How To Get More Probiotics In My Diet

What Are Alternative Sources Of Probiotics

If youâre looking to add more probiotics to your diet, you may find probiotic supplements offer unique benefits over foods with probiotics.

First, supplements may be a good option if youâre concerned about the calories associated with getting probiotics from food. Second, some probiotic supplements may be more convenient to take since they do not require refrigeration like foods with live cultures often do. Third, for some people taking supplements make getting the required dosage easier to take by putting it in capsule form. For instance, in order to receive the benefits of Bifidobacterium 35624⢠– the strain found in Align® Digestive Support – only one capsule a day is needed and you can take it any time of day.Finally, probiotic supplements may offer different bacterial strains than probiotic foods. Because the strain of bacteria determines the health benefit, itâs important to know it when choosing the right probiotic food or supplement. Quality probiotic food or supplements will be clearly labelled with the strain they contain.If youâre unsure of which strain or source might be right for you, you should speak with your doctor. They can guide you towards the one that would be best suited for your individual needs.

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Which Fruits Have Probiotics

They work with probiotics, which are healthful bacteria or yeasts, to improve health.Fruits with a high prebiotic content include: Bananas. Bananas are beneficial for the gut and contain naturally occurring fibers that help increase good bacteria and reduce bloating. Custard apples. Watermelon. Grapefruit.

How To Eat More Probiotics: How To Get Fermented Foods Into Your Daily Diet

You may wonder how to eat more probiotics. In other words, you want to know how to get fermented foods into your daily diet. You may think it is difficult to add more fermented foods in your diet, but it really isnt that difficult. You just have to get into the habit of including them and find some creative ways to do so. It is important enough to make the effort because of fermented foods health benefits. Here are some ways to get you started.

Milk Kefir

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Are There Any Risks Related To Probiotics

Probiotics are generally considered safe. However, there are some risks linked to the supplements. These risks are increased if you have a medical condition that weakens your immune system, have recently had surgery or have other serious medical conditions.

Unlikely, but possible, risks can include:

• Developing an infection.
• Developing a resistance to antibiotics.
• Developing harmful byproducts from the probiotic supplement.

What Are Natural Probiotics

Natural probiotics are those probiotics that occur in food and in the dirt. As humans, we have actually evolved to ingest soil-based organisms as our source of natural probiotics. This includes trace amounts of organic dirt on your vegetables or incidental ingestion from working or being outside near grass and soil.

These naturally occurring probiotics populate our gut and keep us healthy. After all, our ancestors long ago didnt have access to probiotic supplements they got everything they needed from their natural environment and foods.

The good news is that we have access now to both: probiotic supplements and natural probiotics from foods. But, as mentioned, certain foods have naturally occurring probiotics that can help you diversify your diet and keep your gut health strong!

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How To Get More Probiotics Into Your Diet

Adding a few servings of probiotic-rich foods to your daily diet can be an easy and effective way to give your gut microbiome a boost while also improving overall health and youll find you feel better consuming these foods too.

To get started, try making a few simple swaps in the foods you eat. For example, you can switch out soda, juice or energy drinks for fermented beverages such as kombucha instead. You can also trade regular yogurt for probiotic yogurt and substitute raw milk or cheese in place of regular cheese or milk products as well.

Alternatively, try using a few of the best probiotic foods in your favorite recipes to add a bit of extra flavor and variety to your weekly rotation. Tempeh works well as a meatless main dish, sauerkraut can be served as a savory spread and apple cider vinegar makes a great addition to salad dressings and vinaigrettes.

Regardless of how you choose to get in your daily dose of these natural probiotic foods, the trick is to get creative and dont be afraid to experiment with new ingredients to make healthy and delicious meals.

Natural Sources Of Probiotics

Taking a supplement can give you quick access to certain probiotics, but there are other options, too. “One of the easiest ways to is to increase the number of probiotic-rich foods in your diet,” says Sophia Tolliver, M.D., MPH, a family medicine physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

There are plenty of options out there when it comes to natural sources of probiotics, but these are considered the best:

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Add Kefir To Your Smoothies

Kefir, a tart and tangy cultured milk drink, is packed with various strains of beneficial probiotics and live cultures, says Sassos, who drinks four ounces of it each morning with her breakfast. Choose plain kefir whenever possible, as the flavored varieties often contain added sugar. If you find that kefir tastes too tart alone, she recommends adding it to a smoothie for a nutritious boost.

Can I Get Probiotics From Food

You can absolutely increase beneficial microbes in your body from the foods you eat. Certain foods have probiotics in them and can benefit the health of your microbiome.

These foods can be introduced into your diet at any point of the day. You may even be regularly eating them now and not realize that they contain probiotics. You will want to check the food label for live and active cultures. A few suggestions for just some of the probiotic-rich foods you can add to your diet and some times to try them include:

For breakfast, try:

• Powders.
• Liquids.

Probiotic supplements may be combined with a prebiotic. Prebiotics are complex carbohydrates that feed the microorganisms in your gut. Basically, prebiotics are the food source for the good bacteria. They help feed the good bacteria and keep it healthy. Prebiotics include inulin, pectin and resistant starches.

When you have a supplement that combines a probiotic and prebiotic, its called a synbiotic.

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Put Miso Soup On Your Menu

Miso soup is easy to make with hot water and miso paste, and it adds a probiotic punch to any meal. In Japan, it can be served at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Miso is fermented soy that contains healthy bacteria, says Gabriella Vetere, RDN, CSOWM, a California-based medical health coach in the corporate setting in Silicon Valley.

Just remember that high temperatures can kill probiotics, which eliminates their health boost. Add the miso paste just before serving and avoid too-hot temperatures to preserve as many beneficial microorganisms as possible.

Adding Foods That Aid Digestion

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How Much Probiotics Should You Takeand When

There is no recommended daily intake for probiotics, so theres no way to know exactly which fermented foods or what quantity is best. The general guideline is to just add as many fermented foods to your daily diet as possible.3

However, if your diet lacks enough probiotic-rich foods, you might consider taking a probiotic supplement to support digestive balance. Many experts recommend taking them on an empty stomach, when theres less stomach acid present.5 However, your best bet is to follow the dosage directions on the supplements packaging.

The ultimate goal is to establish a healthy gut. Some sources recommend taking probiotics every day, anywhere from two weeks to two months, to fully recolonize the gut with healthy bacteria. After the initial course, it may be possible to back off to two to three doses per week.5 Because this varies widely and depends on individual health issues and needs, consult with your doctor.

The Bottom Line

Whether youre eating probiotic foods and or consuming probiotic drinks, your digestive system will benefit from these gut-friendly additions to your diet. Consuming fermented foodsin particular, yogurt and kefirprovide the best sources of probiotics. But dairy-free options also offer good food sources of probiotics.

Continue to check back on the Nature Made blog for the latest science-backed articles to help you take ownership of your health.

Learn More About Health & Nutrition:

• How to Meal Prep

References

Getting Probiotics Through Fermented Foods

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Fermented Foods Vs Probiotic Supplements Compared

Let me show you an actual breakdown so you can see the food sources of probiotics and the probiotic bacteria they contain. This chart shows the amount of probiotic bacteria, and then the amount of bacteria in a similar probiotic supplement. This is quite enlightening.

• Sauerkraut Probiotics: 1 cup contains about three billion CFU or colony forming units.
• How much would be found in a typical probiotic capsule? For our Lacto-Bifido blend probiotic, one cup of sauerkraut equates to 1/8th of a capsule.

• Considering this, we see that were really not getting a clinical dose from the sauerkraut. Knowing that one may use anywhere from two to four probiotic supplement capsules in a day, one cup of sauerkraut equaling 1/8 of a capsule falls a little bit short of what may be needed in order to create a robust clinical effect for gut health rebalancing, healing, and symptoms.

How Does Food Affect The Gut Microbiota

The food you eat plays an important role in the balance of good and bad gut bacteria.

For example, a high sugar and high fat diet negatively influences the gut bacteria and may contribute to insulin resistance and other conditions (

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One of the things your good gut bacteria do with prebiotic fiber is turn it into a short-chain fatty acid called butyrate.

Studies suggest that butyrate production in the colon cannot be maintained without adequate intake of prebiotic fiber .

Summary:

Prebiotics are types of fiber that humans cannot digest, but your gut bacteria can. These types of fiber provide nutrients to the bacteria that support healthy digestion and immune function.

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How To Flood Your Gut With Powerful Probiotics

1. Make Kefir.

This mysterious sounding word can be pronounced a million ways but is actually a great way to make you own live probiotics. It is a world within itself as the general idea is you place these grain or strains of bacteria in milk or sugared water and the bacteria feeds off all the sugar and you are left with pro-biotic goodness. You can buy grains which need to always be keep in fluid or you can get strains sent to you which means you just have to remember to not use it all up but keep some aside for your next batch.

I first tried the grains but was a bit too much effort and I manage to kill them quite often as I would travel a lot, so now I use this , a yogurt starter that requires no heating or faffing. All I do is , at the ratio of 5 organic milk: 1 yogurt kefir strain, mix it in a jar and leave for 24 hours minimum . Then I am left with curds and whey which I separate and now have a fridge filled with tons of whey . I use them in smoothies, puddings, breakfast with fruit on top of curries, basically anything.

What more information or tutorials?

2.Good Quality Supplements.

If you can afford it buy a good probiotic supplement, go for 8 billion bacteria strains and above. If you suffer from yeast infections, bloated stomach or constipation I very much recommend a period of time where you take 1-4 a day, building up your dose gradually.

These are great short-term solutions to really flood your gut with good bacteria.

3. Fermented Vegetables.

Should I Try Probiotics

If you are interested in adding probiotics to your diet, its worth a conversation with your healthcare provider. Many providers may suggest giving them a try to see if they help with your general health. It is important to remember that not all probiotics behave the same way and have the same effects. Each has their own individual benefits. They generally dont cause harm. One easy way to start can be by simply introducing probiotic-rich foods into your diet, like yogurt.

Before you start any supplements, make sure you talk to your healthcare provider. Your provider may be able to point you in the right direction, helping you figure out the best probiotic to take, how much to take and when to take it. A conversation is always worth the time when it concerns your health.

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Probiotics And Prebiotics: Whats The Difference

Probiotics and prebiotics are both pretty big topics in nutrition these days. Yet even though they sound similar, the two play different roles in your health.

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria, and prebiotics are food for these bacteria. Well explain what you need to know about the two.

Both prebiotics and probiotics are important for human health. However, they have different roles:

• Probiotics. These are live bacteria found in certain foods or supplements. They can provide numerous health benefits.
• Prebiotics. These substances come from types of carbs that humans cant digest. The beneficial bacteria in your gut eat this fiber.

The gut bacteria, collectively referred to as the gut flora, or gut microbiota, perform many important functions in the body.

Eating balanced amounts of both probiotics and prebiotics can help ensure that you have the right balance of these bacteria to keep your gut microbiota healthy.

Summary:

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria found in certain foods or supplements. Prebiotics are types of fiber that feed the friendly bacteria in the digestive system.

The good bacteria in your digestive tract help protect you from harmful bacteria and fungi.

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Additionally, some of your gut bacteria form vitamin K and short-chain fatty acids.

Summary:

The gut bacteria help with a variety of biological tasks. They also provide important nutrition to the cells lining your digestive tract.