Probiotics are beneficial live microorganisms that reside in your digestive tract. They help maintain a healthy digestive system by decreasing the growth of harmful bacteria. Probiotics are often called "good bacteria" because of their health benefits.
Many Americans take probiotics to aid digestion or to treat conditions such as diarrhea, lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease and yeast infections.
Many health food stores carry probiotics as dietary supplements, but they are also available in certain foods.
Types of Probiotics
When buying probiotic-rich foods, check product labels. There are two main groups of probiotics: Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Each group has different species, and each species has different strains.
Some common probiotics include Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidus and Saccharomyces boulardii yeast.
Yogurt and Kefir
Some popular yogurt brands contain probiotics. For example, Dannon's Activia contains Bifidobacterium animalis, a probiotic that speeds digestion. When shopping for yogurt, look for products that feature the words "live" or "active" on the package. This means that the product contains living and active bacteria, which will promote digestive health.
The probiotics in yogurt include Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus and bifidobacteria.
Kefir is a creamy dairy drink similar to yogurt. It contains probiotics not usually found in yogurt, such as Lactobacillus caucasus.
Cheese
Select cheese products also contain probiotics, including Kraft's LiveActive natural cheese snacks (which contain the probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis) and Iavarone Bros. Specially Selected Amish Yogurt Cheese (prepared with the probiotic live cultures Lactobacillus acidophilus and bifid bacterium). Other good sources of probiotics include blue cheese and other aged cheeses.
Probiotic-rich cheeses often feature words such as "live culture," "active culture" or "probiotics" on the packaging.
