Fermented foods and beverages, like kombucha, are tasty ways to add healthy probiotics to your diet.

Do you regularly enjoy kombucha (extra points if you make it yourself at home) yet find yourself wondering what other healthy probiotics that you can buy (or make)? You are not the only one. After a period of waning interest, curiosity in fermented foods is at an all-time high in the U.S.

We all know that probiotics are good for gut. Get on board and try or make some new fermented foods to up your probiotic game.

4 Fermented Foods to Try After Kombucha

Sauerkraut

Think you aren’t into sauerkraut? Think again. The canned sauerkraut from the school lunches of your childhood is a thing of the past. Today, it is possible to find delicious small-batch sauerkraut made with love and perfect to top your next sandwich.

Brand to Try: Cultured

Cultured features ten varieties of sauerkrauts ranging from classic Eastern European spices to Ayurvedic blends, and quite a lot in between. All of Cultured’s sauerkrauts are naturally fermented in brine created from the juice of the vegetables and salt.

Make Your Own: Foolproof Homemade Sauerkraut

Water Kefir

Just like kombucha, water kefir is a fermented drink that you can make at home. Water kefir is a lightly carbonated lacto-fermented beverage that is made from water kefir grains and sugar water, fruit juice, or coconut water. It is incredibly easy to make and  is a fantastic probiotic beverage alternative. Like kombucha, kefir is a symbiotic relationship of cultures, but the taste may be more sour and bitter than kombucha.

Where to Buy Grains: Cultures for Health

Kimchi

Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean food made from a variety of vegetables and seasonings. Not only does kimchi boast of some big probiotic power, but it’s got a little bite to it as well making it the perfect topping for everything from stir-fry to eggs.

Brand to Try: Choi’s

Choi’s Kimchi is handcrafted using a small-batch process that has been handed down from generation to generation. Choose from Napa, White Napa, Radish, or Green Cabbage.

Make Your Own: Homemade Vegan Kimchi

Yogurt

If you love yogurt, you owe it to yourself to find small-batch yogurts to buy or to make it yourself at home. The stuff you buy at the big grocery stores is nothing like the real thing.

Brand to Try: Trimona Yogurt

Trimona Yogurt is a Bulgarian-style yogurt so it is is unstrained (to keep all the nutrients in the whey), and tastes tart but light.

Make Your Own: Cultures for Health offers a Bulgarian yogurt starter

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The post 4 Fabulous Fermented Foods to Try or Make (Besides Kombucha) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that help balance your internal flora and maintain a healthy metabolism. The truth is, most of us could use more of them on a daily basis. You could take a pill, sure, but there are more delicious ways to ensure that you incorporate enough probiotics into your diet. Here are five of our favorite ways.

1. Kefir and Greek Yogurt
Yogurt and kefir are two of the most familiar source of probiotics. Both contain tons of good bacteria like acidophilus, lactobacillus or bifidobacteria that help balance your delicate internal flora. If you’re worried about dairy, there are studies that suggest that probiotics can help ease lactose intolerance. Any brand that lists “live and active cultures” among the ingredients is a good choice, but make sure it’s organic to avoid other potential side effects of dairy.

image: Omar de Armas

2. Kombucha
Arguably the hottest thing in the beverage industry right now (even Celestial Seasonings is making their version), kombucha is a form of fermented tea. It’s been used for centuries for various purposes, like increasing your energy levels and maintaining a healthy weight. The large amounts of healthy gut bacteria formed during the fermentation process are the key to kombucha’s health benefits. Always read the ingredients to make sure you are getting authentic kombucha, not a kombucha-flavored beverage. Or, best of all, try and make your own.

image: sarea

3. Sauerkraut and Kimchee
Long heralded in Europe for its health benefits, sauerkraut contains the probiotics leuconostoc, pediococcus and lactobacillus. The health benefits of this fermented cabbage is limited to the homemade or more artisanal varieties, as pasteurization (used to treat most supermarket sauerkraut) kills virtually all the helpful bacteria. The spicy Korean version of sauerkraut, kimchee, is equally loaded with probiotics, as well as vitamins that help ward off infections.

image: Quinn Dombrowski

4. Miso Soup
It’s time to look at miso soup as more than a sushi lunch accoutrement. This fermented soybean paste can really get your digestive system moving, as it contains hundreds or beneficial bacteria strains. In Japan, it’s often enjoyed as a breakfast food, perhaps to kickstart the metabolism.

image: Kathie Lapcevic

5. Pickles
Like most fermented foods, pickles contain lots of good probiotics. Look for naturally fermented varieties that were pickled without vinegar. A pure mix of sea salt and water makes a great pickle brine, that encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria.

When you’ve managed to fill your gut with beneficial probiotic strains, it’s important to keep them happy. Prebiotics feed the good bacteria that already live in your system and can be found in foods like asparagus, bananas, oatmeal, legumes, honey, maple syrup and red wine. Consider mixing foods rich in probiotics with those rich in prebiotics (red wine and pickles anyone?) to maximize your body’s ability to absorb them.

Top image: haley. s

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