Probiotic foods that are not yogurt (and how to make a homemade fermentation)

Many know that probiotics are necessary for good intestinal health. Even to have a good mental health, since the gut is connected to our brain. Although most, when they think of consuming these friendly bacteria, only think of yogurt. But in reality, these microorganisms are found in a wide variety of other foods.

Foods with probiotics that are not yogurt

1. Sour pickles

By being marinated in a salt and water solution for a long time, the gherkins ferment, causing them to produce lactic acid. It is during this process that probiotics are formed.

2. Olives

The same happens in the case of olives, only that, contrary to gherkins, they may have a higher caloric intake.

3. Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage)

A little-known version of cabbage is fermented cabbage. It is an ancient food and, like other fermented foods of its kind, it has the ability to regenerate the intestinal flora.

8.Tempeh

Originally from Indonesia, tempeh is made from soybeans. It takes on a cake-like consistency when the soybeans bind together thanks to a fungus during the fermentation process. Like tofu, it is used as a meat substitute.

4. Miso soup

Japan’s quintessential fermented food. This soup is made from fermented soybean paste and other grains, making it super healthy.

5. Raw cheese

Cheese that is made with raw milk, since it is not pasteurized, preserves a wide group of good bacteria. Among these cheeses, the best options are sheep and goat cheeses.

6. Jocoque

If you missed yogurt on this list, here is jocoque, a Lebanese food that contains less fat than yogurt and sometimes more probiotics than yogurt.

7. Artisanal (or table) bread

Artisanal bread is made with fermented dough, full of live bacteria. Contains both yeast and bacteria called Lactobacillus. As the ingredients ferment (creating those wonderful air bubbles in the finished bread), the levels of healthy bacteria increase.

9. Kombucha

Kombucha is neither more nor less than a fermented tea. Its base is black or green tea, which is colonized by mushroom-shaped fungi, a process from which a sweet drink and a touch of gas are obtained. It is one of the foods with the most probiotics that exist.

10. Pulque

The mead from various species of maguey pulqueros contains fructo-oligosaccharides (short polymers of fructose sugar), which are carbohydrates that favor the survival of probiotic bacteria in the large intestine.

As you can see, among these probiotic foods there are many that are not easy to makesuch as artisan bread or pulque. But if you can buy them already prepared, you will be doing a favor to your intestinal flora and, incidentally, also to the local economy.

But also you can make your own probiotic foodsat least those that are fermented, or also miso soup, a simple dish that the Japanese consume daily for good reasons – but whose industrialized versions may contain too much sodium.

A probiotic food that you can make at home: sauerkraut

To start experimenting with fermented food preparation, we recommend making your own fermented cabbage or sauerkraut. In addition to providing probiotics, fermented foods also help lower cholesterol and are rich in tryptophan, which will help your emotional health.

First of all, keep plenty of clean mason jars on hand, and be sure to use organic vegetables so you don’t disturb the fermentation process.

Ingredients:

2 cabbages (one white and one purple, if you want to give your sauerkraut a special touch)

6 tablespoons of sea salt

Meadow cumin or regular cumin

Preparation:

Wash the cabbage, remove the first leaves and chop it into fine pieces.

Mix the chopped sprouts with the salt in a pot. Use your hands to integrate the salt into the cabbage well, and so that it becomes hydrated due to the effect of the salt. For this to happen, you must massage for about 10 minutes.

If the cabbage does not release enough water, you can add half a glass of water with half a teaspoon of salt to the mixture.

Add a few pinches of meadow cumin or regular cumin.

Place your mixture in the necessary glass jars, well packed to prevent air from remaining inside, and close them hermetically.

Let it ferment for a period of between 6 weeks and 3 months. Depending on how long you let the mixture rest, the cabbage will be less or more sour. You can tell it’s already fermented when you see bubbles all over the jar.

* Images: 1, 2, 7, 8) CC; 3) Nutritious Life; 4) Full of Plants; 5) Nutt; 6) What’s Gaby Cooking; 8) Cultures for Health; 9) un_tal_bles; 10) Dr. Ax

It might interest you