Your guide to making the most of your body’s beneficial bugs — for gut health, immunity, metabolism and more.
If you track nutrition news the way some folks follow fashion or sports, you’re already familiar with probiotics, which are quickly becoming one of the biggest food trends of the decade.
Our guts are filled with billions of good bacteria that help regulate our immune systems. When that bacteria is altered or destroyed by antibiotics, drugs and poor lifestyle, they can be degraded enough to cause disease and ill health. Probiotics can repopulate the gut’s healthy bacteria by adding billions of different strains of flora, thereby improving vitality and helping stave off chronic disease.
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NOURISH YOUR ECOSYSTEM
Eager to balance your gut and improve your immunity but overwhelmed by the options? Here’s a simple primer on how to buy, store and consume probiotics.
Seek out fermented foods.
Fermentation concentrates plants’ nutrients, especially B and C vitamins, and inoculates the gut with a host of beneficial bugs. The list of food options is long: yogurt, miso, tamari, sourdough bread and kombucha , for example, are all fermented foods that naturally contain probiotics. (For more options, see “Wanted: Good Bacteria” below.) “Sauerkraut is one of the cheapest probiotics you can buy,” adds Rawlings. Whenever possible, buy natural sauerkraut fermented in saltwater because foods preserved in vinegar (an astringent) can disturb the gut’s natural acid levels.
Be selective when choosing probiotic-enriched foods.
Only fermented foods naturally contain probiotics, but food manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, sprinkling the beneficial bugs into a wide range of foods, like cereals, snack bars and bread. When probiotic cultures are separated from their original source and added to processed foods, however, their benefits may not transfer. Extreme temperatures are enough to kill many healthy bugs, so the advantages of probiotics added to baked goods and ice cream are questionable, says Walker. “In many cases, the public is being hoodwinked by food makers who are eager to capitalize on people’s desire to eat healthily.”
Buy and store probiotic-rich foods in glass jars or ceramic containers.
Avoid metal tins because they often contain aluminum, which can interact with the lactic acid in fermented foods and potentially create toxins, says Rawlings. And scratched or soft plastics may leach chemicals into your food.
Chill for longevity.
When refrigerated after opening, some fermented foods will keep for several weeks. Beneficial bacteria will multiply as long as the container is not contaminated (so never eat directly from the jar or double-dip). Live supplements will survive for months in the refrigerator; freeze-dried, even longer. Warning: If left unrefrigerated , certain probiotic-rich foods and drinks (like kombucha ) can spoil, build up pressure and even explode their packaging.
