6 Unknown Probiotic Indian Foods for Healthy Digestion and Weight Loss

 For the good of your health, you should get to know the probiotic Indian foods. Science has started claiming that adding probiotics to the diet "We can make disease an option". All diseases originate when mitochondria in the cells do not function properly and cells start to die. This also results in aging and various age-related diseases including Alzheimer´s and Parkinson´s. So the question to be asked is why our cells die?

The simple reason is that the deficiencies at the cellular level. Even if you are eating the most nutritious food on the planet, your digestive system is not working properly, you miss the whole benefits of the food. Eating and absorbing are two different stories. This is where probiotic-rich foods come to picture. When you have a good balance in your body, you can e convert carbohydrates into valuable sources of nutrients and energy.

Probiotics are good live microorganisms or bacteria that are helpful in preventing and even treating illnesses related to the stomach or in the digestive system as a whole. These bacteria help promote the healthy immune system. I have written a full a full article if you are interested in knowing more about how probiotics help to prevent various diseases.

I read various articles on the internet about probiotics foods, if I am satisfied with the research out there, I would never write an article. But there is little more you need to know then just adding these foods to the diet. My top probiotic food recommendations are as follows.  

1. Sauerkraut

I always find reasons to add more and more vegetables to the diet, especially cruciferous veggies. Vegetables have the ability to reverse any kind of disease. That's why my top recommendation is Sauerkraut. It is a source of probiotics prepared using salt, water, and a cabbage and subjected to constant but very minimal heat to prevent the killing of good live bacteria while eliminating the bad ones.

After which, the preparation undergoes fermentation by the good bacteria producing a sour taste. Sauerkraut provides powerful aid in the digestion process. It even helps better nutrient absorption in the stomach. Sauerkraut also is a good treatment for diarrhea and prevention as well. It is also noted that sauerkraut is good for the prevention of cancer cell regeneration. It helps control the growth of cancer cells.  

2. Beet Kvass

Beets are a superfood if we somehow take the sugar content out. Beets leaves are even healthier than any other dark green leaves. Beet Kvass is not so popular in India but is very worth seeing the recipe and trying at your place. During that scorching heat in the summer you would absolutely love this refreshing drink. It is super easy and definitely worth your time.

Recipe For Beet Kvaas

1 cup coarsely sliced or chopped beets 1 tablespoon grated ginger 1 tablespoon iodized sea salt 1 probiotic capsule or you can use whey water. Whey is liquid that is left after cheese gets separated from the milk. 2 1/ 2 cups water Clean a canning jar and lid carefully in hot soapy water. Rinse well. Place beet pieces in the jar, sprinkling ginger, and salt as you go.

Open the probiotic capsule and sprinkle the contents on beets to introduce the helpful bacteria. Fill with water. Place a jar with a diameter smaller than the opening of the canning jar on the beets to keep them submerged. After 2 to 3 days, the fermentation should be sufficient, and the jar can be sealed and placed in the refrigerator. Drain the liquid and drink it.  

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3. Kombucha

Kombucha is a popular drink made from a mixture of tea, water, yeast, sugar and the live good bacteria, which makes it a good source of a probiotic drink. Some classify this drink as a “functional beverage” as the taste is similar to that of usual soda drinks, but this one without the soda content. Kombucha is known to help in the body’s detoxification. It helps expel toxins in the body.

It even boosts the efficiency of the liver functions while detoxifying the digestive tract resulting in a more functional over-all digestive system. Kombucha is also popular in stimulating the immune system. It helps strengthen the body’s natural defenses against bad bacteria causing illnesses. This drink is also noted to help prevent the attack of arthritis pains and burdens by protecting the joints and the cartilages of the hands and feet. This is also a good natural drink in the management of blood sugar of diabetes.  

4. Kimchi

Kimchi is a popular Korean dish which is made from fermented vegetables added with chili, garlic, ginger, salted seafood, and scallions. But other preparations do not include chili powder. These ingredients are then stored for months in a jar in a cool place but not frozen to give a way to the fermentation process of the live good bacteria. Kimchi is mainly vegetable, hence high in fiber but has very low-calorie content as well as packed with nutrients.

It is also loaded with Vitamins A, B-complex, and C which are all essential to the body. Kimchi is also rich in micronutrients such as iron, calcium, and selenium which are helpful in the balance and maintenance of the blood circulation and strong arteries and blood vessels. It is also a powerful antioxidant to get the body rids off wastes and toxin and an excellent food that promotes good digestion and stabilization of the normal bowel movements, specifically its high-fiber contents.  

5. Yogurt/ Lassi Or Kefir 

Kefir is a unique cultured dairy product - fermented milk drinks, made from either yeast or bacterial fermentation starters. It is one of the oldest known best sources of probiotics. It is also the most potent of all probiotic sources wherein it contains more than 30 strains of good microorganisms that help in making the digestive system healthy. Kefir does not only provide nourishment and improvement in the stomach, but it also helps in weight management, strong bones, and mental well-being as well.

Milk products come 5th on my list because I do not trust Milk Products a lot these days. If you have to choose between a fermented vegetable or a fermented milk product, prefer vegetable over milk product. Also a big NO to flavored yogurt available in the markets.  

6. Kaanji

This traditional Punjabi Indian drink made with black carrots, mustard seeds, sea salt and water is left to ferment for up to a week leading to the growth of bacteria. I have replaced this with my hot lemon water in the morning, to give my body probiotic kick in the morning. Probiotics are also available in supplemental tablet forms. Since it is not always possible for me to eat fermented foods, plus it is always good to give that extra boost to the healthy bacterias, I eat probiotics capsule almost every day.

Other probiotic rich Indian foods are Dhokla, Pickles, and cheese which are my absolutely last choices because of one or the other content in these foods is not the absolutely the best.  

Sources

1. Dietary sources of lutein and zeaxanthin carotenoids and their role in eye health.
2. A meta-analysis of probiotic efficacy for gastrointestinal diseases.
3. Bifidobacteria in milk products
4. Microbiological, technological and therapeutic properties of kefir: a natural probiotic beverage.
5. Kefir improves bone mass and microarchitecture in an ovariectomized rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
6. Antimicrobial and healing activity of kefir and kefiran extract.
7. A Review on Kombucha Tea
8. Health benefits of kimchi (Korean fermented vegetables) as a probiotic food.
9. Lactobacillus kimchii sp. nov., a new species from kimchi.