by Rella Ingram

Created on: February 14, 2009   Last Updated: February 21, 2009

Probiotics what are they? What can they do for you? Simply put, they are friendly live bacteria reintroduced into the body that help issues in the large and small intestines.

Introducing friendly bacteria into the body can be done easily with either foods or supplements. Foods that contain probiotic properties are products such as yogurt, curd cheeses, fermented and unfermented milk, miso, some soy drinks, and some health bars.

Words to look for on labels are Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. reuteri, L. rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium. The challenge is, not all foods that contain these things advertise it or list it on the label. So, if you remember the foods listed above, you will be ok.

So, should you go out and purchase every item on the list and start stocking up on every supplement that contains probiotics? That would be going to an extreme, but making sure your daily diet includes some of the foods that contain them is a good idea. The daily consumption recommendation of probiotics is approximately one billion live cells. Supplements are great because they list on the label how much to take. However, with the growing popularity of probiotics most food and beverage companies are starting to show on their food labels whether their product includes half or more of the daily recommended consumption amount. A cup of yogurt or a glass of milk at some point in the day will put you on the right track.

Rushing around trying to get everything done in a day often leads to a lot of fast food in our daily diet. We all know this is not a good idea, but when you are in a rush and need some fuel to keep you going, fast food is often a quick fix. Including probiotic foods in your day can help your digestive tract deal with the damage fast food can cause. Of course, eating a more healthy diet of whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains would be best.

So, who needs these probiotics? In a word, everyone! The very young do not have fully developed digestive systems, and the elderly have overworked and tired digestive systems. It is especially important for these groups to add probiotic foods to their meals. Those that fall between those two groups need them as well to keep our systems going strong. Just because your system has not malfunctioned or fallen apart doesn't mean it needs to be neglected. So, grab that glass of milk on your way out the door in the morning, or opt for a cup of yogurt as a snack instead of that candy bar you had your eye on.

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