Fermented Foods and Probiotics
Probiotics, cultured foods, and prebiotics
Probiotics are microorganisms, usually part of our gut bacterial flora, that have beneficial effects on our health. Probiotics are yeasts or bacteria, and they are inhabitants of our intestine, being in a perfect symbiosis with us. An imbalance of the probiotics, can lead to serious conditions, sometimes very difficult to diagnose. There is increasing evidence that a number of inflammatory and autoimmune conditions are linked to a poor microflora.
There are many reasons for your gut bacterial flora to decline, most important ones are age and the use of antibiotics. The market is now abundant of probiotic supplements, but not all of them are efficient, and the more effective ones are expensive. There is also a lot of misinformation about probiotics and how to use them. This collection of articles tries to address these. There are also a few articles about natural sources of probiotics, and how efficient are these sources compared to supplements.
Making probiotic milk at home is very easy if you can get the proper milk. The proper milk is the one that can actually nourish bacteria, so a culture can properly develop. This can be raw milk, or pasteurized milk, but not the ultra pasteurized one, or the UHT. In other words, any milk that … Read more
Difference Between Prebiotics and Probiotics Probiotics are microorganisms in a symbiotic relationship with humans, and prebiotics are the food for the microorganisms. In order to benefit from probiotics, (the good microbacterial flora), we need to nourish them, to allow the proper growth of their colony; without the proper food the micro flora would just starve … Read more
Top Rated Probiotic There is extensive research on probiotics, and their health benefits, however, the research is just scratching the surface, with a lot of aspects to be studied and understood. Even for the available information, there is little vulgarization of this, and too many physicians that don’t even prescribe them. This page proposes to … Read more
VSL #3 and Align are probiotic supplements designed to treat IBS, and other gastrointestinal problems. Although they are both very efficient, and they both have great reviews from buyers, they are different. They both have enough research to prove its efficiency, and they both come with some side effects. If you are looking for a … Read more
VSL #3 was designed specifically to help IBS, IBD, and Ulcerative Colitis sufferers. The probiotic supplement is one of the most efficient ones on the market, and it works not only for GI related conditions, but for many other inflammation related disorders. Is VSL #3 Efficient? First of all, when we compare probiotics, we need … Read more
How To Choose the Probiotic Supplements Probiotic supplements are one of the safest, and more convenient way to boost your intestinal microflora count. There is a wide range of probiotics, and choosing the right one might prove a little overwhelming. Which one to buy, which one is the most effective, which one is the easiest … Read more
Fermented foods are foods that are transformed through controlled fermentation, by microorganisms. Food fermentation has various objectives such preservation, taste and aroma enhancements, or even obtaining absolutely new foods, or drinks, without any resemblance of the original ingredients. What is Food Fermentation? Fermentation is basically a process in which an organism converts a carbohydrate such … Read more
Synbiotics are the best way to ensure a maximum benefit from the ingested probiotics. The term refers to the synergy created by getting both probiotics, and prebiotics to feed the human microbiome. Although the term was coined for the probiotic supplements, the art of eating fermented foods and soluble fiber is not new. The fermented … Read more
Is It Safe to Drink Raw Milk? Raw milk is getting a lot of public attention lately, because commercially available milk is linked to health problems. Is it safe to drink raw milk though? Why is raw milk better than pasteurized? What is the difference between raw and pasteurized milk, and what is UHT milk? … Read more
The best way to prepare a shake for a healthy gut is to combine both probiotics and prebiotics in the shake. The best probiotic food for preparing a shake are yogurt, or kefir. Why are they the best? The most important reason yogurt and kefir are great is that they pack a lot of probiotics. … Read more
How To Make Sauerkraut, Probiotic Pickled Cucumbers, and Pickled Vegetables Sour pickles are obtained by fermenting various vegetables in a brine. The process is also known as lactofermentation, because of the lactic acid bacteria, which are responsible for the fermentation process. Sour pickles are a great probiotic fermented food, very nutritious, and healthy. The fermentation … Read more
Probiotic Drink Boza Recipe Although the original recipe is done with millet, boza can be made from other cereals as well, and it is equally tasty and healthy. Most often it is made from bulgur, which is more accessible, and easier to process. In most of the Eastern European countries, the drink it is called … Read more
Why Do We Need Fermented Foods? Probiotics are not a new medical discovery, humanity has been eating fermented foods, the best source of probiotics, since the beginning of history. The modern era has rediscovered the probiotics, hence the extra attention given by the medical world, the health industry, and the media. Probiotics are tiny life … Read more