5 Best Probiotic Foods
TESS PATRICK
Unless you’re completely new to the health and wellness space, you’ll likely understand just how important gut health is for our overall holistic health. The gut microbiome (that is the billions of beneficial bacteria that make up our insides) is responsible for so much in the body, from brain health to even things like skin health - especially for conditions like psoriasis and eczema.
Thankfully, gut health and our microbiome is also supported by good quality nourishing foods, especially a branch of fermented foods known as probiotics. Probiotics are actually live microorganisms that improve and restore our gut flora to promote incredible health benefits, and the best part is you don’t need to have dairy to experience them as we’ve traditionally been told.
But I don’t want to bore you with the background details, I just want to give you the fun information! Here are the 5 best probiotic foods:
1. Kefir
If you’ve tried kefir before, you’ll likely already know its incredible probiotic benefits. Kefir brews can be easily made by adding kefir grains to liquid, typically dairy milk (although there are many vegan alternatives), and fermenting. Kefir is known to have several major strains of good bacteria and yeast, making it a leading choice for probiotics.
2. Tempeh
Tempeh is like tofu’s cooler older sibling. It takes some getting used to for those just exploring it for the first time, but it will change your approach to health-conscious cooking. Tempeh, being a fermented soy product, is a rich source of probiotic bacteria. There’s scientific evidence to show that the cooking and fermenting of soybeans will strengthen the concentration of good bacteria, plus it tastes absolutely divine marinated and barbecued.
3. Kombucha
We know, you’ve heard us singing the praises of kombucha for quite some time now. The fizzy fermented drink is the wellness community’s alternative to a can of soda, and it’s hard to miss. But why we love it so much is not just because of the taste or the habitual nature, it’s because of the amazing probiotics that are established in the fermentation process. The tonic lends itself to an ancient Chinese brew, but modern science has done the research and found evidence to back up its use.
4. Sauerkraut
This traditionally German take on fermented veggies has been a staple in everything from salads to burgers of late, and our guts are thanking us for an extra dose of this probiotic-rich food. Evidence has shown that sauerkraut is one of the leading sources of dietary probiotics, and daily consumption may contribute to a whole host of health benefits.
5. Miso
Lovers of Japanese cuisine will be joyful to know that miso is a rich source of probiotics. So whether you have it as a simple soup, or use the delicious umami flavor as the base for a salad dressing, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll be enjoying a large dose of the beneficial bacteria, a. Oryzae, which has been linked to immune response and increased amino acid uptake.
Do you make a conscious effort to include gut health-promoting probiotics in your diet? If you haven’t yet, then it’s time to get inspired!
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Tess has brought together her background in journalism and communications and her passion for nutrition to add to the Food Matters team. Her time is spent dreaming up new articles, researching the latest in nutrition news, and engaging with you, our readers. When she’s not cooking up a storm in the kitchen, you’ll find her trying to catch a wave, catching up on her nutrition and naturopathy studies, or hanging out with her cat, Salem.