When my son was a toddler, he got a tummy bug he just couldn’t quite seem to get over. A friend who was a nurse suggested I give him some yogurt. Giving him dairy went against everything I thought I knew about stomach viruses. But, because his fever was gone, he was ready for the yogurt’s probiotics—the good bacteria— to take up residence in his digestive system again.
Hello, I’m Dr. Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs at Southeast Missouri State University. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recognizes probiotics as live microorganisms that may provide health benefits. These active cultures can help change or repopulate intestinal bacteria to benefit the microbiome. The live cultures are often found in fermented dairy foods like yogurt. A recent article in Today’s Dietician posits that other fermented foods, including vegetables like kimchi and soy like tempeh, may also have this health benefit. Prebiotics are dietary fibers found in fruits, vegetables, and grains that the probiotic gut bacteria eats. Together, they create what Minji Lee, a registered and licensed dietician nutritionist, describes as “a healthy intestinal bacteria ecosystem.”
In 2020, the probiotic market in the United States was worth $54 billion dollars. However, there is no research that currently supports supplements being more effective than food sources at delivering probiotics. Topping some yogurt with bananas could be a less expensive and more delicious way to get your pre and probiotics.
