Prebiotic and Probiotic Foods
Question: Why bother with prebiotic and probiotic foods?
Answer: We humans are merely a scaffold. As we have learned from modern science, our human cells are outnumbered 10 to 1 by the bacteria and other microbes that form the ecosystem that is us. When our bodies and especially our digestive tract are colonized by beneficial bacteria, it helps to keep our systems in balance and humming along smoothly. Antibiotics and poor nutrition disrupt our microbiome, potentially setting the stage for imbalance or illness. This has repercussions on all levels: metabolism, energy and fertility among them. Probiotic foods contain beneficial bacteria that colonize the gut. Prebiotic foods contain specific types of fiber that serve as food for the probiotics. Thus, both are important, the good bacteria and the food to feed the good bacteria. As Chinese medicine teaches, digestion is the center of health. Using probiotic and prebiotic foods to keep our microbiome in balance is a key pillar of basic health.
Probiotic Foods:
If you tolerate dairy well:
Acidophilus Milk
Buttermilk
Cheese (aged)
Cottage Cheese
Kefir or Goat Kefir (unsweetened)
Sour Cream
Whole or 2% Greek Yogurt (unsweetened)
If you don’t tolerate dairy well, these are some tasty coconut and almond based yogurts and kefir:
Anita’s Coconut Yogurt
CoYo
GT’s Cocokefir - I LOVE this.
GT’s Cocoyo
Kite Hill Almond milk yogurt
Non-Dairy / Fermented Foods:
Fermented Meats
Fermented Vegetables
Kimchi - Mother-In-Law’s Kimchi (I like the daikon one the best).
Kombucha (be aware that some kombucha is alcoholic and some not)
Kvass
Miso
Natto
Pickles that are lactofermented (and do not use vinegar to ferment - vinegar kills the bacteria)
Raw Sauerkraut (made WITHOUT cooking or vinegar which kills beneficial bacteria)
Tempeh
Prebiotic foods:
Apples
Asparagus
Bananas
Burdock
Chicory root (inulin) this tastes a bit like coffee and you can get pure chicory in Tecchino or mixed with coffee in Cafe du Monde.
Dandelion Greens
Eggplant
Endive
Flaxseed
Garlic
Honey
Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchoke)
Jicama. I love this. Trader Joe’s has it sliced already and it’s good with their Ginger salad dressing.
Konjac
Leeks
Legumes
Onions
Peas
Raddichio
Whole Grains
Yacon