In the past year, we’ve all been forced to think long and hard about our health and well-being. Circumstances have forced us to consider how we care for our bodies and our systems, and many of us have made some lifestyle changes to make sure our immune systems are functioning better than ever before.
The truth is, the path to a healthier life is in all the small steps. Adding something as simple as a probiotic or a new vitamin to your daily routine can work wonders for your overall wellness.
What do Probiotics do?
You’ve probably heard the word “probiotic” thrown around like some sort of miracle cure for everything, but what exactly is a probiotic, and why should you add it to your routine?
A probiotic is a healthy form of bacteria that keeps your body in check and balanced out. These tiny microbes can work wonders on your digestive system, aiding in the absorption of vitamins and keeping things moving in your gut.
Probiotics can also do amazing things for your immune system, giving it a boost when it comes to fighting off harmful bacteria that may enter your system. This means things like sinus infections are harder to get and other bacterial infections that can be caused by things going, for lack of a better term, a little wacky in your body.
What Conditions do they Help With?
Probiotics have been proven beneficial for a few specific diseases and illnesses. Specifically, minor conditions like constipation, yeast infections, urinary tract infections, and diarrhea can be kept in check by these little microbes.
For more serious chronic conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS for short), lactose intolerance, gum disease, and even eczema, probiotics have also relieved symptoms for those affected.
They ultimately help by keeping things like bacteria in check and balance.
Where are they Found?
These good bacteria occur naturally in some cultured milk products like yogurt and cottage cheese and fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut. Adding foods like these to your diet can provide you with some of the benefits that probiotics have to offer, but not everyone is interested in eating sauerkraut for lunch every day.
Foods with probiotics in them will usually be labeled with something like “live and active cultures,” meaning they contain live bacteria (the good kind, of course).
You could also take a slightly easier route and get a probiotic in pill form, but then again, not all of us look forward to taking a pill every day.
An Easier Way to Get Probiotics
If you’d like to cash in on all of the beautiful things that probiotics can do for your system, there are more accessible and effective ways than eating tons of kimchi and yogurt (what a combo, correct?) One of the best ways to get probiotics into your system in a healthy and tasty way is through an excellent probiotic drink.
How a Probiotic Drink is the Best Probiotic Option
You may have heard of kombucha, which is a probiotic that is made from fermented tea. While many love kombucha for its unique flavor and health benefits, it can be surprisingly high in sugar, and the vinegary taste isn’t for everyone.
A probiotic drink native to Mexico that is slightly less well-known is Tepache, made from fermented pineapple. Tepache has all the health benefits of the popular kombucha with less sugar and less funk, making it an enjoyable and easily-digestible way to get the many advantages of a probiotic-rich diet without all the hassle.