“All disease begins in the gut.”
-SUPPOSED TO BE ATTRIBUTED TO HIPPOCRATES SOME 2,000 YEARS AGO
Do you remember when Jamie Lee Curtis did digestive yogurt commercials? She would say it helped her “stay regular”. In fact, probiotics help with digestive issues such as constipation and its opposite diarrhea, bloating, gas, etc. Probiotics are a very important aide in general health but also gut health. I’ve learned early on how probiotics can help you and your baby’s gut health.
What are Probiotics and How can They Help with Gut Health?
So what are probiotics and how can help you and your kids stay healthy?
Our stomachs/intestines have an ecosystem of different types of bacteria. Probiotics are a type of “good bacteria” in our gut that helps with our digestion.
We need to focus on creating a gut full of good bacteria while trying to get rid of bad bacteria.
Bad Bacteria Can Cause Illness
However, there is also “bad bacteria” as well. Montezma’s revenge is a term used when traveling.
Certain countries have contaminated local water. Drinking tap water with bacteria (such as e coli) can cause issues such as diarrhea.
We need to focus on the good (probiotic) bacteria. Probiotics can be found naturally in food. But probiotics come in pill or capsule form as well. I try to use a little bit of both, but in general I like to get my nutrients naturally.
Foods that are Naturally Probiotic:
- Yogurt
- Kefir
- Kimchi
- Miso
- Sauerkraut
- Pickles
- Buttermilk
- Tempeh
- Certain types of cheese (cottage, cheddar, mozzarella, gouda)
- Natto
- Kombucha
- Sourdough bread
Generally, I notice many of the foods on this list are from other countries. Most of these foods are from countries such as Asia, the Middle East and even Germany (sauerkraut).
I would say the one food most Americans are most familiar with is (probably) yogurt (hence the ads by Jamie Lee Curtis). Also, another food that Americans are familiar with are pickles. If you watched Jersey Shore, Snooki had an obsession with pickles.
Other Benefits of Probiotics
There are also many other health benefits of a probiotic rich diet besides healthy digestion. This includes heart health, a stronger immune system, more energy, clearer skin, lessening depression, and overall wellbeing.
The list of benefits certainly motivates me to eat my probiotics.
There are Probiotics For Infants/Babies
I was not able to breast feed due to cancer treatment. Therefore, I knew it would be really important to help my baby’s gut health. And I knew that giving her probiotics would help to strengthen her immune system. I started looking around the net for options for infants to boost their gut health.
There are brands out there that help with the infant age group.
For instance, I would buy a separate probiotic supplement when she was a few months old. I would include it in her bottle formula. It was easy to mix up with her formula. Although, you might notice formulas have probiotics as well.
I did this to ensure her gut had a mixed microbiome. This helped me feel her gut health was strong.
What Exactly are Prebiotics?
Prebiotics sound a lot like Probiotics. They are connected.
So what are prebiotics? Basically, prebiotics are the fiber that probiotic bacteria feed on in your gut.
So it is good to take both together.
Also, prebiotics are found naturally in vegetables, fruits and legumes. Our digestive systems can’t actually digest these fibers, but probiotic bacteria can.
Foods that are Naturally Prebiotic:
- Legumes
- Beans
- Peas
- Onions
- Leeks
- Bananas
- Berries
- Asparagus
- Garlic
- Dandelion Greens
- Chicory Root
- Jerusalem Artichoke (Aka Sunroot)
- Barley
- Oats
- Apples
- Burdock Root
This list includes plant based foods that are loaded with nutritional content. Not only that, but they help boost and feed the good bacteria in the gut. If you notice, a lot of this list are fiber rich foods. Whenever eating a lot of fiber, it’s just as important to drink a lot of water as well. This helps “get things moving” along.
Getting my Toddler to Eat Probiotics
Because my toddler is now eating whole foods, I consciously feed her probiotic rich foods. Sometimes fermented foods have a “different taste“. Although I am Japanese American, I was not raised eating Japanese natto beans. However, I have learned to palate the very “unique taste” after learning about its health benefits.
And apparently my daughter has picked up the taste. She will readily drink miso soup and kombucha. These foods are definitely “acquired tastes“. But it seems like she is working on acquiring them.
Because she sees me eat these things…it appears that she is more open to eating them as well.
Finally, I make sure to introduce a variety of probiotic and prebiotic foods to my child now. It is my hope she continues to consciously eat probiotics and prebiotic foods.
Hopefully, you and yours will also be more open to incorporating more probiotics into your diet!
As always, please Remember 2 Savor!
