If yogurt is the only probiotic food you’re eating, then you’re missing out. Kimchi, as seen in this picture, along with sauerkraut, miso soup, tempeh, and kefir are other hidden sources of this good bacteria.
Probiotics, or gut-friendly bacteria, are present in foods that are fermented. Although we already have probiotics in our gastrointestinal tract, higher amounts have been shown to support the immune system. Our gastrointestinal tract is lined with a strong defense system because our gut is essentially the first barrier to the outside world (the foods, liquids, and bacteria we ingest must get “screened” by the immune system).
Probiotics continue to go the distance for health and are backed up by studies suggesting probiotics can help a number of health conditions like indigestion, gas/bloating, diarrhea, eczema, food allergies, and chronic inflammation. As I’ve mentioned in my previous blogs, lowering inflammation is a good thing. Heart disease, cancer and diabetes are signs of chronic inflammation. Don’t get me wrong – we need inflammation for acute, short term health issues. But if your body is continually plagued with triggers to inflammation – like injuries, certain foods and stress – then your body is under constant inflammation, which actually impedes healing.
The amount of the good bacteria in the foods I mentioned is relatively low and not usually enough to survive past our stomach acid. So if you have health issues, I suggest taking a dairy-free, high dose probiotic supplement every day. Most probiotics nowadays are so well-formulated they can survive at room temperature, so don’t need to be refrigerated. I’ve heard of people getting stool transplants (gross, I know) to get someone else’s good bacteria, but if you’re like most people, you can opt to do a stool test to measure the relative amount of good and bad bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. Talk to your health care provider about this. This test can give you a better indication of actually how much probiotic you really need. Enjoy that kimchi!
Michael Corsilles, ND, PA-C
