Helping your gut! Getting your Probiotics Naturally?

So how's your digestion, lately? Do you feel bloated after eating a meal? Do you feel like you get more discomfort in your stomach? Or maybe you get indigestion after a spicy meal?

You won't believe what you might be missing. It's simple and very beneficial for our bodies.

Probiotics. These little guys help us more than you think. They help our digestion, but also our whole immune system. They our like our little body guards living in our gut and protecting your health from getting sick. They help break down our foods in our stomach and in to our intestines. Plus, they help keep the bad bacteria's like candida in check.

What are probiotics?

In the most simplest terms, probiotics are living microorganisms that improve or help restoring the gut flora. Its essential to have these guys flourishing inside our digestive system for optimal health.

Where do we get probiotics naturally?

You can find probiotics in fermented foods like vegetables. Yes, you can get it from a pill. But there's only a limited amount of live probiotics in just one pill.

In fermented vegetables, you can get up to billions and billions of live good bacteria for your digestive tract.

One example, sauerkraut is a great way to get probiotics in to your gut. I don't mean from the grocery store. Those are already pasteurized and they have killed the good bacteria right out of them. They best kind of sauerkraut is the homemade kind. Unless, you can get your hands on non pasteurized sauerkraut. Then take that route. Otherwise, you would have to make yours from scratch. Its super easy and there's so many tutorial on YouTube on how to make your own sauerkraut.

What is sauerkraut?

Sauerkraut is finely chopped up raw cabbage that has been fermented with lactic acid bacteria. Which has a long shelf -life as well. It goes great with sausages, hot dogs, brats, and much more!

Did you know most probiotic-rich foods and supplements contain 5–10 billion colony-forming units per serving. In comparison, 1 cup of sauerkraut contains around 3 billion. Plus, according to some studies, some types of sauerkraut may contain much higher amounts.

Another great fermented cabbage is kimichi. This is a Korean type of "sauerkraut". They add peppers and spices in their fermenting process. It's really great with burritos, salads, and of course your favorite Asian dish.

You can ferment cucumbers to make pickles! Which is a obvious one. But you can ferment any type of vegetable you like. It all depends on the duration of the fermentation. The longer it ferments the more live cultures you get. But the more potent and sour it gets. Something to keep in mind. Not all vegetables ferment and taste good if you let them ferment too long. For example, I fermented onions. They are only good after 10 days, not 14 days like other vegetables. Just something to consider if you would like to ferment some of your own.

Another great source of priobiotics is raw yogurt and raw Kefir. You can get great live cultures and bacteria from raw dairy. Especially when you ferment them.

I remember, when I stopped eating vegan and wanted to try to eat meat again. My first meat meal was a hamburger. OH BOY! I wasn't prepared. I should of eased my way in to it but I didn't. BIG mistake! My stomach started cramping and bloating. I just wanted to roll in a ball. However, my husband just made raw yogurt and I ate a whole bowl of it. I kid you not, it took my cramps, bloating, and pain right away! I was amazed and sold on helpful probiotics are!

This is something that has been lost in our generation and I think it's important to bring it back in to our diets. We should be eating probiotic rich foods on a daily basis. You will be shock how much healthier you will feel and how much harder it will be to get a cold. This stuff is a amazing!

Hi!! I'm Danielle, a Pastry Chef

with over 14 years of professional experience! Love baking and cooking. My passion is to make and create things with my hands. Love to crochet, paint, sew, and of course bake. Plus, hanging out with my husband and watching a movie.

Creating healthy alternatives for desserts and the savory side.

Check out my recipes!