Foods with Good Bacteria for Immune System and Metabolism

This is a good article, from MSM Healthy Living, which talks about good foods that you can eat which will help with the population of good bacteria in your gut. Good bacteria in your gut is highly under rated and essential to not only digestion of foods, but developing a good immune system. While I do eat a lot of onions and garlic which are on the list below, I also take probiotics to ensure my gut gets the necessary bacteria for digestion and health. My wife loves Jicama and a quick google search shows many ways to spice up and eat this this. In any event, add probiotics and healthy foods with good bacteria and see your health improve.....and as the article mentions, boost your metabolism.

Sauerkraut

If you feel like you're eating all the right stuff, but to no avail, your microbiome, the newly discovered ecosystem of bacteria living in your gut, may be out of whack. Fuel it and you'll improve digestion, beat bloat, and boost your metabolism.

The traditional hot-dog topping can do serious wonders for your waistline. “Fermented foods like sauerkraut, pickled veggies, and kimchi are some of the best sources of probiotics—a form of good bacteria that support healthy digestion and decrease bloat,” says Frank Lipman, M.D., founder of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City. “That’s important, since diets low in probiotics can cause bad bacteria to overtake the good ones, leading to health problems ranging from autoimmune diseases to weight gain.” Try spooning sauerkraut onto sandwiches or grilled pork, or stir it into a warm potato salad with grainy mustard.

Onions and leeks

While probiotics encourage the growth of good bacteria, prebiotics feed the ones you already have. When you eat prebiotic foods like onions and leeks, they produce butyrate, a metabolic wonder drug that improves insulin sensitivity and increases the amount of fat you burn, says Rafael Kellman, M.D., author of The Microbiome Diet. Now that it’s summer, pop either on the grill to bring out their sweetness. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and cook until golden.

Artichokes and asparagus

Like onions and leeks, these green veggies are prebiotic foods that produce acetate, an acid that turns on the fat-burning activity in your cells by helping them recover from inflammation. To get more greens, roast artichoke hearts and asparagus in the oven with olive oil, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and a spritz of lemon.

Avocado

You know that choosing the right types of fats is key, and here’s why: Unhealthy fats, found in processed foods, meats, and cheeses, feed the type of bacteria that spark inflammation and cue your body to store fat, says Lipman. But healthy fats high in omega 3s and 6s—like those in avocado, nuts, olive oil, and salmon—do the opposite. They provide long-burning energy by regulating how quickly glucose enters your cells, keeping hunger at bay. Top a sandwich with mashed avocado, or make a summery side salad with chopped avocado, cherry tomatoes, basil, and lemon juice.

Leafy greens

Bok choy, spinach, kale—they’re all winners. Not only are greens high in digestion-helping fiber, they also improve the diversity of healthy organisms in the gut, which needs trillions of good bacteria to function at its best, says Lipman. Look for ways to incorporate greens into every meal: Add sautéed kale to scrambled eggs, eat a spinach salad for lunch, and try a stir-fry with bok choy for dinner.

Jicama

This Mexican root vegetable contains inulin, a type of fiber that slows down the absorption of blood sugar to help you feel fuller longer, Kellman says. It’s also high in magnesium and manganese, two vitamins needed for digestive enzymes to function at their peak. Add chopped jicama to give salads a nice crunch or shred it in your favorite summer slaw.

Yogurt

To get the most of this natural source of probiotics, seek out yogurts like those by Fage, Dannon, and Oikos, which contain lactobacillus. In a 24-week study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, women who consumed this type of probiotic lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t regularly include it in their diets. Besides eating yogurt at breakfast, try using plain or Greek yogurt in chicken or salads in lieu of mayo or sour cream.

Garlic

It seems counterintuitive to feed the microbiome foods with antimicrobial properties, but studies show that garlic only goes after bad, inflammation-causing bacteria while leaving good bacteria intact. It’s also rich in inulin, the fiber that helps the body digest food more efficiently and steadies blood sugar. Add fresh chopped garlic to tomato-mozzarella salads and stir-fries, or sprinkle garlic powder onto meats and fish before grilling.

Kiwi

Craving something sweet? This fruit—along with colorful radishes, tomatoes, and carrots—contains arabinogalactans, a plant-based fiber and prebiotic that feeds the friendly bacteria that help your metabolism function optimally. The fiber also kills E. coli and klebsiella—two types of bad bacteria associated with carrying excess weight, Kellman says. Chop kiwi into grilled chicken salads or purée into smoothies for a colorful and sweet kick.

Water with lemon

Lipman suggests sipping it as soon as you wake up and after each meal. “Bitter foods like lemon help stimulate your body’s GI juices and aid the start of the digestion process. When digestion is robust, your body breaks down food better and absorbs more of its nutrients, both of which help you maintain a healthy weight and flat belly.” Arugula, dandelion root, and apple cider vinegar will also do the trick, so munch on a salad with these greens before your main course—bonus if it’s dressed with cider vinaigrette.

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Probiotics for Your Health

Surprising Benefits of Probiotics published on Yahoo! Health.  Researchers are starting to promote Probiotics for a health immune system.  I fully support this as I add a Probiotic every other day, sometimes every third day, to my diet.   What I take consists of, in part, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium. 

The Article: 

You’ve probably heard the virtues of probiotics extolled in health magazines and on cartons of Greek yogurt. Probiotics are live bacteria that naturally occur in certain foods—from fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut or kimchi, to live-cultured yogurt. They’re also added to some high-end dark chocolates and available as supplements.

Broken down, the word probiotic means “for life” or “promoting life.” While it sounds good, you still may wonder: are probiotics just another New Age gimmick, or is there some science behind the health benefits? Though far from a panacea, probiotics can help cure some ailments that may surprise you.

If poor marks on your last physical have sent you on a personal quest to lower your cholesterol, look no farther than your fridge.

A small study presented at a recent AHA scientific meeting found that a strain of probiotics found in dairy and meats called Lactobacillus reuteri lowered LDL levels in participants by nearly 12 percent more than the group taking a placebo. Overall cholesterol was lowered by 9 percent.

The liver uses cholesterol to make bile. Researchers believe that probiotics break up bile salts and decrease their reabsorption in the gut.

Your eyes may be the windows to your soul, but your smile is your welcome mat to the world. Besides being unsightly, poor oral hygiene is associated with serious health woes, including heart disease, diabetes, and even low birth weight.

Studies have shown that the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri kills the bacteria that causes tooth decay and lessens the harmful effects of gingivitis. A full mouth of teeth and a reduction in bleeding gums are two good reasons to add probiotics to your daily menu.

Whether you experience the occasional bout of traveler’s diarrhea or are among the one-third of people who will experience it as a common side effect of antibiotics, diarrhea is unpleasant and embarrassing.

But don’t worry—there’s good news for your tush; according to the Harvard Medical School, many studies suggest that probiotic consumption can help reduce diarrhea episodes. For example, a 2012 clinical review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that those who took probiotics with antibiotics were 42 percent less likely to develop diarrhea than those who took the placebo.

If you have eczema, you know how annoying and frustrating perpetually dry, itchy skin can be. What if we could prevent future generations from getting it? A study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that babies who are at risk for developing eczema may benefit from their mothers’ consumption of probiotics.

Allergy-prone mothers with eczema were given probiotics two months before giving birth and during the first two months of breastfeeding. The babies, who were assessed at 6, 12, and 24 months, showed a significant reduction in their risk of developing the no-fun skin inflammation.

The vagina is a delicately balanced environment of good and bad bacteria. Unfortunately, sometimes just taking antibiotics or birth control pills, becoming pregnant, or having diabetes is enough to throw your system out of whack. If you’re prone to pesky yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, or UTIs, you might consider protecting your lady parts with probiotics.

According to the Harvard Medical School, probiotics may help balance the bacteria present in your vagina and prevent the overgrowth of harmful microorganisms. While their effectiveness is still being debated, researchers agree that there’s no harm in adding more probiotics to your diet.

Some people seem to get sick every time the weather changes, but that doesn’t have to be you this year. Researchers who conducted a review of studies from the Cochrane Library concluded that overall, probiotics seem to reduce upper respiratory infections when compared to a placebo.

In another study, children from 18 daycares in Helsinki, Finland were given milk with or without probiotics. Can you guess which group remained healthier? You got it—those who drank the probiotic-enriched milk were 17 percent less likely to get a respiratory infection and 16 percent less likely to be absent due to illness.

Any parent or airplane passenger would agree: nothing is worse than a crying baby—especially one that can’t be comforted. Because we don’t know exactly what causes colic in babies, it’s difficult to treat. However, some research suggests that probiotics might provide some relief.

A 2007 study published in Pediatrics found that after 28 days, breastfed babies whose mothers consumed a daily dose of probiotics cried 194 minutes less than the test group that didn’t. A 2010 study published in the same journal found similar results. Gaining just a minute of peace and quiet would give you good reason to pop a probiotic supplement. Now you’ve got 194 good reasons.

If constipation, bloating, and gas are mainstay symptoms of your IBS or Crohn’s, a cup of yogurt a day may keep you regular all day. Johns Hopkins Health Alert reports that those who ate two 4-ounce servings of live-culture yogurt during a study experienced less bloating and more bowel movements after a few weeks.

Another study revealed that women who ate three 4-ounce servings of live-culture yogurt a day experienced a shorter amount of time between eating and bowel movements. That’s less time you’d have to spend doubled over, clutching your stomach in pain.

It’s important to remember that while many studies suggest that probiotics can have a positive impact on your health, other studies report weak findings. Although probiotics may not be the miracle cure you’re looking for, one thing’s for sure: they can’t hurt.

Whether it’s an apple a day or a cup of probiotic-rich kefir, if you feel healthier when you eat it, keep it up. Pay attention to your body and to emerging research on new and natural ways to stay healthy.

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