All bacteria isn't bad---in fact, about three pounds of your body weight comes from good bacteria that help strengthen your immune system, regulate your gastrointestinal tract and protect against health conditions ranging from hypertension to kidney stones. These good bacteria are called probiotics, and you can increase your body's probiotic count by adding foods that have probiotics in them to your diet.
Dairy Products
Fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir are the most common sources for probiotics. Probiotics are also found in cheese, including cottage cheese, and buttermilk. Dairy products are a good way for many people to ingest probiotics because these foods have a protective effect on the stomach by neutralizing stomach acid.
Soy Products
Fermented soy products, including miso and tempeh, are good sources of probiotics. Choose unpasteurized rather than pasteurized products to get their probiotic benefits. Some experts recommend never adding miso to anything hotter than your body temperature, but there are no scientific studies to confirm that this affects the probiotic action of soy products.
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut, which is basically fermented cabbage, is a good source for probiotics as long as it hasn't been pasteurized. (Pasteurization kills the active bacteria in sauerkraut to increase its shelf life). Some pickles and kimchi (a Korean pickled cabbage) may contain probiotics if they are unpasteurized and made with no vinegar.
Fruits and Vegetables
Probiotic compounds are found in fruits and vegetables, too. Bananas and artichokes are all good sources for probiotic compounds. For probiotic benefits, canned vegetables that have been fermented rather than pasteurized are a better option. You may be able to find these in the refrigerated section at specialty stores---make sure they also contain no vinegar. There's no research on how freezing vegetables affects their probiotic compounds, so if you can choose fresh vegetables, do so. Whether you eat bananas and artichokes cooked or raw does not appear to affect their probiotic content.
Garlic and Onions
Alliums, especially onions and garlic, contain probiotic compounds. Leeks also contain some probiotic compounds. It's fine to cook them, though you should avoid serving them with vinegar, which can kill the probiotics.
Fortified Foods
Some foods may be fortified by probiotics, usually to increase a food's fiber content. If you're confronted by a new food, check the nutrition label: foods with probiotics will have ingredients like inulin, lactose, arabinogalactan, fructooligosaccarides (FOS), polydextrose or lactitol.
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