The good bacteria found in various fermented foods help ensure digestive health by out-populating and fighting off any bad bacteria in your intestinal tract that might make you sick. Some of these foods, known as probiotics, may also help boost your immunity to disease, protect you from developing allergies and help balance your hormones, according to nutrition specialists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Eating some of these foods on a regular basis can help keep your digestive tract populated with these beneficial bacteria.
Cultured Dairy Products
Most brands of yogurt, cultured buttermilk, acidophilus milk, the fermented milk beverage known as kefir and some cheeses like cottage cheese and aged or ripened cheese, are inoculated with specific strains of good bacteria. Yogurt always contains Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, but these bacteria are not active in the human digestive tract. It is only when other types of good bacteria, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobaccillus caseii or any of the Bifidum strain that can survive in your intestinal tract are added, that yogurt becomes a food high in good bacteria that may actually be beneficial to your health. Different strains of bacteria that grow in different products provide different types of health benefits.
Fermented Soy Foods
The bacterial fermentation process is used to make Japanese miso--a fermented soybean paste used as a base or seasoning for soups, sauces and salad dressings--and tempeh, a high-protein, fermented soy bean product somewhat similar to tofu that is used as a meat substitute. These products are also sometimes made from fermented barley or rice. Different types of good bacteria develop in these products during the fermentation process, but you may not find this information on the product label. These and other fermented bean and grain products products must be refrigerated to keep the good bacteria alive.
Other Fermented Foods
The process of bacterial fermentation which, in addition to producing probiotic bacteria, acts as a food preservative, is also used to make brine-cured sauerkraut, Korean kimchi or kimchee, sourdough bread products, salami, pickles and even some types of beer from microbreweries. Aside from other nutritional pros and cons, these foods are all sources of good bacteria. In some cases, good bacteria are added to food products to promote fermentation and in others, they occur naturally during the production process.
