Sometimes it’s inevitable that you’ll need to take antibiotics to heal. When this happens, your doctor and pharmacist will recommend taking a probiotic. Because probiotics are natural, living micro-organisms in the gut microflora that have beneficial effects and help to maintain and restore the health of our gut flora, they are essential for the proper functioning of our immune system.
There are a wide range of products available in pharmacies, but some people are averse to them, saying they don’t want more medication and would rather protect their digestive health with probiotic foods.
Here are 5 excellent probiotic foods.
1. Kefir
It contains twelve types of beneficial bacteria that protect the gut and boost the immune system.
2. Yoghurt
The best-known source of probiotics. Yoghurts usually contain two strains of probiotics that are very effective: lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.
3. Sauerkraut
An excellent probiotic. Sour cabbage and its Korean sister, kimchi, are packed with immune-boosting vitamins, so eating them during the winter is particularly recommended.
4. Soft cheeses
They aid digestion, but not all probiotics survive their journey to our stomachs and intestines. However, studies have shown that those in fermented soft cheeses such as Gouda are persistent enough to get the job done and boost the immune system.
5. Kombucha tea
This is a sweet, black tea made by fermenting kombucha mushrooms. It’s a very rich probiotic drink with lots of benefits: including being a very powerful immune stimulant.
