List of Probiotic Food Sources for Healthy Digestion

What are the best Probiotic foods that you can eat?

Probiotics are living microorganisms which exert a healthful benefit on their host when they are present in adequate quantity.

Most probiotic bacteria can be found naturally living within the digestive tract, vagina and mouth of all mammals, including humans.

Although they are readily available in supplement form (via capsule, tablet, pill, liquid), they are eaten regularly in common, everyday food products.

Dairy products, like yogurt and acidophilus milk, are two examples of well-known probiotic foods, but there are many other foods which provide these helpful bacteria and fungi which assure good digestion and also, keep us healthy.

Probiotics have been shown in clinical trials to promote better digestion, improve immunity and increase metabolism. People use probiotics to reduce gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and to decrease food transit time from mouth to bowel.

Some studies indicate that certain probiotics help in the relief of symptoms associated with inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract like IBS, IBD and Crohn’s Disease.

Probiotics

Digestive Supplement

Gut Health

Digestion

Immune Function

How It Works:

• Supports a healthy immune system & microflora
• Promotes digestion & nutrient absoprtion
• Combats pathogenic bacteria; Improves metabolism

Dosage:

Between 1 - 10 Billion CFUs per day

Safety:

Rated Likely Safe

Top Probiotics Products* ❯

View User Ratings* ❯

Probiotic Foods List

Fermented food products, like soy and pickles, contain bacteria which is advantageous to the human microbiome. In these foods, the process of fermentation occurs due to the bacteria introduced to ferment the product.

In the USA, yogurt is often the first food people think of when probiotics are mentioned, but there are many other delicious foods containing beneficial live bacteria. These can generally be found in the refrigerated section of most grocers.

Some common foods are:

• Soy sauce
• Pickled Ginger
• Miso made from fermented soy, barley or rice
• Tempeh
• Kimchi
• Sauerkraut
• Buttermilk
• Pickles
• Pickled Carrots
• Pickled Beets
• Pickled Cucumbers
• Kombucha Tea
• Kefir (fermented milk product)
• Soft cheeses, particularly Gouda
• Sourdough pancakes and breads
• Acidophilus enriched milk

Foods with the highest probiotics count like sauerkraut and kimchi should not be purchased from the dry goods area, but instead, from the refrigerated section.

Bear in mind that probiotic bacteria are living organisms and must be ingested while alive in order to effectively colonize and proffer the intended benefit.

Some bacteria cannot withstand extended shelf life. For this reason, freeze-dried supplements are often recommended.

Foods with Probiotics

Another important consideration for individuals working to restore or maintain healthy microflora within the gut, is prebiotics. Prebiotics are not living bacterial organism, but instead are composed of soluble fibers.

They stimulate the probiotic microbes to flourish and colonize the area in which they are found. Foods and supplements containing soluble fiber can change the bacterial mix found in the lower gut.

It is easy to confuse insoluble fiber with soluble fiber. Soluble fiber can be broken down and fermented by the bacteria in the gut. This is why it is considered pre-biotic; because it is converted into substrates which are useful for probiotics to flourish.

Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, passes through the GI tract without being affected by any of the digestive enzymes, acids, bacteria and processes it encounters.

Insoluble fiber is eaten in order to bulk up and increase bowel regularity, whereas prebiotic soluble fiber passes into the colon where it is readily fermented into gases and bioactive byproducts useful for probiotic dominance.

Probiotic Foods vs. Probiotic Supplements

Which is better—natural probiotic foods or probiotic supplements?

In most cases, the answer to this question will depend on the reason for supplementation, and the availability of quality sources of either.

Probiotic foods are a gentle and safe means of daily maintenance and modulation of the gut flora. For healthy individuals, eating regular probiotic and prebiotic foods is often adequate to gain the health benefits.

Individuals seeking to treat specific symptoms or disorders via the use of probiotics are better advised to use capsules, powders or pills. Quality supplements will assure the necessary dose of live bacteria, as well as the correct strain of bacteria.

The standardized doses available in supplement form assure that an adequate number of the healthy bacteria are present. This enables them to dominate the gastrointestinal or urogenital tract.

When overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria occurs, the good bacteria must be consistently introduced in effective quantity in order to overwhelm and out-compete them. In cases like antibiotic related disruptions, once the helpful bacteria have established dominance, the dose may be decreased and, eventually, probiotic foods may be all that is needed.

In instances of inflammatory disorders or Leaky Gut Syndrome, the need for the higher doses of supplementation may be ongoing.

Increasing your Consumption of Probiotic Foods

Adding probiotic foods to a daily dietary regimen can benefit nearly everyone. Pickled and fermented foods are good bets when adding probiotic foods to a nutrition plan.

When treating specific symptoms like bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, constipation, vaginal infection, inflammatory conditions, high cholesterol, skin conditions, antibiotic-related diarrhea or foodborne diarrhea, supplementing with probiotics in capsule, powder or pill form is usually more effective in the short-term, then moving to probiotic foods once symptoms are under control.

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