Top 10 Probiotic Superfoods for Good Health

Probiotics are your gateway to a healthier you. In this article, check out the top 10 probiotic superfoods that you must be eating (or drinking) every day!

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are ‘friendly’ bacteria that live in our bodies, mainly the gut. They are very beneficial for our health! In fact, if your body has little to no probiotics, you’ll be very sick!

Some of the benefits of probiotics in our bodies include:

• Probiotics improve mental conditions such as anxiety, depression, autism, memory and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).
• They help balance the existing beneficial bacteria in the gut.
• Eating probiotics helps treat and prevent diarrhea.
• Probiotics may help keep your heart healthy by lowering LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol.
• Probiotics help lessen the severity of allergic and inflammatory conditions like eczema.
• Symptoms of certain digestive disorders such as IBS, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis can be reduced by taking probiotic-rich foods or supplements.
• Eating probiotics may help you lose weight and belly fat!
• Probiotics boost your immune system, making you less prone to cold, allergies and other illnesses.
• And more!

Your daily dose of probiotics can be got from supplements but eating fresh foods or in this case, fermented foods is much more beneficial and nutritious!

A few foods contain probiotics in different quantities. But what are probiotic superfoods? And what are the top 10 probiotic superfoods you can eat? That’s what we shall be looking at below. So let’s jump into the list:

Top 10 Probiotic Superfoods for Good Health

1. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is one of the best probiotic superfoods! It also contains acetic acid and phytochemicals that are beneficial for our bodies. Apple cider vinegar acts as a natural remedy for MANY health ailments including sore throat, varicose veins, PCOS, unwanted weight gain and more. It also has detoxifying properties!

It’s best consumed first thing in the morning by mixing 1 tsp of it in a glass of warm water together with 1 tsp of raw honey, ¼ tsp cinnamon powder and a few drops of fresh lemon juice.

Make sure you purchase organic and raw apple cider vinegar with the ‘mother’. The mother refers to white floating pieces in the vinegar that are the probiotics. Do not purchase the regular red synthetic vinegar at your grocery store.

2. Yogurt

We love delicious frozen yogurt and yogurt with berries, don’t we?! Well, another reason to love yogurt is that it is rich in probiotics!

Eating yogurt can help with your digestion, eliminate acne, make your skin supple and also boost immunity.

Get Greek yogurt or yogurt with ‘live cultures’ which are tons better for health compared to sweetened flavored yogurt.

3. Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is a German word that means ‘sour cabbage’. In actual sense, it is fermented cabbage made by packing chopped cabbage in a container filled with brine or salted whey water. The cabbage is left to ferment for 3-7 days then ready to eat! Here’s a sauerkraut recipe that we love: Easy Homemade Sauerkraut in a Jar 

4. Pickled Vegetables

Pickled vegetables, also known as cultured vegetables are a mouth-watering probiotic superfood!

You can ferment vegetables like carrots, dill, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower and more in brine for about a week. After a week, your pickled vegetables will then be ready to consume. Filled with probiotics healthy for your gut and body! Check out this post on how to make your own pickled vegetables: Easiest Fermented Pickled Vegetables Ever 

5. Banana

Yes, the humble banana is another probiotic superfood that you probably already eat every day!

Bananas actually don’t contain probiotics but they contain ‘prebiotics!’ Prebiotics are carbohydrates that can’t be digested by the body but they play a major role in balancing your gut health! How? Well, prebiotics supply food for the probiotics in your gut. In so doing, they help multiply your probiotics in the gut. This results in a healthy happy gut!

6. Kombucha

Kombucha sounds fun, huh?! It’s a fermented Chinese tea that has been drunk for centuries. It is brewed by fermenting sweetened black tea with a colony yeast and bacteria known as Kombucha mushrooms!

This tea boosts the immune system, helps in weight loss, increases energy levels and gives you an overall feeling of wellbeing!

You can find organic kombucha tea in the refrigerated section of supermarkets, or just like kefir purchase kombucha mushrooms (also called kombucha mothers) or a kombucha making kit and start making your own kombucha!

7. Kefir

Kefir is a fermented drink that originated from the Caucasus mountains. It is a RICH source of probiotics, containing more than 10-34 strains of probiotics!

It is similar to yogurt, but thinner in consistency, more acidic/tart in taste and contains TONS more probiotics!

There are two types of kefir, water kefir and milk kefir. To make any of them, you will need kefir grains – for water kefir, you need water kefir grains and for milk kefir, you need milk kefir grains! After you purchase the grains, you combine them with water (for water kefir) or milk (for milk kefir) and let it ferment for 24-48 hours at room temperature. When the time is up, your bubbly fermented kefir is ready! Strain the grains using a plastic strainer (not metal!) into a bottle. Keep reusing the grains to ferment water/milk!

PS. Milk kefir contains more probiotics than water kefir!

8. Spirulina

Spirulina is arguably one of the most nutrient-dense superfoods in the world. What’s even more brilliant is that it is a probiotic superfood!

This rich green superfood has been found to stimulate the growth of lactic acid bacteria found naturally in the gut/intestines! These friendly bacteria is perfect for all things digestion and helps with nutrient absorption as well!

9. Kimchi

Kimchi is a spicy fermented Korean probiotic superfood! Koreans love eating kimchi as a side dish on a regular basis.

It is usually made of cabbages but it can also be made from other vegetables. Kimchi contains the lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus kimchii, as well as other lactic acid bacteria that are helpful for digestive health.

10. Miso

Miso is a Japanese seasoning! It is a paste made out of soybeans and other ingredients such as barley, rice and rye. To ferment it, koji, a fungus, is added. Don’t be grossed out! Koji is a beneficial fungus that is good for you!

The miso paste is most popularly used in miso soup, a popular Japanese breakfast food. Miso is also a good source of protein, fiber, vitamin K, manganese and copper.

Which is your favorite in the above list of top 10 probiotic superfoods? Share below!