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Natural probiotics: what are their benefits and which ones to choose?

Natural probiotics: what are their benefits and which ones to choose?
5 Best Natural Sources Of Probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms for our different microbiota. Find out which foods contain the most and how probiotics work on our bodies. Probiotics invest in the vaginal, oral, and intestinal flora and integrate the natural microbiota. Their activity would benefit the body, even if scientists are divided on their actions. Their consumption helps maintain the microbial flora initially present in our body and boost its activity.
They are commercially available as dietary supplements, but natural probiotics are also found in certain foods! Here are our top 5 foods that take care of your intestines. See you after the list to understand everything about their mechanisms of action.

What is the best natural probiotic to take?

What is the best natural probiotic to take?

1. Fermeted milk

Fermented milk and products made from this ingredient contain lactic acid bacteria, including bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. These families of probiotics improve intestinal transit.
People who do not particularly like fermented milk have the option of consuming yogurts. Many brands offer products supplemented with probiotics. Eating yogurt as a daily dessert or as part of a snack takes care of the intestinal microbiota.

2. Fermented cabbage

Chopped cabbage under fermentation contains mineral salts (magnesium, potassium, calcium) and vitamins (A, B, E). It also contains lactic acid, an element that promotes the elimination of intestinal parasites and the regeneration of the membranes of the intestine.
To prepare fermented cabbage, let the pieces sit in salted water with other garden vegetables for a few days. This ingredient is used to prepare sauerkraut, an ideal dish for lunch because it is quite nutritious.
To lighten the dish, it is preferable to prepare sauerkraut from the sea, cooked with fish and seafood and not sausages and smoked brisket. A traditional Korean dish, Kimchi is also a tasty and spicy example of fermented cabbage!

3. Kéfir

Kefir is a natural probiotic known since ancient times. Indeed, fermented kefir grains were consumed with goat's milk, camel, or cow's milk. The fermentation of kefir grains results in the production of lactobacilli. Consumption of this food improves digestion and facilitates lactose tolerance.
Fermented kefir can be consumed as a drink. Mix four tablespoons of kefir grains in 1 L of water, fruit juice, or milk to prepare it. This mixture is left to ferment overnight, then consumed gradually over the next day.

4. Miso

Miso is a condiment used in Japanese cuisine, and it is a paste made from fermented soy, rice, and barley. The probiotics present in miso help reduce the symptoms of Crohn's disease and bloating.
Miso is an ingredient that can be used in many recipes, and the Japanese mainly use it to enhance their soups. You can also prepare risottos, broths, or flans with miso.

5. Spirulina

Spirulina is a cyanobacterium that contains many nutrients, and it stimulates the development of lactic acid bacteria in the intestine. It also contains antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory action.
Spirulina is available in pharmacies and para pharmacies, usually in powder and flakes. It can add to drinks, soups, or broths to ingest easily.

Buy natural probiotics

When food is not enough to meet your probiotic needs or as part of a cure, turn to probiotics in the form of food supplements.
The question of choice is not related to the dangerousness or not of the products but to their effectiveness – certain probiotics have no substantial effect.

What is the microbiota?

To understand what is probiotics. It is essential to take stock of the microbiota. A microbiota defines all the microorganisms that invest in a particular area of ​​life, such as the mouth, the vagina, or the intestines.
This term replaces that of "microbial flora" used previously.
The microorganisms found in the mucous membranes and areas determined above are bacteria or fungi which are not pathogenic. Their balance makes it possible to maintain a beneficial flora for the organism.
N the event of an imbalance caused for one reason or another, certain pathologies may appear (fungal infections, infections, inflammatory diseases, etc.). Antibiotic treatments, for example, partially destroy this microbial flora.
The intestinal microbiota is the most important in the human body. Indeed, the intestines and the colon contain about 2 kg of microorganisms.
Imagine that 100,000 billion bacteria colonize the digestive tract, and there are hundreds of distinct bacterial species there!

What is the action of probiotics?

There are different varieties of probiotics. The main varieties of these microorganisms are as follows:

  • Lactic acid bacteria include: lactobacilli (Lactobacillus or L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. rhamnosus, L. reuteri, L. gasseri, L. Plantarum) and bifidobacteria (B. bifidum, B. longum, B. breve )
  • Streptococci ( S. thermophilus)
  • Saccharomyces (S. Boulardi )

The list of existing probiotics is not definitive because there are many categories.

Their main functions are:

  1. Strengthen the immune system (in children, the elderly, or when the latter is weakened). They provide a stimulating effect on the production and release of B and T lymphocytes, true immune cells.
  2. Strengthen the intestinal mucosa barrier function or limit microbial attacks by replacing bacteria harmful to the body and preventing their adhesion to the intestinal level.
  3. Produce substances that limit the activity of exogenous bacteria and neutralize the toxins secreted by them
  4. Strengthen the immunity of other mucous membranes, particularly the pulmonary and urogenital mucous membranes.
  5. Reduce local inflammation

Probiotics exert a different action depending on the strain concerned. Indeed, in general, lactobacilli exert a bactericidal action against Helicobacter pylori germs. They, therefore, help prevent H. pylori infections, the cause of many gastritis and peptic ulcers.

  • L. fermentum is effective against atopic eczema in infants and certain winter ailments, such as bronchitis and nasopharyngitis.
  • The strains L. rhamnosus GG, L. casei Defenses, L. bulgaricus, and S. thermophilus, L. casei Shirota exert a beneficial action during episodes of diarrhea.
  • Against respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, L. reuteri protectis are particularly effective.

And this list is not exhaustive!

The probiotics present in food are alive, which ensures their effectiveness: when they reach the level of the digestive tract, they act directly on the microbiota.


Food supplements containing probiotics are therefore presented in so-called enteric-coated capsules, that is to say, that they dissolve in the intestine. Indeed, the stomach's acidity destroys the majority of the strains present.
The active bacteria content is expressed in millions/billions or several colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g).
Probiotics do not colonize the digestive tract; they just pass through it. The surplus of microorganisms not solicited by the body is eliminated naturally.
It is, therefore, necessary to renew the contributions daily.

Probiotics side effects and contraindications

Taking probiotics can cause intestinal gas in some individuals, and it can also cause intestinal irritation at the start of intake.

Probiotics are contraindicated in people on corticosteroids, who are undergoing radiotherapy or chemotherapy, in immunocompromised people (who have lymphoma, AIDS), in people with digestive disorders (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain).
It is preferable in these cases to seek medical advice before starting supplementation.