Food might interfere with probiotics. However, probiotics are good bacteria that support the health of your gut and offer overall support to your immune system. Many people use probiotics when they are experiencing issues with digestion, are taking antibiotics, or want to promote the overall health of the digestive tract. The way probiotics work is by having the good bacteria enter the gut and colonize there to reduce the number of bad bacteria.
What Food Can Interfere With Probiotics?
- Carbonated Drinks
- Processed Foods and Probiotics
- GMO Products
- Red Meat
- Gluten-Rich Foods and Probiotics
- Refined Oils
- Dairy Foods and Probiotics
- Tap Water
How Do These Foods Destroy Probiotics?
- Sugars and artificial sweeteners in carbonated drinks can kill the good bacteria in your gut. Sugars from carbonated drinks also act as food sources for bad bacteria in your gut that helps them grow and overpower the probiotic bacteria.
- Processed foods are loaded with preservatives and unhealthy additives. These additives destroy the healthy bacteria in your gut and create an imbalance between the good and the bad bacteria in your digestive system. Instead of choosing packaged foods, focus on whole products like vegetables and fruit.
- GMO foods can create health problems. There are several ways GMOs interfere with the effect of probiotics. Firstly, the herbicides used when growing these foods harm your gut health. And secondly, genetic modifications in plants may also alter the function of the bacteria in the digestive tract when you eat GMO foods.
- You should know that red meat can interfere with probiotics, but it also can be bad for your heart. A nutrient in red meat, choline, can produce special gut bacteria when you eat red meat and eggs, which is not good for your gut and your body in general.
- Research confirms that eating a lot of gluten-rich foods does not benefit your gut health in the long run. It could cause stomach discomfort and promote inflammation in the gut. So, eliminating gluten from your diet or at least reducing it will help you make sure that the probiotics you are taking are doing the work.
- Highly refined vegetable oils like corn, canola, sunflower, soybean, and safflower promote inflammation in the gut. They contain a lot of omega-6 fatty acids which are pro-inflammatory. At the same time, they provide none of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.
- Keep in mind that not all dairy is the same. While your probiotic-rich yogurt or kefir is good for your health and your gut and contains good bacteria on its own, some dairy can do bad things for your digestive system.
- Hydration is very important, especially for women in menopause. Ideally, you should aim for 8-10 glasses of water per day to help your body flush out toxins and stay hydrated. However, there is a difference in the quality of the water you drink. Filtered or spring water is your best option for gut health, while tap water is not so much. While drinking water from the tap, you also get chemicals, like chlorine, and also antibiotics.
What Food Helps With Probiotics?
- Yogurt. It’s one of the most familiar sources of probiotics that keep a healthy balance in your gut. Studies suggest that probiotics can help ease lactose intolerance. They also may help tame gas, diarrhea, and other tummy troubles.
- Sauerkraut. Choose the unpasteurized kind. The pasteurizing process, which is used to treat most supermarket brands, kills active, good bacteria. Sauerkraut is loaded with immune-boosting vitamins that can help ward off infection.
- Miso Soup. A popular breakfast food in Japan, this fermented soybean paste can get your system moving. Probiotic-filled miso is often used to make a salty soup that’s low in calories and high in B vitamins and protective antioxidants.
- Soft Cheeses. They’re good for your digestion. Research finds that strains in fermented soft cheeses are hardy enough to make it.
- Kefir. According to legend, shepherds in the Caucasus Mountains discovered the milk they carried tended to ferment into a bubbly beverage. Thick, creamy, and tangy like yogurt, kefir has its strains of probiotic bacteria, plus a few helpful yeast varieties.
- Sour Pickles. When looking to pickles for probiotics, choose naturally fermented kinds, where vinegar wasn’t used in the pickling process. A sea salt and water solution feed the growth of good bacteria, and it may make sour pickles help with your digestion.
- Tempeh. Made from a base of fermented soybeans, this Indonesian patty makes a type of natural antibiotic that fights certain bacteria. Tempeh is also high in protein. People often describe its flavor as smoky, nutty, and similar to a mushroom. You can marinate it and use it in meals in place of meat.
