Six Reasons Probiotics Boost Your Health + 12 Gut-Friendly {& DELICIOUS} Recipes

 

Bacteria have received a bad rap as of late. Particularly post-H1N1, it seems everywhere you turn there’s a bottle of Purell staring you down, just begging for a pump. Certainly, bacteria can be harmful to our being, spreading nasty illness like wildfire as we go about our daily routines – sharing gym equipment, shaking hands, and even breathing. But let’s shift our focus to the positive for a moment and talk about good bacteria – namely, probiotics — the kind your body needs for optimal health.

From drinks to cereals to ice cream and nuts, probiotics are popping up in a wide variety of foods these days, thanks in part to innovations in food science. Probiotics are living microorganisms {in most cases, bacteria} that are similar to those found in our intestines. Just like we need “good” {HDL} cholesterol, we need good bacteria in our bodies to maintain balance and optimal health. Unfortunately, lifestyle, diet, age, stress levels, exercise {or lack thereof}, and antibiotic use all have an impact on the balance of your good bacteria.

After the free-for-all many of us indulged in over the holiday season, now is the time to clean up your gut!

The benefits of probiotics include:

1. Inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria that cause digestive stress

2. Improving food digestion and absorption of vitamins

3. Stimulating and supporting the body’s immune system

4. Reducing the incidence of allergies

5. Supporting a healthy weight

6. Maintaining urinary health

Reach for probiotics when you feel a cold coming on. Or better, maintain a diet rich in probiotics all the time to keep your immune system strong and gut health in check. If you want to flatten your abs, healthy digestion will certainly lessen or eliminate that bloated Buddha belly and uncomfortable feeling. These little known facts have been used for centuries and that’s because it works!

But as with everything else, is it REALLY a good idea to consume this gut-friendly goodness via something created in a lab versus the way nature intended? With the exception of a high quality probiotic supplement like this one, the short answer is no.

Probiotics naturally occur in foods such as yogurt, fermented and unfermented milk, kefir, miso, tempeh, and fermented cabbage like sauerkraut, to name a few. 

You’re not alone if:

a.) You’ve never heard of some of these foods; and

b.) None of them seem appetizing.

The good news is they are! Here’s the breakdown and how you can easily and deliciously incorporate naturally occurring probiotics into your daily regime:

1. Miso: As in “miso soup”, a staple appetizer on the menu at Japanese restaurants. It’s a delicious and satisfying complement to your sushi. Try it.

2. Tempeh: This is fermented soybeans, and when opting for the organic variety, makes a great substitute for meat. It’s LOADED with fiber and protein so vegans and vegetarians can {and do} rejoice over it! What to do with tempeh? This Orange Broccoli Tempeh Stir Fry is a good start.

3. Sauerkraut and kimchi: This is an acquired taste, but once you are hooked, there’s no going back and oh so good for your digestion. My 4 year old loves it {after multiple failed attempts to get her to try it, she’s now hooked and questions me if it’s not on her plate}.

4. Yogurt: This is the “go to” source for all things probiotic, and what has been heavily marketed. The large companies have exploited consumers naivety by creating {or rather naming} specific products that tout their high levels of probiotics and pricing accordingly. Advertising overhead must covered somehow, right? The reality? Even though those corporate behemoths market the fact that their yogurt contains a probiotic strain they have trademarked that is not in other yogurts, that supposedly speeds wastes through the digestive system and improves immunity in the intestines more effectively than other strains, in my humble opinion, that’s a bunch of poppycock. Those live active cultures that make yogurt, yogurt are probiotics. Plus, commercially-prepared yogurts are loaded with sugar and other questionable additives.

My suggestion is…ready for it…MAKE {yes, that’s right} your own yogurt at home. After buying quart after expensive quart of plain, organic whole milk yogurt that my loves gobbled up, I invested LESS than $30 in this yogurt maker. Best investment ever. After some trial and error and a bit of advice from my dear friend, who turned me onto it, I cracked the code to the most delicious, creamy, organic, and probiotic-filled plain yogurt ever. For pennies on the dollar, I make over a quart of raw milk yogurt each week in less than 15 minutes and I have complete control on what I put in it – fresh fruit or nothing at all. The possibilities are endless. Contrary to popular belief, plain yogurt actually tastes good plain. If you just can’t spare the time or expense to make your yogurt, I get it. A good quality organic whole milk yogurt from the store will do the trick.

5. Condiments: What’s so cool about fermented foods is that you can literally create just about anything you desire with a bit of culture starter {in the form of liquid whey}, salt, and time. Check out my Pinterest board for some inspiration here.

6. Beverages: Kefir and kombucha are the most popular of the fermented beverages. What are they? 

Kefir: Pronounced, “kee-fer”, this is yogurt’s cousin, with it’s tangy and somewhat sour taste. Kefir’s flavor is naturally sweet and slightly bubbly and has a thinner consistency than yogurt. It is made either with kefir grains or a powdered kefir starter.

Kombucha: A raw, fermented, and naturally carbonated tea beverage. It’s a fantastic alternative to soda, if you’re battling a sweet tooth or trying to transition your loves away from the junk. It’s made with water, tea, sugar and a fermenting culture called a SCOBY {Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast}. Now before you go crucifying me for being a hypocritical sugar pusher, the white stuff is necessary to make kombucha. Without sugar, the culture has no food to ferment and simple table sugar is preferred by the SCOBY as the easiest type of sweetener to digest. As a result of fermenting, most of the sugar is converted by the SCOBY and when it’s all said and done, there’s about 2-3 grams per 8 ounce glass, waaay less than an 8 ounce glass of O.J. has about 24 grams of sugar. What’s so cool about kombucha is that the sky is literally the limit when it comes to flavoring kombucha. 

Culture Your Life

Want to learn how to make your own kefir and kombucha but not sure where to start? Check out my friend Louise’s amazing e-book, “Culture Your Life“, where she divulges her secrets to making these powerful beverages in the comfort of your own home, and includes over 45 recipes for drinks, foods, cosmetics, and household cleaning products. 

How do Almond Kefir Banana Muffins, Blueberry Kefir Muffins, Coconut Water Kefir, Carrot Cake Bites with Cinnamon Kefir Cream Cheese Frosting, Rocky Road Kefir Ice Cream, Mint Chocolate Kefir Ice Cream, Garlic Kefir Dip, and SCOBY Snacks sound? 

Or perhaps Apple Water Kefir, Cacao Water Kefir, SCOBY Shakes, or kombucha flavors like Green Tea Jasmine and Apple , Chai Roobios, and Orange Black Tea? Wanna make those bad boys into adult bevvys and really kick up your next cocktail party?  Louise has got your back and will show you step-by-step how to do this. Yeah, she’s pretty awesome. 

I’m drooling just writing this.  And for you, my lucky readers, my girl Louise is offering an EXCLUSIVE 50% savings! Check out Culture Your Life here , use the coupon code “MIX50”, and get your gut on its way to glory! 

Still not sure?

Here are some recipes that might push you over the edge:

• Easy Homemade Ginger Sauerkraut from Savory Lotus

• Fermented Apple Juice from Oh Lardy! {This is a FAVORITE in our house!}

• Fermented Banana Peppers from Elston Backyard Farms

• Fermented Cranberry Sauce made with Water Kefir Grains from Cheerfully Imperfect 

• Fermented Mushrooms from Oh Lardy!

• Fermented Garden Salsa from Oh Lardy! 

• Fermented Orange Jello from Oh Lardy! 

• Fermented Pickles from Oh Lardy! 

• Happy Belly Cheesecake {Dairy-Free} from Savory Lotus

• Kimchi {Korean Sauerkraut} from The Wholesome Life

• Lacto Fermented Ketchup from The Wholesome Life

• {Kid-Friendly} Supergirl Smoothie from The Sweet Plantain 

Another great resource that has more probiotic-rich recipes than you can count is Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon. This is my “go to” book for all things fermented, plus so many other awesome tips and factoids.

Want the Easy Button Instead?

If I have not successfully convinced your palate to try above-mentioned probiotic rock stars, fear not. You can still get your fix of good bacteria. If you’re feeling a little off your A-game from all the holiday festivities, booze, travel and/or family stress {or all of the above}, you can opt for a good quality probiotic supplement. But that here.

Of course, exercising, eating a nutrient-dense diet, reducing stress, and limiting use of pharmaceutical drugs is key too – but you’re already doing that, right?

Now it’s your turn. Do you incorporate probiotic-rich foods into your diet or take a supplement? If so, have you noticed an improvement in your health? Please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear! 

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