The Best Sources of Probiotics You may have heard that probiotics are the new “it” ingredient you should include in your dietposthaste. You may also have no actual clue what probiotics are or how to get them. You’re not alone. “Probiotics are healthy bacteria in fermented food and drinks that can help feed the healthy bacteria in your gut,” Marisa Moore, R.D.N. and consultant in Atlanta, Georgia, tells SELF. Probiotics may do more than promote the growth of “good” bacteria in your system. “These bacteria can fight pathogenic organisms,” Shilpa Ravella, M.D., a gastroenterologist with expertise in nutrition and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, tells SELF. In addition, there may be other probiotic-related benefits that science has yet to fully back up. “Although more research is needed, there’s encouraging evidence that probiotics may help treat diarrhea, especially following treatment with certain antibiotics, prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections, treat irritable bowel syndrome, speed treatment of certain intestinal infections, and prevent or reduce the severity of colds and flu,” says Mayo Clinic. So, there are clearly a few reasons you may want to incorporate probiotics into your diet. But how exactly do you do that? “There are several different strains of probiotics that you can get from different types of foods,” says Moore. Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most common probiotic strain, but you don’t have to spend hours researching which fermented foods have L. acidophilus and which don’t. Other strains can also be beneficial, and at this point, it’s all a bit of a guessing game. “Evidence or specifics regarding quantity and quality of probiotics in specific foods is limited,” says Moore. But the foods and drinks below can be a good place to start. See http://ift.tt/29r2xMH
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