The Best Probiotic Foods

In a modern society, cleaners, soaps and medicines galore are designed to kill each and every bacterium. In many cases, this is a good thing, since many bacteria can cause diseases and other health conditions. However, some bacteria are very beneficial to your health, especially for proper digestive function. Fortunately, certain foods will replenish the supply of beneficial bacteria, or probiotics, in your system.

Yogurt

Yogurt is the source of probiotics that first comes to mind for most people, largely due to the prevalence of TV commercials promoting certain brands of yogurt. However, not all yogurt will necessarily is a good source of probiotics. Make sure that the yogurt you choose is labeled as including "live cultures" or "active cultures," since the pasteurization process can kill the probiotics that many yogurts would otherwise contain. Some brands of frozen yogurt can also contain live or active cultures.

Miso

Miso is a traditional component of Japanese cuisine. It is made by fermenting a type of grain like barley, brown rice, or soybeans. This resulting paste is the main ingredient of miso soup, which is miso's most well known use. You can also use miso as a snack by spreading it on bread, toast or crackers. If you serve miso in a hot dish, such as soup, add the miso immediately before serving so the live cultures are not killed by the heat.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is a traditional German dish that is made from fermented cabbage. It can be easily found in canned or vacuum-sealed packages in most grocery stores. Eating sauerkraut with hot dogs, Italian sausage or kielbasa is the most common use, but sauerkraut also works well as an accompaniment for meats or even vegetarian dishes, since its distinctive sour flavor complements other flavors very well.

Kimchi

Kimchi is created through a process similar to that used to create sauerkraut, and, also like sauerkraut, cabbage is generally the main ingredient. However, kimchi is a traditionally Korean dish, and it can include many other ingredients such as peppers, carrots, onions, and garlic. Unlike the mostly sour taste of sauerkraut, kimchi tends to be quite spicy. Kimchi can be used as a flavoring or condiment for other dishes, especially meats, but many people like eating it by itself as a side dish.