombucha is one of the absolute best. Kombucha is brewed with a live culture, which feeds on sugar mixed in the tea. The culture is usually placed in tea water mixed with other herbal, beneficial ingredients and sugar, for the culture to survive on. Kombucha cannot be brewed appropriately from any tea bag, but must be done with a live, active mother culture to be beneficial. Brewing Kombucha is easy and fun and there is a plethora of good information on the internet. For the price of roughly five dollars, live cultures can usually be obtained .
You can also locate probiotics in liquid, powder and pill form . Supplements in these forms are a great way for your body to absorb the probiotics . To get the maximum benefits, make sure you are buying living bacteria, and purchase a supplement with several species of friendly bacteria. Here is a list of beneficial microorganisms that may be found in probiotics: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus GG, Certain varieties of Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus case, Lactobacillus johnsonii, B. infantis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium animalis, Bacillus coagulans, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactococcus lactis. Buying a supplement with three or more of these will yield maximum benefits and ensure a variety of disease fighting bacteria inside your lower intestine and colon.
Since probiotics is highly talked about and in demand these days, you have to make sure you are aware of the gimmicks out there . Yogurt, for the most part, is a gimmick. Yogurt contains negligible amounts of friendly bacteria, but is usually heated, which kills most of the natural culture, leaving allergens and other irritants. At the end of processing, or, sometimes not at all, small amounts of probiotics are replaced. Because yogurt and other dairy do more harm than good; i.e; allergies, painful menstruation, asthma, mucus, and stripping the bones of calcium, they are not recommended sources of probiotics. Another gimmick is the loosely used marketing terms “probiotic” and “acidophilus” as supplements in foods that would not naturally have them. Be wary of major food companies who say their products have healthy probiotics. What I would recomment is going for an organic supplement, or you can also get the probiotics throught healthy foods like Kombucha, tempeh and kefir .
Probiotics are an important part of your health and can help you cleanse and regulate your body . Choose a natural, healthy supplement that works for you.
