Probiotics aka “the good bacteria” are all the rage these days. According to the National Institute of Health, not only do these miracle microorganisms help keep your gut healthy, they also have other health benefits including fighting eczema and allergies, improving oral health and preventing common cold.
Your intestines are home to about 100 trillion intestinal microflora, a microorganism. Some of these help maintain gut health and boost immunity, while others can be harmful to your wellness. When the bad guys take over, you experience digestive problems and other ill symptoms in your tummy and overall health. That’s why a daily dose of probiotics is important in helping the microorganisms in your belly stay balanced.
Yogurt probably comes to most people’s minds when they think probiotics—but there are many other products that can provide the same gut health benefits.
Dahlicious Lassi
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Lassi is a popular yogurt drink originated in India. It is typically enjoyed cold, either sweetened with fruits or honey, or lightly salted.
Dahlicious is made from slow-cultured Indian yogurt which has a smoother and creamier texture. It is packed with 15 billion probiotics in every glass, and comes in traditional flavors like plain, mango, turmeric as well as more innovative ones like chocolate garam masala and cucumber mint lemon.
They will also shortly be launching a grass-fed probiotic shot with 50 billion probiotics per 4oz serving. Stay tuned for more probiotics!
Goodbelly
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20-50 billion live and active probiotic cultures are found in each serving of GoodBelly probiotic drinks. Goodbelly is the only beverage in the nation that offer the probiotic strain of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v. 299v was initially used by gastroenterologists in Sweden to aid the recovery of surgery patients due to its superior ability to survive the acidic environment of the human stomach on its way to the intestines.
Goodbelly is also non-GMO, dairy and soy-free and vegan-friendly. It comes in many delicious flavors like blueberry acai, mango and pomegranate blackberry. It is great straight out of the bottle or mixed in smoothies.
Kevita
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Kevita drinks are made from reverse osmosis filtered water, organic fruits and probiotic cultures. They make a range of sparkling probiotic drinks as well as kombucha. Kombucha is a femented tea drink that is lightly sweet and effervescent due to fementation. It was historically home-brewed in East Asia and drank for digestive health benefits. Its name in Chinese is chajun, which literally translates to “tea bacteria”.
In addition to its ginger, tart cherry and raspberry lemon, Kevita kombucha comes in three new flavors of citrus, mango habanero and dragonfruit lemongrass.
Purely Elizabeth
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Known for their delicious granolas baked in coconut oil, Purely Elizabeth recently launched probiotic granola, available in maple walnut and chocolate sea salt flavors. Do probiotics get destroyed during baking you may ask? Don’t worry, they use a patented vegan strain of probiotics, shown to survive the baking process due to its protective spore.
Coupled with yogurt, you will easily get your daily dose of probiotics. These are also great enjoyed as an ice cream topping or added to muffins and banana breads.
Sohha
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Aside from their delicious Lebanese yogurt that has David Lebovitz raving, Sohha makes ayran, a drinkable yogurt similar to lassi, which is high in probiotics. Moreover, they produce bottled whey and whey lemonade, the latter of which is made using fresh lemons and a touch of honey.
Whey is a byproduct of making strained yogurt such as Greek yogurt, Lebanese yogurt and skyr (Icelandic strained yogurt). It contains protein, vitamins, minerals, and is very high in probiotics. So, instead of letting it go to waste after the yogurt is made, why not enjoy it as a healthy beverage?
Sohha also uses its whey in making soap, because not only are probiotics good for our inner health, they also help clear up your skin.
Suja Juice
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Hailing from sunny San Diego, Suja makes organic, cold-pressured and Non-GMO beverages. Their probiotic waters have 10 calories or less per bottle, less than 1 gram of sugar, but are packed with 2 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) of probiotics. Only purified water, juices from organic fruits and vegetables, and probiotics go into each bottle.
Further, they use a vegan strain of probiotics so are perfect for vegans and people on a dairy-free diet.
Tula
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Not only are probiotics good for our digestive health and immune system, they also have great benefits for our skin. Imagine feeding your skin with a nutritious yogurt smoothie?
The American Academy of Dermatology finds probiotics to assist with improving skin clarity and reducing sensitivity and inflammation. Tula incorporates its patented probiotic technology in its skincare products. It provides the skin with the good bacteria to encourage the production of vital defense cells in order to fight against environmental damages and aging.
There you have it: the keys to achieving a healthy gut, better immune system and more radiant skin without taking supplement pills!