Our intestinal flora loves probiotic foods more than anything. But what does that actually mean?
For you to know what probiotics are, you need to take a close look at the word. It comes from the Greek language and means "for life".
Probiotic foods are foods that contain microorganisms. These include lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, yeast fungi and a few others.
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It is precisely these bacteria that make our intestines so happy. More precisely, the large intestine.
They are important for good digestion and thus keep us healthy. In addition, probiotic foods are said to strengthen our defenses.
You should be skeptical of yogurts and drink touted as probiotics.
It is better not to buy products with the label "probiotic" in the supermarket. There are many natural probiotic foods that are good for your intestines.
How prebiotic foods strengthen your gut
If you have problems with your stomach or intestines, probiotics can also help you. They contain strains of bacteria that your intestines need for digestion.
In most cases, the preparations are a mix of probiotics and prebiotics.
The optimal basis for a balanced intestinal flora is a healthy, varied and plant-based diet. You can also increase the good bacteria with prebiotics, dietary fibers such as inulin and oligofructose, and virtually feed them.
These fibers are difficult or indigestible and are thus also food for the bacteria. This is how you stimulate their growth.
In addition, such preparations contain strains of bacteria. In this case, there are 20 different ones, which ensure that the intestinal flora is rebalanced.
Probiotic food list
Here come probiotic foods you should eat regularly.
1. kimchi is a probiotic food
It's worth thinking outside the box. Korea, to be precise. Here, kimchi is served. A dish made from fermented Chinese cabbage that is a good source of probiotics.
During fermentation, the cabbage is seasoned with garlic, ginger, chili and fish sauce. This turns it reddish-brown.
Probiotic foods like kimchi contain lots of lactic acid bactria and fiber. But also vitamins A, C and B vitamins.
By the way, fermented Chinese cabbage is one of the healthiest foods in the world.
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2. apple cider vinegar is probiotic superfood
When cider ferments into vinegar, lactic acid bacteria are formed. This makes your intestinal flora happy.
You can recognize good apple cider vinegar by its color. It is slightly golden and sometimes cloudy. Hold the vinegar up to the light. If you see a cobweb-like substance in it, then it is really good quality.
Apple cider vinegar is really that healthy
3. kombucha contains probiotics
Did you know that kombucha is made from herbal or black tea to which a mushroom is added? This is the tea or kombucha mushroom.
The fungus ensures that the tea ferments. This produces lactic acid, acetic acid, carbonic acid and alcohol.
You will hardly find probiotic foods in the supermarket. Not even intestine-friendly kombucha. It is strongly heated for the shelf life and mixed with lots of caffeine and sugar.
If you're ever in Japan and have the chance for a fresh kombucha, taste it.
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4. miso is a probiotics bomb
And again it's off to Japan. Miso is not only delicious, but also mega healthy. The spicy paste is made from soybeans, rice or barley.
Really good miso matures for about a year. During this time, lactic acid bacteria ensure that it mass ferments. This ensures the typical spicy taste.
Probiotic foods that are purely plant-based are a good source of prebiotics for vegans and vegetarians.
That's why fermenting is a trend you should definitely follow
5. yogurt for a healthy intestine
Probably the best source of probiotics is yogurt. In its production, it is obtained from milk fermented by lactic acid bacteria.
This ensures that the milk becomes firm and has a longer shelf life.
No matter which yogurt you buy, each has been shown to improve intestinal flora. Provided you choose natural yogurt.
You should keep your hands off fruit yogurts of all kinds. They contain far too much sugar to do your body any real good.
By the way, you can also easily make yogurt yourself. Try it, tastes mega delicious!
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Important: Buy organic yogurt. Many conventional dairy products contain antibiotic residues. They harm the intestine rather than help it.
Alternatively, you can use coconut or soy yogurt. They contain the same microorganisms as milk yogurt.
That's why you shouldn't buy probiotic yogurt!
6. kefir is probiotic
Kefir tastes similar to yogurt. The viscous milk drink is made from cow's, sheep's or goat's milk. Unlike yogurt, kefir has kefir tuber added in addition to lactic acid bacteria.
This is a fungus that contains yeast. It converts part of the lactose into lactic acid. And the other part into alcohol and carbonic acid. This provides a slightly sour taste.
If you can choose yogurt or kefir as a probiotic food, go for kefir. It contains more probiotic bacteria, which is good for digestion.
In addition, kefir is said to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects.
By the way, kefir is almost lactose-free.
The viscous milk drink is rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus vitamin B2, B12 and vitamin D.
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7. sauerkraut is full of probiotics
You don't like sauerkraut? Your intestinal bacteria do. So give yourself a break! Home cooking has a lot to offer.
Sauerkraut is produced when lactic acid bacteria are added to white cabbage. Then the cabbage ferments. And this makes it easier for us to digest.
With every bite, you're ingesting a whole lot of probiotic bacterial cultures.
In the herb you will find a lot of fiber, vitamin B12 and vitamin C and very important: many lactic acid bacteria. This has positive effects on cell renewal and blood formation. The fiber ensures good digestion.
Probiotic foods can only do your gut some good if they are not pasteurized. That means buy fresh sauerkraut and not from a jar or can. When pasteurized, probiotic bacteria and vitamins are lost.
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8. sour cucumber as probiotics superfood
To make cucumbers sour, they are placed in a liquid made of water, herbs, sugar and salt. They are then preserved by lactic acid fermentation.
Because they contain many lactic acid bacteria, they have a positive effect on digestion.
But: You can only find living lactic acid bacteria in pickled cucumbers, which have become sour through lactic acid fermentation.
As soon as vinegar is involved, cucumbers do not count as probiotic foods.
So sour cucumbers from the supermarket do not contain living lactic acid bacteria.
At farmers markets I've always seen traditionally pickled vegetables. Tastes really delicious!
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9. cheese as a probiotic
Not all cheeses are probiotic foods. This is because not all contain live lactic acid bacteria. The older the cheese, the more probiotics it contains.
Your gut will be happy with cheddar, gruyére, aged gouda, parmesan and mozzarella.
Pasteurized cheese does not count as a probiotic food. This is because the bacteria are killed during heating.
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10. probiotic food: tempeh
Let's take a leap to Indonesia. Here tempeh is served in salts, as a main dish and as a snack.
For this purpose, soybeans are mixed with a mold. This causes fermentation and allows the healthy bacteria to grow.
In tempeh you will find a lot of magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and proteins.
Purely in terms of taste, the soy product is pretty boring. But that's what makes it so interesting for a whole range of dishes. With spices, you can create real flavor explosions on the tongue with it.
This is how you build up your intestinal flora naturally!
Make your own probiotic food
In theory, you can ferment all foods. The process ensures that the lactic acid bacteria multiply. So you produce food that makes your intestine healthy alone.
To do this, chop carrots, cabbage or a vegetable of your choice. Salt the vegetables and put them in a vacuum bag. The bag remains sealed for 4 weeks. The vegetables start to ferment.
Take a look at the cookbook "Fermenting - making vegetables easy to preserve". You can order it online.
How probiotics work
Up to 500 different species of bacteria live in our intestines. Most of them are useful and want to do us good.
But there are also a few troublemakers that cause trouble every now and then. You notice this through abdominal pain, flatulence and similar digestive problems.
To stay fit, we need probiotic foods. Those who have a healthy intestine are less likely to get sick.
The most important and best-known microorganisms contained in probiotics are lactic acid bacteria. So lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.
We ingest them when we eat. They travel from our stomach into the small intestine to the colon.
In order for them to survive this arduous journey through stomach acid and co, they are particularly resistant.
10 to 40 percent reach their destination: the colon.
And someone has to copy them. Only a few bacteria meet these conditions. The best known are Lactobacillus Gorbach and Goldin, Lactobacillus Casei and Lactobacillus Reuteri and Bifidobacteria.
Probiotic foods contain quite a lot of these bacteria. The goal is to increase them in the intestine. This should lead to a balanced intestinal flora and better digestion.
The problem is that the concentration of probiotics in food decreases. The fresher you eat the yogurt or sauerkraut, the more probiotic bacteria you absorb.
In the long run, however, the little helpers can't secrete. In order to benefit from probiotic foods, we need to eat them regularly.
Probiotic food after antibiotics
Antibiotics help us to fight bacteria and become fit again. At the same time, they can cause quite a bit of trouble for our intestinal flora.
That is why many doctors prescribe probiotic preparations during or after taking antibiotics. They rebuild the intestinal flora.
Unfortunately, antibiotics destroy not only the "bad" bacteria, but also the "good" ones.
You can support your intestines to get going again. And you can do this with probiotic foods.
You should take these daily over a longer period of time. This does not mean that you should eat a lot of yogurt every day. It is much better to alternate between the probiotic foods.
Our conclusion
We should all put probiotic foods on our menu more often. They support our digestion and can have a positive effect on the immune system.
If you reach for sauerkraut, yogurt, etc. in between meals, you are doing something good for your body.
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