More than a third of people say gut health is the biggest benefit they’re seeking from food, according to a . If you’re concerned with your digestive health, it’s time to get familiar with probiotic foods, certain fermented foods rich in beneficial bacteria. No doubt you’ve heard the term probiotic.
This technically refers to live organisms in amounts known to provide health benefits. You can score probiotics through supplements and certain fermented foods, though not all fermented foods can be characterized as containing probiotics. Read on to learn why you should be getting beneficial bacteria from your foods and how to tell which foods have them.
Probiotics are good bacteria that help maintain a healthy balance in the gut. Everyone’s gut is unique — like a fingerprint — but one of the most important features of a healthy gut is the diversity of microbes that reside there. Think of these beneficial bugs as each playing a different role on a team, so just like a baseball team needs a pitcher, a catcher, and so on, you need many different critters to form a healthy microbial community.
Consuming microbes through probiotic foods and other fermented items is irrefutably good for you. The varied roles of gut microbes include producing certain vitamins or helping you absorb nutrients better, aiding in digestion and keeping bad microbes from causing harm. Your gut environment paves the way to a healthy body and mind.
For instance, the majority of your cells originate.
