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The Benefits Of A Probiotic Diet
Change the microbial population in your body from bad to good by eating a probiotic diet, rich in fermented foods and beverages like kefir and cultured veggies. They are loaded with beneficial microflora that help conquer infections long before your baby is born. Fermented or probiotic foods are much more potent than probiotic supplements like acidophilus. Not a valued part of the American diet, fermented food has been traditionally eaten for thousands of years in various cultures around the world.
When a mother includes fermented foods daily in her diet both before and during her pregnancy, beneficial microflora will "colonize" in both her intestines and her birth canal. Her baby then passes through a healthy vagina (instead of an infected one) and he or she becomes "inoculated" with helpful bacteria and yeast. An amazing phenomenon then occurs, colostrum and breastmilk, rich in essential sugars, encourage the growth of microflora. Reproducing rapidly, they set an "inner ecosystem" into place and these good guys make their home in the baby's own gut.
Our inner ecosystem is largely responsible for helping us resist infections. Without one, our babies are susceptible to a number of inherited infections like Group B Strep and candidiasis (thrush). You'll know your baby's inner ecosystem is forming poorly if he or she is colicky.
So, if you’re pregnant, perhaps it’s time to start listening to your cravings. Fermented foods taste deliciously sour. This might explain why a pregnant woman innately craves sour tasting foods, during her pregnancy and sends her husband out to the store for pickles. Other fermented and probiotic foods include yogurt, kefir, miso, and tempeh.
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