Probiotics: Food or Pills?
Life is hard; food doesn't have to be #171 [vol5, 6.2]
I’ve been around the sun 48 times and counting. With each pass, my digestive system slows down. Part of the sluggishness can be blamed on the liver. As it ages it doesn’t produce the enzymes it did when I was younger. Those enzymes help to digest food.
We’ve all heard the jokes about older people drinking prune juice or eating Metamucil to help with regularity. I’ve known people who’ve had to go to the emergency room because they’re so compacted.
I’m not quite to that point and I like to think that probiotics are helping.
Not Just Constipation
I’m a huge fan of probiotics for every age and stage of life. (Have you seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? The dad swears that Windex cures all that ails ya.** It might be written on my tombstone, “Eat more probiotics!”)
Probiotics definitely help when you’re stopped up. They can also help if you experience the opposite of firm.
Bloating is another common malady that receives resolve with probiotics.
Acid reflux finds relief with more probiotics.
Probiotics also help break down food (with the help of enzymes) so that the body readily absorbs the nutrients you’re eating.
My oldest son was a crazy ADHD kinda kid (he’s still full of energy as an adult!) but kombucha and probiotics paired with nutrient dense food helped him focus so much.
Food is medicine.
Did you know?
Just one spoonful of fermented food is teeming with billions of probiotics? You don’t have to eat an entire jar to make an impact on your health. My goal is to have a bite or drink of something fermented with each meal. I hardly hit that goal with daily accuracy but still aim for it.
Probiotic at Every Meal
I’ve been intentional the last few weeks to eat more probiotic foods. A few of the foods I’m eating: kombucha, kefir, cultured cottage cheese, sauerkraut, fermented radish/carrots, splash of raw vinegar in glass of water.
Notice yogurt isn’t on my list. I’m not opposed to yogurt, it’s just that most yogurt in America is swimming in sugar which sort of negates any beneficial properties.
Why Eat Fermented Foods Instead of Pills?
Probiotic pills can be quite costly. Food is inexpensive.
The efficacy of pills is difficult to prove in your kitchen. When we eat fermented foods, we can be quite sure it is alive. If pills have been warmed (delivery truck in hot sun) some beneficial bacteria will die. Not all probiotic pills need refrigeration but you do need to know which are fragile.
Fermented foods have L. Plantarum, an organism that has an above average track record of making through digestive system intact, esp. when attached to a food substrate.
Foods have enzymes attached to them that aid the digestive process, making nutrients more bioavailable. As we age, the body’s supply of enzyme’s decreases.
Fermented foods provide a diversity of species of bacteria. And you can eat pre-biotics with pro-biotics. Prebiotics feed the beneficial bacteria called probiotics. Examples of prebiotics are onion, garlic, banana, jicama, and even rice that has been refrigerated (reheating is fine).
Easy Button: Bubbies pickled relish is an easy one to add to summer salads like tuna salad, chicken salad, pasta or egg salad, on a hot dog or burger or just a spoonful with lunch.
Canned sauerkraut isn’t alive. To make sure sauerkraut is probiotic, it needs to be refrigerated and usually says “raw” on the label. Probiotic sauerkraut is crunchy; canned sauerkraut is soggy.
Excuses
Tell me your excuse for not eating probiotic food and I’ve probably heard it. I might have even uttered the words myself!
I don’t like the taste.
I can’t buy them at my store.
I forget about them in my fridge.
There have been seasons when I’ve said all the above.
To remedy the taste aversion and train my tongue, I drank a very small amount of kombucha every morning for a year before my taste buds decided to like it. It is possible to train the taste buds!
I didn’t want to pay the high dollar for living fermented foods so I learned to make a diverse offering (it’s the easiest way to preserve most garden foods!) Cultures for Health is a reputable source for starter kits.
Lastly — as with any new habit, it helps to link with an already established habit. So when setting the dinner table I ask, “What’s fermented in the fridge that would go with this meal?”
Diversify
Just like financial investments, we want to diversify our beneficial bacteria. While it’s ok to eat the same fermented food day in and day out (or take the same probiotic), a personal goal of mine is to eat a diversified palate.
Sometimes I Supplement
One of my bedtime routines is washing my face, brushing my teeth and taking supplements. Currently I’m taking Wild Yam (hormone support), desiccated liver (iron + minerals), CBD capsule (sleep support), and a probiotic. Yes, even eating all the probiotic foods that I do, I still take a probiotic supplement.
Most recently I started drinking a gut health drink mid-day with pre and probiotics, enzymes that also has a serving of greens, and hyaluronic acid (collagen builder).
What about kids?
My kids are hit or miss with probiotic foods. The boys adore kombucha. Caroline will eat fermented veggies, no prob. All three will drink a smoothie (made with kefir) on occasion — especially if I’m the one making the smoothie.
Most recently I discovered a probiotic that tastes like FunDip or maybe a PixieStik. Schaeffer reminds me he needs to take it. Win!
VBS
This week was Vacation Bible School at our church. I made this baked oatmeal twice for easy, nutrient dense breakfast on the go.
Summer Meals
I wrote about Philly Cheeesteak from Costco before. I’m still loving it. We eat it at least once a week. Pictured is with steak, onion and cheese. I’m counting the days until I have more peppers in my garden!
This shaved beef can be found at WalMart and Kroger, too.
Garden
Above is a flower garden in my front yard. Most of it was transplanted from Mom’s. My veggie garden is doing better than last year but has so much further to go!
Watermelon Challenge
Buy a watermelon this summer and share with a neighbor or friend! Most single (or elderly couples) won’t eat an entire watermelon but appreciate when you share. Be sure to use your finest Tennessee Tupperware (like recycled cottage cheese containers) for classy presentation.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
PS - Making your own salad dressing is easy! Possibly adds probiotics and definitely removes industrial inflammatory seed oils. Here are some of my fav recipes.
**Here’s the clip from My Big Fat Greek Wedding:
Love this piece, I have thought a lot about eating probiotics rather than buying a pill. I need to hear about the yam for hormone support, I just recently heard of that. I am taking maca root in pill form for hormone support.