Transcript
Have you ever had a stomachache? Have you ever had to run to the bathroom? Have you ever watched one of those commercials that lists all the gut-related issues one could possibly have and then reach for something pink and thick to drink? Have you ever said, no, I can't eat that, it upsets my stomach? Or have you had what we call a 24-hour virus or maybe Montezuma's Revenge?
Well, I have good news for you. The answer to all of those issues and more are found in the tiny internal army that we call probiotics. I'm Jordan Rubin here on Ancient Medicine Today brought to you by draxe.com. And I'm here to say that probiotics helped save my life.
I was deathly ill with Crohn's colitis and it wasn't until I was able to find the right kind of probiotics and follow Probiotic diet that my health was transformed.
So if you're watching today and you have Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, maybe you have gluten intolerance, maybe you're lactose intolerant, maybe you have leaky gut, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, and more, you're going to want to listen because today we're going to share with you 13.
Probiotic foods that you can easily put into your diet that will transform your gut, your skin, your immune system, and let this internal army go to work to transform your entire body. So whether you've got gas and bloating, bad breath, whether you have advanced aging, psoriasis, eczema, I can name for you dozens of symptoms, hundreds of conditions That can be turned around if you boost your gut.
Now, by the way, you may need probiotics and not even know it. Maybe you were not born vaginally. A C-section birth can cause you to need probiotics. Maybe you've consumed antibiotics. Maybe you bathe in or drink chlorinated water. Maybe you consume coffee. Maybe various medications including oral contraceptives. All of those things rob your probiotics.
Maybe you eat meat and dairy and eggs from conventional farms where they're loaded with antibiotics. You need a probiotic boost. Folks, if you're watching me today and you are breathing, I believe you need probiotics. Just think about it, folks, one dose of antibiotics orally or topically can cause you to need a probiotic boost. And today we're going to tell you how to get one. Number 1, kefir.
Kefir actually means to feel good in Turkey. Kefir has been around in the US for about 30 years, but it's become really popular the last 15. Kefir contains beneficial bacteria and yeasts. Make it yourself. From raw grass-fed milk, preferably goat. Make kefir from coconuts.
You can make it with coconut cream, coconut water, or you can buy a whole real yogurt or amasi, which is a cultured African beverage. There's lassi as well. Cultured dairy beverages provide proteins that are easy to digest, beneficial fats, probiotics, Enzymes and much more. Amazing for your health. If you look online, health benefits of kefir, you will see a long history of amazing benefits.
Number 2, sauerkraut, cultured veggies. Sauerkraut simply means sour vegetables. Pickled or sour cabbage is traditionally what we call sauerkraut. You can consume kimchi, which is Korean cultured veggies. I love a combination of cultured sauerkraut, spices, and pickles. Sauerkraut is absolutely amazing. I recommend 1 to 3 spoonfuls before each meal or put it in your salad.
Sauerkraut transforms the vegetables into not only gut-friendly but immune-boosting substances. Eat it every day like your ancestors did. Kimchi, as I mentioned, is Korean. Sauerkraut, but look at the deep red from the peppers. Kimchi is loaded with antioxidants and it boosts the body's circulation and absorption of nutrients due to the peppers.
Kimchi is a must as an appetizer in Korea and other Asian countries. It is awesome. I would say it's the bomb because it kind of feels like one when you eat it. If you like spice, traditionally prepared kimchi is amazing For your gut, your heart, and every part of your body. Number three, kombucha. Make this cultured tea at home. Buy it at the store.
I would have never thought years ago when the first commercial kombucha brand was available that it would now become the number one functional beverage in America, and I'm glad. Kombucha contains organic acids, probiotics, enzymes, B vitamins, and polyphenolic antioxidants as well as theanine from the tea, which is great for the brain, specifically anxiety. I love kombucha.
I love mixing chia seeds in it and certain berries, etc. I remember years ago I had this amazing schisandra kombucha. It's just awesome. Try kombucha. You will love it. It is very satisfying and high in antioxidants. Hydrating. Try it. It is a great alternative to soda. Coconut kefir. I mentioned this earlier.
Take coconut water or coconut meat and make kefir with it using home-purchased or shared kefir grains. Look online for sources of kefir grains or kefir starter. Coconut kefir is a great non-dairy alternative and it was first developed by our friend The author of the Body Ecology Diet, Donna Gates.
I remember years ago when it was just her and her little coconut kefir and now it's a thing, pretty cool. Natto might be my favorite fermented food. I'm not big on soy, but if you're going to do soy, natto is one amazing way to get it.
Natto, which is popular in Indonesia and Japan, it's a condiment, kind of smelly, contains Bacillus subtilis, my favorite probiotic, nattokinase, an enzyme that helps the heart and arteries, and vitamin K2, which helps the brain, bones, and other parts of your body. Consume natto with rice, particularly black rice, for a powerful antioxidant-probiotic combo.
Yogurt, as long as it's whole milk and full fat, can be really good. My favorite is sheep yogurt. I love sheep milk yogurt loaded with vitamin D and whey protein. It is my favorite. You can buy sheep milk yogurt at your local health food store or progressive grocery. Goat yogurt is okay. Cow's milk isn't bad, but not my favorite because it has certain proteins that can be allergenic.
You know what I hate? The fact that there's so much low-fat and skim milk yogurt. Folks, bottom line, if God meant for milk to be skimmed, he would have put a cream separator on the udder of a cow. Come on, real food is best. Kvass is also a beverage, not quite as popular as kombucha, but I love it because you can make it with beets. Beet kvass is amazing.
Go to draxe.com to get recipes for some of these great fermented beverages that you can make at home for pennies. Kvass can be made actually with bread. It can be made with beets and it can be made with other veggies. It is awesome, it is sour, and it is so good for you.
And folks, if you're wanting to curb your carb cravings, consume fermented beverages, probiotic foods because the power of sour kills your cravings for sweets. Not just good for the gut on the inside, good for the gut on the outside if you know what I mean. Number 9, raw cheese. Folks, raw cheeses from unpasteurized dairy contain powerful probiotics. Look for imported varieties.
Again, my favorite is goat and sheep, or you can get cheese from our farm. We call it Beyond Organic Green-Fed Cheese. It is from cows that are bred specifically to avoid that allergenic protein.
So raw cheese can be good for nutrition and probiotics, also a good source of the aforementioned vitamin K. Apple cider and coconut vinegar in their unpasteurized forms are great sources of acetobacter and acetic and malic acid. Those organic acids help balance the gut pH, which naturally brings up your own probiotics.
Apple cider vinegar can be consumed a teaspoon or even up to 2 tablespoons a day mixed in water. You can add some honey. You can make it as a base for salad dressings. My good friend Patricia Bragg will tell you apple cider vinegar will cure whatever ails you. Real pickles. Now, this is a tough one. I'm hungry just looking at those pickles. I love dill pickles. I love big kosher.
I love sweet and sour, but most pickles are made through cheating. If your pickle says white vinegar on it, don't eat it. Use real pickles or again make. Pickled cucumbers yourself with recipes from draxe.com or find them on Facebook and YouTube. Real pickles are amazing, they're so delicious, they're a great way to balance the body and they're a good source of silica for the skin.
Tempeh, which is another fermented soy product, is also pretty good. It can be used as a condiment and it can be used in some instances as a meat replacement. Tempeh is a fermented soy and some of the negative parts of soy are removed. So as with natto, tempeh can be a really good fermented food and a source of nutrition.
And speaking of fermented soy, miso has been used for thousands of years as the base of a broth. It's got this delicious salty flavor, has beneficial bacteria and yeasts, really good source of B vitamins, and has that umami flavor which satisfies the brain. Use a little bit of miso in a broth. I just like sometimes eating it, really, really amazing.
Folks, if you're someone who gets frequent stomachaches, maybe you have Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, maybe you have gluten sensitivity, lactose intolerance, maybe you have skin issues, eczema, psoriasis, maybe you have diarrhea or constipation, folks, I promise you whether it's The aforementioned conditions or bad breath or gas, bloating, heartburn, you need probiotics.
If you've ever traveled out of the country and had vaccines or medications, if you've ever had antibiotics, if you have ever consumed chlorinated water, if you've ever been mad at anyone, that even imbalances your gut, you need probiotics. Today in Ancient Medicine, I'm teaching you the top probiotic foods to boost your gut, your internal army.
Probiotics helped save my life when I was dying from Crohn's disease and it can help transform yours as well. So let's give a little bit of a recap.
The top 13 probiotic foods, we've got kefir, make your own or buy it, sauerkraut, kimchi which also packs some antioxidants, kombucha which you can make at home or buy, coconut kefir which is really, really delicious, refreshing, and amazing, natto is my favorite. Probiotics, enzymes, and vitamins.
Yogurt, I like sheep or goat, but you can also buy a whole cow's milk yogurt, make sure it's grass-fed organic. Kvass is awesome from beets or you can use old bread to make it. Raw cheese, especially goat or sheep, apple cider or coconut vinegar, real pickles. Speaking of vinegar, make sure there's no white vinegar in there because that means the pickle is fake. They cheated.
They made it too quick. Real pickles are fermented. Tempeh and miso are great fermented soy foods to give you B vitamins, nutrients, and boost your gut. Folks, if you're somebody who is, who knows, someone who wants to improve their gut, probiotics are the key. It's probably the number one compound that Dr. Axe and I recommend for your health.
If you want more information on fermented foods, Probiotics, kombucha, kefir, yogurt, miso. Check out draxe.com where we've got hundreds of recipes, thousands of articles, and make sure if you're not subscribed to this channel that you do so because each and every day we're here to give you information that can transform your diet, transform your health, and change your life.
I'm Jordan Rubin, Ancient Medicine Today by draxe.com. I'll see you next time.
The Dr. Axe Show is educational and not a substitute for care from your clinician. Disclaimer
