The keto diet is a popular diet that effectively achieves rapid weight loss, this can be helped by a happy gut. In this article, we will take you through what probiotics are, how to identify when you may need them, as well as the best keto probiotic foods to keep your gut healthy. SPOILER ALERT: You do not need to spend money on expensive supplements for this, just follow our top tips to incorporate the best keto-friendly probiotic foods into your daily diet.
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What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are beneficial living bacteria and yeasts that exist naturally in your body. We often consider bacteria as disease-causing microorganisms.
However, we always have two types of bacteria in and on our bodies: good bacteria and bad bacteria. Having enough good bacteria helps your body stay healthy and function efficiently by fighting off bad bacteria.
the body naturally contains in excess of 400 different strains of friendly bacteria which assist with our digestive health.
They help us digest our food, and they help us get rid of waste. They also protect our health, they help us with digestion, they help provide nutrients, they make B vitamins and the list goes on and on.
Without these microorganisms, we’d have a lot of health problems.
Do You Need Probiotics On A Keto Diet?
If you are eating a well-balanced keto diet, you should not need to add probiotics to your keto diet. You should be naturally getting enough good bacteria from your diet.
However, if your keto diet is not balanced, and you only eat bacon and eggs, you may need some help with your gut bacteria. If this is the case, a probiotic supplement may be what you need to get your gut bacteria back on track.
Also, you should reassess your daily keto meal planning to ensure that you are eating a well-balanced diet to support your gut health.
Let’s have a look at the best keto probiotic foods for you.
The Health Benefits Of Probiotic Foods
- Probiotics aid in the balance of good bacteria in the digestive system. The effects may include digestive problems, allergies, mental health troubles, obesity, and other disorders.
- Probiotics are popular for their ability to prevent or mitigate diarrhea.
- Several trials have shown probiotic supplements to improve mental health and gut health.
- By decreasing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and blood pressure, probiotics may aid in heart health.
- Some probiotics benefit children and infants suffering from eczema.
- Some probiotics may also help individuals with milk or dairy allergies lower their inflammatory responses.
- Probiotics can help reduce digestive disorder symptoms in patients with moderate ulcerative colitis.
- Probiotics derived from the bifidobacterium and lactobacillus strains have eased symptoms.
- Probiotics aid in strengthening your immune system and inhibiting the growth of dangerous gut bacteria.
- A major study has concluded that probiotics reduce the risk and duration of respiratory infections and that some probiotics increase the body’s natural antibody production.
- Probiotics may aid weight loss through a variety of processes. Some probiotics, for example, block dietary fat absorption in the intestine. The fat gets eliminated through feces rather than being retained in the body.
- Probiotics may also assist you in feeling fuller for longer periods, burning more calories, and storing less fat.
- Potentially one of the biggest benefits of balanced gut health is weight loss.
- A healthy gut will help regulate blood sugar levels, which is already one of the benefits of a ketogenic diet.
It’s undeniable that gut health is something that we often overlook when trying to achieve a healthy diet, and potentially even weight loss.
So let’s look at some of the indications that we may be to add probiotic foods to our diet.
Signs That Probiotics Are Needed?
Let’s have a look at some of the signs to look out for that may suggest that you need to add probiotics to your keto diet.
- If you have one or more depressive moods, try taking probiotics with vitamin B to boost your kidney health.
- If you’ve fallen sick with food poisoning, any harmful gut bacteria leftover from food poisoning can thrive and outnumber your beneficial gut flora.
- If you’re always getting sick or running out of sick days at work, you probably need probiotics to help your immune system recover.
- If you have these skin disorders, acne, and psoriasis. Recent research suggests that taking probiotics may help calm your psoriasis outbreaks and keep your skin clearer for longer.
- If you have a yeast infection, your body may require probiotics.
Keto Approved Probiotic Foods
Now we understand the health benefits of probiotics and the signs that you may need to add a probiotic to your keto diet, let’s have a look at some of the naturally occurring probiotic, keto-friendly foods that may be able to help you.
- Kimchi is a vegetable-based side dish made primarily of napa cabbage, radishes, and carrots. When purchasing kimchi, look for refrigerated kimchi, as it contains living microorganisms.
- Yogurt, particularly Greek yogurt, is one of the best probiotic foods available, and it is certainly one of the most well-known. Avoid going over your carb limit and use plain unsweetened yogurt with no added flavors. Plain yogurt or low-fat yogurt is not keto-friendly and will not offer your gut the same advantages as full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Coconut milk yogurt, in addition to Greek yogurt, is full of great probiotics, and also great if you are eating a dairy-free keto diet.
- Keto-friendly Kombucha tea is another great option for helping your gut health.
- Sauerkraut is a famous fermented cabbage product very common in Asian meals. It is a great way to incorporate probiotics into your diet. If you want to reap the full advantages of sauerkraut, you must ferment it organically.
- Traditional fermented foods are a wonderful keto alternative and maintain your probiotic intake. They can reduce your hunger due to their tangy, sour, and salty flavors and are low in calories.
- Kefir is another great keto-friendly probiotic food, you can even make it yourself with nut milk if you wish.
- Staying hydrated. Ok, not necessarily a food, but keeping hydrated is essential for keeping your gut bacteria functioning as they should. Check out our article which talks you through how much water you should be drinking on a keto diet.
- Cheese made from raw cow, goat, or sheep’s milk contains probiotics. Blue cheese is a great example of this and will add a lot of flavor to your keto meals.
Can You Have Too Many Probiotics In Your Body?
Overgrowth of bacteria can lead to tonsillitis, strep throat, fungal nail infections as well as other infections such as urinary tract infections.
Do You Need A Probiotic Supplement?
Daily consumption of a well-balanced, fiber-rich meal contributes to maintaining optimal levels of beneficial bacteria.
You don’t need to use probiotic pills because numerous natural food items contain sufficient amounts of probiotics. If you feel that you may need a supplement to helo you, you should consult a medic.
There you have it, you don’t have to spend money on expensive supplements in order to ensure that your gut health is in check. We’ve made it easy for you by listing some of the best keto probiotic foods for you to incorporate into your keto diet.
