Probiotics

Probiotics

Probiotics are microorganisms that are beneficial to the body. It will sound ridiculous if we say that we are made up of bacteria. But it is true. We have some ten trillions of microorganisms compared to one trillion of body cells. Microorganisms are 10 times more than cells. The microorganisms live mainly in our saliva, mucus, surface of the skin, underneath the skin and in the gastrointestinal tracts. We are now looking at only the microbes in the digestive tracts – mouth and gastrointestinal tracts. Scientists have just begun to understand fully the role played by the microorganisms in the human body.
We have long associated bacteria with infection, indigestion, Gut-cramps and food poisoning. Now we know that some bacteria also help in digestion by breaking down some carbohydrates and protect our gums from disease. So we can broadly classify the bacteria present in the body as good and bad ones. We need not worry about the good bacteria but worry only about the bad bacteria.
We will concentrate on the bad bacteria in the digestive tract. Strong good bacteria can help to stop the proliferation of bad bacteria. They can assist in killing and reducing of bad bacteria. So, we should look at ways and means of proliferating good microbes in the digestive tract.
From time immemorial humans had known that consuming fermented food was good for them. They may have used fermentation to preserve food when it is available in big quantities. Let us take for example yoghurt or kefir. These were known to humans for thousands of years. They knew that fermentation of milk can prolong its life only by one or two days, unlike fermentation of vegetables that can prolong the life of vegetables by months. The fact that they yet fermented milk shows that they knew the beneficial effects of fermented milk over fresh milk. In China, people fermented soy beans as far back as 2000 years. Fermentation of soy not only provided plentiful good bacteria but also reduced ill effects of the beans. Bulgarians knew kefir and Romans and Ukrainians sauerkraut.
Now we know that probiotics or provision of good bacteria is beneficial to our digestive system. We want not only plentiful supply of good bacteria but also we want them to be strong so that they can fight and overwhelm the bad ones. Koreans used kimchi and Japanese miso for long.
Probiotics can alleviate diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome, infection, psoriasis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. They can improve brain function, reduce bad cholesterol and help blood pressure. They enable digestion of certain foods that are not digestible otherwise. They improve the immune system protecting the body from infectious diseases. They help in absorption of calcium and Vitamin B.

Sources of probiotics

Probiotic supplements

The most common bacteria found in the supplements available in the market are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. The supplements are available in the form of capsules, pills, and liquid containing live bacteria from 5 billion to 20 billion CFU (Colony Forming Units) per dose. It does not really matter what form it takes but higher the bacteria count the better. Before buying a supplement make sure the label states the CFU count and the strains of bacteria and that the bacteria is live. The CFU count is at the time of manufacture. The CFU count at the time of consumption is more important than the count at the point of manufacture. It is not possible for the consumer to find out the CFUs at the point of consumption. Manufacturers adopting good practice will tell the CFU count of their products based on the time lapse between production and consumption based on tests made of their products in the retailer’s shelf. Do not buy any products that are pasteurized. Pasteurization will kill almost all the bacteria in the process. Choose products that have higher stability. Strong and healthy strains can be stable up to 2 years.
Consumerlab.com is an independent laboratory that provides reports on products that have been tested by them. The reports cost money, but the supplements are also expensive. It is good to spend some money ensure that the product you are consuming is worth the price you pay for it.

Products from the shelf

Yoghurt tops the list of probiotics that have live bacteria. Choose only products that have no added sugar or flavourings. It is alright to consume yoghurt flavoured with fruits. Make sure the product is not pasteurized.
Yakult and Vitagen are good source of probiotics. Soy milk with extra live cultures added, tempeh, kimchi, kombucha tea, miso soup, kefir, sauerkraut and pickles may be found in the shelves of super markets and are rich in probiotics.

Finished probiotic

Recipe: Make Your Own Probiotics

Recipe:
½ head of cabbage shredded.
2 cups of shredded cucumber
1 cup of shredded carrots
1 bottle of distilled water
½ tea spoon of salt

Carrots chopped

Mix cabbage, cucumber, carrots and salt in a large bowl. Squeeze the vegetables to let them ooze out some juice.
Put all the vegetables into a clean glass jar. Fold a cabbage leaf wide enough to cover the jar. Push the cabbage leaf down hard with a long handles spoon so that all the vegetables will be submerged in their own juice. Instead of using cabbage leaf you can also fill a plastic bag with water and place it on top of the bottle as shown in the pictures. The water bag will push the vegetable down and also protect the vegetable from oxidation. If the juice is not enough to cover the entire vegetables then add some water till fills the bottle leaving only about half to 1 inch of space in the bottle. This is to allow expansion of vegetable and production of

carbon dioxide in the fermentation process. Loosely cover the jar with the lid so that the gas produced during the fermentation can escape. If you tighten the lid you may run the risk of the bottle bursting and messing up your kitchen from the floor to the ceiling. Fermentation jars are

Cucumber chopped

available with air lock system. This not only allows for the escape of carbon dioxide but also prevents the oxygen from oxidising your vegetables. If oxygen is present in the jar, it will promote the growth of moulds that are harmful. If you notice any moulds you must discard the entire jar of vegetables and start all over again.
You may leave the jar at room temperature for three days to one week. You will notice bubbles forming in

the bottle as the fermentation process commences. As the fermentation continues some liquid may spill over from the jar. After about a week, put the fermented vegetables in the fridge. It will keep for one month or more. Consume one to two table spoons of these vegetables daily. Give one day break after consuming for about two weeks.

Cabbage chopped

We added cabbage because it ferments easily. You know this from the sauerkraut. Cucumbers also ferment well and give natural juice to cover the vegetables. The sugars in the carrots provide food for the bacteria. After consumption, the carrot will continue to provide food for the proliferating good bacteria in the gut. We added salt to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. Lactobacillus acidophilus is resistant to salt and its growth will not be impaired by the presence of salt. If you add too much

salt lactobacillus acidophilus will also die and there will be no fermentation. You will end up with salted vegetables.
You can make your own sauerkraut in the same way but using only cabbage.

Carrot, cucumber and cabbage diced in a food processor

Future research will show how we can deploy bacteria to fight allergies, asthma or obesity.

Plastic bag filled with water

Plastic bag with water on top prevents oxidation