10 Healthy Probiotic Foods You Have to Try

These probiotic foods will help boost your digestion and maybe even your health, and many of them you can easily make yourself. Add these foods to your probiotics food list.

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February 17, 2021

By: Meredith Rosenberg

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What Exactly Is a Probiotic?

Probiotics are created from the good bacteria and yeasts that live naturally in your body and are beneficial to your health. Your body naturally contains both good and bad bacteria but good bacteria helps eliminate extra bad bacteria, can balance your system and help with your gut health. People with digestive issues are often advised by their doctors to eat probiotic foods or take probiotic supplements.

One of the best ways to introduce probiotics into your diet is by eating fermented foods which are rich in probiotics. The process of fermentation, which gives us foods like the sauerkraut that tops our hot dogs, is when one substance is converted to another, usually via yeast or bacteria. Evidence of fermentation dates back to the Stone Ages, and throughout history people have used it as a way to preserve food and drink. Read on to learn more about which probiotic food and drinks you should be consuming for their health benefits, and even how to make them yourself.

Sourdough Bread

It feels like everyone is baking sourdough bread now, and the additional task of making a sourdough starter isn't as daunting as it sounds. The starter involves mixing flour and water together and then letting the mix rest until active yeast and lactic acid bacteria begin to ferment, giving sourdough bread its eponymous sour taste. The starter process takes a few days for the initial fermentation, then requires removing some of the mix and adding more flour and water every day for about five days. At this point you're in business to use some of the starter for sourdough bread. The payoff for all this work is that sourdough bread is high in protein, prebiotics and iron. Find out how to make sourdough bread from our friends at Food Network.

Learn More : Here's Everything You Need to Make Sourdough Bread at Home

Kefir

Kefir is a tangy fermented milk beverage that's commonly enjoyed as a smoothie or parfait. The consistency is similar to yogurt, but thinner. Unlike yogurt, it's made with kefir grains, which can be bought online if you're going the DIY route. Kefir's pretty straightforward to make if you have the grains. Simply add them to milk in a glass jar and then wait at least 12 hours for the milk to thicken to your desired consistency. The strained grains can be reused multiple times. Blend with fruit for a healthy smoothie or yogurt parfait, as kefir is said to help prevent osteoporosis. It also contains more probiotics than yogurt, a boon for digestion thanks to lower lactose levels that make kefir better tolerated than milk.

Get the Recipe: How to Easily Make Yogurt in a Slow Cooker

Miso

Miso is a salty fermented soybean paste commonly used in Japanese dishes, and in the US, miso soup enjoys mainstream status. Miso paste is made by using a mold grown on grains, such as barley or rice, which is then added to soybeans. The paste can be light or dark due to fermentation times, with white being the mildest and red the most intense. While the truly adventurous can attempt to make miso paste from scratch, the paste is readily available in stores for those who prefer to go straight to a miso recipe. You can also enjoy the health benefits faster: miso is loaded with vitamins B, E and K, plus folic acid. It's also a good source of protein and probiotics.

Pickles

Pickles have been around for centuries, and some of the earliest findings date back to ancient Mesopotamia and India. Pickles are just fermented cucumbers (although not all pickles are fermented), and while preserving vegetables via fermentation is just as ancient, the term pickling doesn't actually come from pickles. In this case, the cucumber pickling process entails fermenting cucumbers in salt-water filled jars for two days to a week. You can also add dill, garlic or vinegar for extra flavor depending if you like your pickles sweet, sour or some combination thereof. Not only do pickles taste great on their own, but they're loaded with probiotics and antioxidants, and might help to combat dehydration and control blood sugar.

Learn More : How to Pickle Cucumbers

Kombucha

Don't let the name throw you off: kombucha is just fermented tea. While it may seem new-agey, the fizzy brew dates back to ancient China. But thanks to its popularity you can find kombucha just as easily as iced tea, which is a good thing, since finding a key ingredient to make kombucha is trickier. That key is called Scoby, short for symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. This round, squishy form can be ordered online and reused multiple times. The general process entails steeping black or green tea in boiled water, transferring it to a jar and adding the Scoby. Let it ferment from a week to 10 days before flavoring with fruit and herbs of choice, then bottle and wait a few days for full carbonation. Save some starter juice for the next round, then drink up to benefit from kombucha's probiotics and antioxidants.

Get the Recipe: Skip the Store-Bought Stuff: Make Kombucha at Home

Tempeh

Tempeh is similar to tofu since both are made from soybeans, but tempeh is fermented. It also has a nuttier taste than tofu, whose natural flavor is pretty bland. Though tempeh doesn't enjoy tofu’s popularity, it's actually more versatile: use it in dishes such as tempeh pepper steak, tempeh reubens or pan-seared tempeh with peanut sauce. Making tempeh from scratch is an arduous process that requires a starter culture; save time and find it at the supermarket instead. Besides being a good source of protein, this vegan option is also calcium-rich and chock full of prebiotics (prebiotics are a type of fiber that provide food for beneficial bacteria in the digestive system). Tempeh may help lower cholesterol too. Learn how to make a tempeh reuben on Food Network.

Doenjang

Like miso, Korean doenjang is a fermented soybean paste, but not yet as popular in the US as its Japanese cousin. Both are made from fermented soybeans and salt, but doenjang has a stronger flavor and smells like ripe cheese. This Korean staple is used in a wide variety of dishes, especially doenjang jjigae (pictured), a popular comfort soup. Fermenting your own doenjang is rather daunting, as the traditional method is labor-intensive and takes almost a year. Luckily you can find doenjang paste everywhere from big box stores to online. So mix up your weekly recipes while benefiting from doenjang’s vitamins, minerals and lysine, a beneficial amino acid.

BUY NOW: Amazon | Doenjang Paste, $9.54

Sauerkraut

German for sour cabbage, sauerkraut's fermented roots are believed to have originated in ancient China before it became a staple in European dishes. Originally wine aided fermentation, but European methods preferred salt to ferment cabbage leaves. The salt method is still used today, and the short explanation for making sauerkraut calls for placing salted, shredded cabbage in jars and covering with brine. Fermentation takes about two weeks, and longer if you prefer a stronger taste. By fermenting cabbage, you benefit from its probiotics that have been said to assist in immunity and aid the digestive system. Sauerkraut is also a good source of vitamin K2, essential for strong bones and vitamin C. And studies show a possible link between sauerkraut and lowered cholesterol.

Watch the Video: How to Make Sauerkraut

Kimchi

Kimchi is a Korean side dish staple that's made by fermenting Napa cabbage. The probiotic bacteria produced from fermentation can potentially aid digestive health, boost immunity and reduce inflammation. Try this kimchi recipe if you want to make your own. The general process involves salting cabbage, then creating a paste that may combine garlic, fish sauce, sugar, ginger and gochugaru, a red pepper powder commonly used in Korean cooking. Once jarred, kimchi is fermented within two days, but can be fermented longer based on taste preference.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar can be used for everything from household cleaning to rinsing hair, but its health properties have been touted for years. There’s evidence to suggest this fermented apple juice can lower cholesterol and blood sugar and assist in weight loss. It’s easy enough to find apple cider vinegar in the store, but since it’s not the cheapest, try your own hand at making it if you consume a lot. The gist of the process requires storing chopped apples in water-filled jars, and adding sugar for the fermentation process. The sugar will ferment into alcohol, creating the vinegar aspect. While not difficult, prepare to check on it regularly while it takes three to six weeks to ferment to your liking.

Watch the Video: 10 Things We Love About Apple Cider Vinegar