Consuming fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchee, sauerkraut, pickles, kefir and miso is a great way to supplement probiotics. These foods are like gold for your immune system. They are teeming with bacteria that is beneficial for your GI tract.
When eating naturally-fermented foods and/or taking a high-quality supplement, it’s essential that you avoid sugar, including fructose. Sugar nourishes pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungi in your gut and paralyzes your white blood cells for a few hours, which may actually harm you more than its negative impact on insulin resistance.
There is an emerging consensus among scientists and health-conscious doctors that most disease originates in your digestive system. This includes both physical and mental disease. In fact, recently researchers have discovered that some bacteria in probiotics can affect your moods!
A healthy microbiome (bacterial flora throughout your whole body) is not only important for optimal digestion of food and absorption of nutrients. These bacteria also help your body produce vitamins, absorb minerals, and even aid in the elimination of toxins.
Recent research suggests yogurt containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus can help protect children and pregnant women against heavy metal poisoning.
Most commercial yogurts are full of sugar, processed fructose (high fructose corn syrup), and/or artificial sweeteners and flavors, which nourish disease-causing microbes in your gut.
Your absolute best bet, when it comes to yogurt, is to make your own using a starter culture and raw, organic grass-fed milk. However, there are high-quality USDA 100% organic yogurts on the market.
What should your yogurt have in it or not have in it? Look for live active cultures written on the label; this is especially important, otherwise the bacteria are dead and do you no good. Look for no added sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners, artificial or real. Plain yogurt is best; add your own fruit to it and you’ll save yourself a lot of health issues!
