Probiotics support our digestive and overall health by supporting friendly bacteria that live in our guts. While we generally think of bacteria as tiny intruders that make us sick, our bodies use good kinds of bacteria to stay healthy, especially when it comes to digesting food. Researchers continue to publish findings on the advantages of supporting specific bacterial strains through probiotics, including easing irritable bowel syndrome, vaginal yeast infections, and depression. While probiotics are not a magic pill, they can help keep bacterial balance that can be easily interrupted by illness, stress, or the use of antibiotics. The three forms of probiotics include fermented foods, supplements, and cosmetics. Read more to discover the top probiotics on the market.
Probiotics are easy to find, especially since they are now in food, supplements, and cosmetics. While mainstream grocery stores sell many different kinds of probiotic supplements and foods, it might be necessary to go to specialty stores for rare or more unusual items.
These products with probiotics are considered the newest frontier. Friendly bacteria can now be found in skin gels, creams, and makeup. Consumers should look for cosmetics with probiotics that help heal eczema and acne, as specific bacterial strains have been found to fight inflammation and prevent dryness. These products may also mention probiotics on their labels.
If eating foods with probiotics isn’t enough, it might be time for high-quality probiotic supplements. The labels on probiotic supplements should include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, two well-known and researched strains.
The best probiotic cosmetics include Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream and Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup, though there are many options to choose from.
While the pros encourage probiotics while your system is out of order, like in times of stress or illness, there is no bad time to take probiotics. Taking them as part of a daily routine help support the good bacteria already present in your body. The best probiotics for weight loss include Garden of Life’s Fitbiotic, Primadophilus Optima by Nature’s Way, and ProbioSlim. These support the digestive and immune system, helps weight loss, and promotes healthy digestion and elimination.
Consumers can choose between liquid shots, pills, and powders. The best probiotic supplements to consider working into a daily regimen are Align, Florastor, RepHresh Pro-B, and Dr. Frank Lipman’s Be Well Probiotic Powder.
What are the best fermented foods? The most natural forms of probiotics are fermented foods. These include yogurt, kefir, kimchi, pickles, and sauerkraut. Lifeway Frozen Kefir, Mama O’s Premium Kimchi, and DanActive yogurt are all good picks.
On the labels of these foods, consumers should look for words like raw, unpasteurized, and fermented, which indicates that bacteria have not been killed off during the process of manufacturing. Probiotic yogurts should have labels that state “live active cultures,” which means that there are at least 100 million cultures per gram.