SEEYOURDOCTORbefore
takingprobioticsif you
havea medicalcondition
thatmeansyouare
immuno-suppressed.(£2/250g,Morrisons,Ocado,
Sainsbury’s,Tesco) are other options.10SAU ER K R AU T
Theclassicfermented
cabbageishighinfibre
anda goodsourceofbacteria.While
notasexoticaskimchi,it canbe
equallyeffective.Lowincalories,
it’sfantasticasa sideora snack.
Aswithkimchiandotherfermented
foods,it mustbeunpasteurised
tocontainthosecrucialbeneficial
bacteria.TryRawsauerkraut,
around£4.50/410gfrom Ocado and
PlanetOrganic.11MILKKEFIR
Swapthemilkinyour
breakfastbowlwith200ml
ofanyflavourofBiotifulKefir
(£2.25/500ml,majorretailers*)
oreatBiotifulKefirProtein
(£1.35/160g,Ocadoor£2.50/400g,
Waitrose)forbreakfastoras
a snack.Kefircontainsmultiple
strainsofbacteriaandisrichin
mineralsandthe vitamins B and K.12GLOBEA RTICHOK ES
Enjoythemfreshly
boiled,tinnedinwateror
froma jar,chargrilledandstoredin
oliveoil,fortheirprebioticbenefits.
Tomakeanartichokebroth,boil
choppedfreshartichokesin1-1.5
litresofwaterwithoneortwobay
leaves,a fewcrushedpeppercorns
anda cubeofvegetablestock.Drink
theresultingstockasa hotdrinkor
useincooking.Coolandchillforup
to two days or freeze as ice cubes.13WATERKEFIR
Althoughnotasnutrient-
richasdairykefir,this
alsocontainsmultiplestrains
ofbacteriaandhasvitaminsB and
K,aswellasbeneficialacidsand
enzymes.It’seasytomakeathome- seefermentedfoodlab.com/
make-probiotic-rich-water-kefir.
14UNPASTEURISED
CHEESES
Madefromuntreatedraw
milk,thesearea sourceofprobiotic
bacteriaandcanhelpwithgut
health.Manchego,gouda,comté,
emmental,gruyèreandpecorino
areoftenmadewithrawmilk,but
differentsupermarketswillhave
varioustypesavailable.Alwaysread
thelabelandbecautiousif you’re
pregnantorimmuno-suppressed.15SEEDS
LinwoodsMilledOrganic
Flaxseed,Sunflower&
PumpkinSeeds(around£5.50/425g,
OcadoorHollandandBarrett)are
delightfullyflavoursome,aswell
asbeinga goodsourceofprobiotic-
feedingfibre.Add1-2tbsptoyour
porridgeforbreakfastorsprinkle
overa saladofbaby lettuce and
chicoryleaves.16BEANSANDLENTILS
A King’sCollegeLondon
reviewof 64 studies
foundtheprebioticfibrein
beansandlentilsincreased
‘good’gutbacteria,specifically
bifidobacterium and lactobacillus.17KOMBUCH A
Thisfermentedteafrom
Japanmakesa good
alternativetoalcoholif youwantan
interesting,non-sweettipple(it’s
slightlysour).Aswithwaterkefir,it
canbeboughtready-made,butit’s
fairlysimpleandeconomicalto
makeathome.Seehappykombucha.
co.ukforinstructionsandfindout
wheretobuythe kit you’ll need.18MISO
ThefermentedJapanese
soypasteisrichwith
friendlybacteria.Buyunpasteurised
ClearspringOrganicHatchoMiso
(£5.59/300g)atrealfoods.co.uk.Use
insaladdressingsor,thoughheating
willdestroysomeorallofits
bacteria,asa seasoningincooking
ortomakemisosoup or stock.19SALADLEAVES
Thesearea greatsource
offibreandrichin
nutrients.Includea variety– rocket,
lamb’slettuceandlollorosso,for
example– androtateyourchoices
fora rangeofnutrientstofeedthe
variousbacteria in your gut.20ANDIFYOUHAVE
ASWEETTOOTH...
Amazake(£3.99/380g,
clearspring.co.uk)isa sweet
fermentedpastemadeofmillet,
riceorsometimesoats.It hasthe
consistencyofa runnynutbutter
andisoftenusedasa pudding
topperinJapan.It goeswellon
an oatcake or rice cake too.PROBIOTICSUPPLEMENTS
If you’resufferingfromIBS,gutexpertsrecommendyoueatyogurtsthatcontainadded
probiotics, such as Activia. If you want to try a supplement, these are some of the bestlVSL#3(£14.95plus
P&P/10days’supply,
vsl3.co.uk)These
sachets,takendaily,
contain 450 billion
freeze-driedbacteria
in eight strains.lAlflorexPrecision
Biotics(£24.99/30
capsules,boots.com)
Containsa liveculture
ofBifidobacterium
35624 , reportedto
improve bloating.lBio-KultAdvance
Formula(£9.48/30
capsules,bio-kult.
com)Has 14 strains,
manyofwhichhave
beenshowntohelp
in the relief of IBS.lBimunoIBAID
TargetedDigestive
Nutrition(£12/30
pastilles,boots.com)
Aprebioticfibrethat
increasesthelevelof
bifidobacteria.
*INCLUDING ASDA, CO-OP, MORRISONS, SAINSBURY’S, TESCO, WAITROSE. ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 39health matters.