Certain probiotics, which are microorganisms, contribute to the health of your intestinal flora. You just need to change your eating habits to consume more of it.
- Probiotics, microorganisms, contribute to the health of the intestinal flora.
- Probiotics are found in different foods such as fermented foods.
- Although probiotics are beneficial for health, you must maintain a varied diet.
Bacteria can sometimes be beneficial. They help to improve our health, this is particularly the case with probiotics. According to Inserm, probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which, consumed in sufficient quantities, benefit the functioning of our body. If it is mainly bacteria, it can also be yeast.
Probiotics: what impacts on health?
Probiotics play a role in the composition of the intestinal flora, called microbiota. Inserm reminds that the quality of this is “important for our digestive health, but also metabolic, immune and neurological”. Sometimes, certain treatments or diseases can cause an imbalance in the intestinal flora. In this case, the consumption of probiotics not only improves digestion, but also allows “to increase the number of beneficial microorganisms and reduce the population of potentially harmful ones”. “In this context, certain probiotics will, for example, reduce the severity and duration of infectious diarrhea or even prevent those which are sometimes associated with taking antibiotics.adds Inserm.
What foods are rich in probiotics?
By choosing the composition of your menus carefully, it is possible to strengthen the microbiota. “Fermented foods in particular (yogurt and pickles, for example) are home to a host of good bacteria that are beneficial for your body, indicates the Cleveland Clinic. There are also fermented drinks like kombucha (fermented tea) or kefir (fermented dairy drink) that introduce additional probiotics into your diet.”
Among fermented foods, we can also cite sauerkraut, miso soup or kimchi, a mixture of fermented vegetables and peppers of Korean origin. Sourdough bread, fresh cheeses or even fermented milks, such as buttermilk or buttermilk, are also rich in probiotics.
While it is clear that these foods are beneficial for health, it is nevertheless important to maintain a varied diet. “Although adding probiotic-rich foods to your diet won’t do you any harm, balance is always essential.l, insists the Cleveland Clinic. Adding too much of any one food prevents your body from reaping the benefits of other food groups.“
Should we consume probiotics in the form of food supplements?
Some foods naturally contain probiotics, they can also be consumed in the form of a food supplement. “If acting on the microbiota to improve our health is indeed a promising avenue, to date there are very few situations for which the provision of food supplements or foods enriched with pro/prebiotics is of real interest. , scientifically validated”however, Inserm qualifies, which recommends favoring foods that contain it.