Easy Button: Probiotic Food (& Why)
life is hard; food doesn't have to be #53 [vol2, 5.3]
Probiotics have gained popularity in recent days. Some pills can be quite costly. If you’ve been around me a while, you’ve heard me proclaim food can be medicine.
Life is hard. Food doesn’t have to be. You can make your own traditionally ferments - or hit the easy button and purchase store bought probiotic food.
But first, why? Why eat probiotics in the first place? Four reasons I look to get probiotics from food:
Immunity - fight the bad bugs guys with good. One study points to sauerkraut and kimchi fighting Covid.
Enzymes aid digestion. Raw fermented foods contain enzymes that are especially needed as we age. With each birthday our bodies do not produce enzymes as prolifically and our digestive systems S L O W down.
Nutrition: fermentation increases vitamin content. Sauerkraut has 20% more vitamin C than raw cabbage.
Detoxification: fermented foods can chelate heavy metals (mercury, lead, aluminum) & other toxins we encounter everyday.
What are store bought examples of probiotics?
Probiotic foods are generally refrigerated. Hint: mushy sauerkraut in a can is dead. It is not probiotic.
The best food probiotic (in my opinion) is unsweetened, full fat kefir. There are multiple strains of bacteria in kefir. Plus the beneficial bacteria in kefir can actually colonize in your lower digestive system and do ongoing work. Buy a quart in the dairy section and add it to a smoothie, chug a couple tablespoons alone or add it to yogurt. There are sweet kefir versions if you’re taking baby steps. Plain kefir is quite tart.
Another creative idea: add plain kefir to mayonnaise or sour cream based salads this summer. Places you could easily “hide” a couple tablespoons: potato salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, macaroni salad, etc.
Yogurt is the very bottom of effective probiotics. It is better than nothing, but definitely not the best. Sweetened yogurts should be considered more dessert than beneficial probiotics. Please avoid low fat or artificially sweetened yogurts.
Non-Dairy Probiotic Options
Bubbies brand is a reputable option. We love both their sauerkraut and sour pickles. Most health food stores carry Bubbies. Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry this brand, but they do sell raw sauerkraut in the refrigerated section.
Look at the ingredient list. Salt should be a major player -- and vinegar should not.
If you like bread and butter pickles, these are a great tasting option made without dyes and chemicals. Don’t buy them for beneficial probiotics. They are made with lots of sugar and are not fermented.
Kombucha is a traditionally fermented tea teeming with beneficial bacteria. It also has a detoxifying benefit that sets it apart from other food based probiotics. As such, when trying kombucha for the first time, just drink half the bottle. Depending on existing gut flora, too much can detoxify you too quickly (send you to the toilet). If your body seems to tolerate half a bottle, go for more the next day.
Kombucha can be found at “regular” stores like WalMart, Target and Kroger, as well as health food stores. Since I make it, people often ask how much I drink a day. Usually just a couple ounces in the morning. If it is a hot day, I might drink more in the afternoon. Honestly it’s rationed and I have to limit some people in my house who like it a bit too much!
How Much Is Enough?
Fermented foods have billions of probiotics per spoonful. A little bit can make a big difference. My personal goal is 2 tablespoons of something fermented per meal. I make my children eat it and tell them it is their medicine. Or sneak it in their food and remove the fight. Fermented foods are non-negotiable at my table.
Goal is 2T per meal. Reality might be more like 2T per day.
Baby Steps
Buy something mentioned above. Kombucha and kefir (especially the sweeter ones) are most palatable.
Taste it right away.
Make a goal of eating or drinking some of it every day for a week.
Try another food on the list.
WHOLE HOG option: buy several foods mentioned above, invite friends and family over. Have a tasting party!
Incorporating new habits can be challenging but you can do it! Our health is better for allowing our food to be medicine.
Cheering you on, one bite at time,
Julie