Health - 9 Foods That Feed Probiotics

9 Foods That Feed Probiotics
I got a terrific question on Saturday about something SO vital that it deserves repeating for all of my readers: "What is a pre-biotic? Is it something your body needs?" - Jeri B. SB: Jeri, great question. Prebiotics are arguably almost as important to your body as air. Here's why: As we learned in elementary school science class, ALL living things need nourishment to survive. That includes the most enormous creatures down to the tiniest, microscopic organisms. The beneficial bacteria (probiotics) that live in your intestines and make up nearly 80% of your immune system are no different. They need to be fed the nutrients that help them thrive. This is of utmost importance because there are literally trillions of probiotic bacteria inside of you, and they need food. Food for PRObiotic bacteria is called PREbiotics. The more you nourish the probiotics in your gut, the better they will survive and ward off dangerous pathogens that you ingest, and the healthier you will help your immune system to be. This not only means that you will be less likely to catch colds and flu, but it also means your body may be stronger to fight and resist major diseases like cancer. And here's more great news... Many prebiotics come from delicious foods and drinks! Here are 9 foods & drinks that contain high amounts of prebiotics: 1- Fresh fruits and vegetables--unpeeled Antioxidant compounds called phenols are found just under the skins of fruits and vegetables, and probiotics LOVE to eat phenols. Plus, fruits and vegetables also contain soluble fiber which helps you in two ways... First, your beneficial bacteria feed off the fiber. Then they produce short-chain fatty acids as wastes. These short-chain fatty acids slow the growth of dangerous bacteria such as E. coli. Second, you have a much easier time when nature calls.   2- Trail mix A blend of nuts, seeds and dried fruits (without added sugar) is the perfect prebiotic. The nuts and seeds are great sources of fiber, protein and dietary phenols. Just make sure to stay away from mixes that have candies or yogurt-covered nuts, because they add refined sugar (which ends up being food for the HARMFUL bacteria in your gut). That defeats the purpose.   3- Dark berry juices Juices that contain good levels of dietary phenols include those made from blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, pomegranates, cherries, and purple grapes. Just be sure you're buying real JUICE -- not a "juice drink" which can contain little or no real juice. Read the label if you're not sure. If the first and second ingredients are water and sugar, forget it. It's not juice. The only exception is cranberry juice cocktail. Pure cranberry juice is quite tart, and the added water and sugar make it tasty without completely compromising the quality of the phenols from the cranberry juice.   4- Herbs and spices Practically every herb and spice contains dietary phenols (and they're alkaline -- another big PLUS for your body), so spice things up all you want! The herb with the highest phenol count is oregano, so if you like pizza you're in luck. It's also delicious sprinkled over shrimp scampi or sauteed fish or chicken, or made in a Greek salad dressing with olive oil and lemon juice. Fresh herbs and spices have more dietary phenols than dried, but both are good food for your beneficial bacteria.   5- Oats Oats are loaded with beta-glucan, which is a soluble fiber and an excellent prebiotic. But all oats are not created equal! Stay away from those flavored instant oatmeal packets because they're typically loaded with refined sugar. You don't want to turn your meal for your friendly bacteria into a feast for the UNfriendly ones. And if gluten is a concern for you, be sure to look for oats that are labeled gluten free. Although oats don't inherently contain gluten, they are frequently processed in the same plants as gluten grains and cross contamination is possible.   6- Legumes Legumes include beans, lentils and peanuts. They're loaded with soluble fiber (as well as protein and minerals). The dietary phenol count of beans is one of the highest per weight of any food in existence! So go ahead and make some split pea soup, a batch of hummus or a pot of chili and feed your friendly microbes.   7- Tea Dietary phenols are extracted from tea leaves during the brewing process. It's best to use boiling water for brewing, but once the tea is brewed, it can be served hot or iced without compromising the phenol count. Green tea has the highest phenol content, with black tea a close second. Just be sure not to add too much sweetener as sugar will nourish the bad guys in your gut. Note that phenols are NOT found in herbal teas....so although they're good for you in many other ways, don't count on them to be a source of prebiotics.   8- Red wine I just made your day, didn't I? Moderate consumption of red wine (1-2 glasses per day) not only helps reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, but red wine also has one of the highest phenol contents of any food or drink. That's because red wine is made not only with the pulp of the grapes, but also the skin and seeds. White wine uses only the pulp, so it's not beneficial like red.   And the ultimate dream come true: 9- Dark chocolate Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are excellent sources of probiotic-nourishing dietary phenols. (Skip the milk chocolate because its processing decreases the phenol content.) The higher the cocoa content, the higher the phenols. Now, this is NOT permission to have a Hershey's breakfast, Nestle's lunch and Godiva dinner. But an occasional treat of a nice piece of dark chocolate will make your tongue dance AND your beneficial bacteria happy.   Make sure your numbers are strong In addition to nourishing your friendly bacteria, it's also important to make sure to have a good population of them to begin with. SO many factors other than your intake of prebiotics can affect your population of probiotics -- stress, medications (especially antibiotics and antacids), toxins in the environment and lack of sleep can take their toll on your gut microbes. So it's important to supplement with a high-quality multi-strain probiotic formula like Super Shield. Super Shield's 13 strains of probiotic bacteria will help ensure that your army of good guys and your immune system stays strong. And because prebiotics are SO important, Super Shield even comes with its own prebiotic! That's right. Each Super Shield capsule comes with a healthy dose of Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) which are a type of fiber found naturally in plants like asparagus, artichokes, bananas, garlic, leeks and onions. FOS have been credited with providing health benefits like lowering triglyceride and cholesterol levels, stabilizing blood sugar, improving mineral absorption and insulin response. FOS are ideal prebiotics because they reach your large intestine virtually untouched since humans don't have the stomach enzymes to break them down. That means a full, tasty buffet for your friendly bacteria to feast on once the FOS reach your large intestine. Learn more about Super Shield and its FOS content here.   Remember, a good diet is crucial, but very few people have a diet THAT good day in and day out. There are just too many foods and other factors today that kill off the helpful bacteria in our guts. So the right foods TOGETHER with the right probiotic formula is a perfect way to help keep your immune system in proper order and your gut feeling great. To your health, Sherry Brescia PS: The recipe book in the Great Taste No Pain system is loaded with delicious dishes that are loaded with prebiotics. Check it out here. ******************* PPS: Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to all body processes, and impoverished diets are seriously lacking in Omega-3s. To avoid being a Syndrome X statistic, it's crucial to ensure that your body has the Omega-3 fatty acids it needs. A top shelf, Omega-3 oil like Vital-Mega 3 can help you achieve this very important goal. Learn more about VitalMega-3 here. ******************* PPPS: Got low energy? Brain fog? CRS disease? You just may be low in in just one vitamin. One out of four people are. 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