Probiotics have been associated with calming and improving Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohns, colitis, may protect you from colds and flu and help you have a healthy microbiome (the microorganisms that live in our guts and keep us healthy). Probiotics are foods that contain bacteria we already have in our guts and can stabilize a precarious intestinal situation, or re-colonize after an anti-biotic one. Hint: don’t take anti-biotics and pro-biotics at the same time. The antis will kill the probios, and the pros will muffle the action of the antibios.
Fermented foods include: unsweetened** yogurt and kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso. Make sure your miso stays unboiled or you’ll kill the beneficials, so add it last and to slightly cooled soup, or use it as a base in a salad dressing. Taste before you add salt, because miso can be salty.) Make sure any product says ‘live active cultures”. The Farmers Market is a great place to pick up yummy healthy and freshly fermented foods. Also, my friend Alex Lewin has written a fantastic book about it: Real Food Fermentation. You can borrow it if you want.