Prebiotic and Probiotic Foods

Question: Why bother with prebiotic and probiotic foods?

Answer: We humans are merely a scaffold. As we have learned from modern science, our human cells are outnumbered 10 to 1 by the bacteria and other microbes that form the ecosystem that is us. When our bodies and especially our digestive tract are colonized by beneficial bacteria, it helps to keep our systems in balance and humming along smoothly. Antibiotics and poor nutrition disrupt our microbiome, potentially setting the stage for imbalance or illness. This has repercussions on all levels: metabolism, energy and fertility among them. Probiotic foods contain beneficial bacteria that colonize the gut. Prebiotic foods contain specific types of fiber that serve as food for the probiotics. Thus, both are important, the good bacteria and the food to feed the good bacteria. As Chinese medicine teaches, digestion is the center of health. Using probiotic and prebiotic foods to keep our microbiome in balance is a key pillar of basic health.

Probiotic Foods:

If you tolerate dairy well: 

  • Acidophilus Milk

  • Buttermilk

  • Cheese (aged)

  • Cottage Cheese

  • Kefir or Goat Kefir (unsweetened)

  • Sour Cream

  • Whole or 2% Greek Yogurt (unsweetened)

If you don’t tolerate dairy well, these are some tasty coconut and almond based yogurts and kefir:

  • Anita’s Coconut Yogurt

  • CoYo 

  • GT’s Cocokefir - I LOVE this.

  • GT’s Cocoyo

  • Kite Hill Almond milk yogurt

Non-Dairy / Fermented Foods:

  • Fermented Meats

  • Fermented Vegetables

  • Kimchi - Mother-In-Law’s Kimchi (I like the daikon one the best).

  • Kombucha (be aware that some kombucha is alcoholic and some not)

  • Kvass

  • Miso

  • Natto

  • Pickles that are lactofermented (and do not use vinegar to ferment - vinegar kills the bacteria) 

  • Raw Sauerkraut (made WITHOUT cooking or vinegar which kills beneficial bacteria)

  • Tempeh

Prebiotic foods:

  • Apples

  • Asparagus

  • Bananas

  • Burdock

  • Chicory root (inulin)  this tastes a bit like coffee and you can get pure chicory in Tecchino or mixed with coffee in Cafe du Monde.

  • Dandelion Greens

  • Eggplant

  • Endive

  • Flaxseed

  • Garlic

  • Honey

  • Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchoke)

  • Jicama. I love this. Trader Joe’s has it sliced already and it’s good with their Ginger salad dressing. 

  • Konjac

  • Leeks

  • Legumes

  • Onions

  • Peas

  • Raddichio

  • Whole Grains

  • Yacon