Other ways to get probiotics besides dairy kefir and pills?

[Chakra]

I'm starting lyme treatment this week and I have my probiotics and I don't eat dairy...Just wondering other ways to get more probiotics in my body besides dairy kefir and pills?

Thanks!

[tinyblackdot]

There is a soy and coconut kefir

[faeriecurls]

kombucha, Water kefir?

[Magelet]

sourkraut, pickles, dilly beans, and their brine!!

[Sayward]

Originally Posted by Magelet

sourkraut, pickles, dilly beans, and their brine!!

Is that true of all pickles, or just fermented pickles? Grocery store pickles don't have probiotics, do they?

[Gingercat]

Traditionally prepared (i.e. fermented) olives. I doubt if the grocery store kind will do (same with pickles). Try a good quality deli.

My mom ferments olives with just salt, but this can be done also with brine, vinegar and (I think) olive oil.

[CookiePie]

Kombucha for sure!

[kjbrown92]

coconut milk yogurt.
I wonder if you can take the probiotic powder out of a capsule and just sprinkle it in some food.... Does it have to make it past the stomach acid...

[Magelet]

most pickles from the grocery store, no. Some, they will be. (if they are refridgerated, and they don't have vinegar in them, then they should be. bubbies are, I beleive, and possibly another widespread brand.)

[tanyalynn]

Kimchee! Yum, amazing stuff, I make my own which I admit is not nearly as spicy as traditional kimchee, but oh so yummy. Mild cabbage (napa), carrots, green onions, garlic and ginger, so tasty.

Here's a whole thread to get you going fermenting your own vegetables--lots besides just kimchee, of course--it's really easy once you get comfortable with the basics (letting food sit on the counter for several days on purpose). Dill pickles are even easier, my kids love them.

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...d.php?t=426207

Wild Fermentation, a book by Sandor Katz, is also really helpful for understanding the basic idea of how this works. His website probably has a lot of helpful discussion too.

Health food stores may have fermented veggies, you'd just want to make sure they don't say that they've been pasteurized.

If you haven't had kombucha before, personally I'd say now's not the time to start. People with chronic health issues can have issues when starting kombucha, it's actually quite the detoxifier, it gets toxins moving, and in normal/healthy people they don't notice problems, but I've avoided it for myself because I'm working on chronic health stuff and my body hasn't been detoxifying well for, well, a couple decades now. It's the only fermented food I know of that acts like this.

As for Bubbies, I understand some lines are fermented and some are not, I think you'd have to read the label. If it says pasteurized or vinegar is an ingredient, then no bacteria.

[dogmom327]

I agree with Tanyalynn on the veggies--look for non-pasteurized and vinegar free. Making your own is probably your best bet and it truly is very easy. Might check out the Traditional Foods sub-forum--lots of good info over there on all sorts of probiotic foods including how to culture your veggies.

[staceychev]

Eden Sauerkraut is fermented, not made with vinegar, so I'd assume that it's got all the good stuff.

Oh, and thanks TanyaLynn. Now, with everything else I have to do today, I need to go to H-Mart and buy some kimchi!

[MindfulBirth]

how about miso?

[dogmom327]

Originally Posted by staceychev

Eden Sauerkraut is fermented, not made with vinegar, so I'd assume that it's got all the good stuff.

Oh, and thanks TanyaLynn. Now, with everything else I have to do today, I need to go to H-Mart and buy some kimchi!

The Eden Sauerkraut I've seen in stores around here is pasteurized/shelf stable so most (or maybe all) of the good buggies will have been killed. Nothing sitting on the shelf in a store is going to work unfortunately--real, naturally fermented veggies will be in the fridge section.