The best thing about resolutions involving probiotics: lots of “do’s” and not so many “don’ts.” For most people, it is much easier to dream up a creamy yogurt dessert than to face off against a decadent chocolate cake.
So, get going in the new year with a dollop of our best advice.
In 2017, you will:
- Take your probiotic supplements. Not weekly, not monthly, but daily. The bottle should be up front and center in the refrigerator or on the counter.
- Eat as many fermented foods you can find or make. Many Americans of German heritage celebrated the New Year with sauerkraut which is especially probiotic if not pasteurized. Forgotten in the rush to convenient processed foods, fermented foods of all stripes cut spoilage, add a flavorful zest to dishes and offer up healthy doses of probiotic goodness.
- Include kombucha, kefir and new fermented beverages. Make a move into these fizzy cocktails, away from sweet alcoholic craft cocktails so exulted at trendy bars.
- Learn a new way to ferment whether lemons, carrots or soy milk.
- Visit an Asian supermarket and explore the many fermented possibilities including miso and tofu.
- Eat foods that grow in the ground, otherwise known as plants: Vegetables, fruits, grains, beans. Maybe make an exception for a few swimmers for that protein and omega 3 goodness. But spurn cluckers, mooers and other sentient beings roaming the earth. Saturated fat, high cholesterol content and unhealthy nitrosamines when red meats are cooked at high temperatures are good reasons to limit this food category.
- Keep up on the latest discoveries in the probiotic field by reading dedicated websites including IPA’s.
- Resist fake news. How? Visit reputable sites and resist clicking the tantalizing news boxes at the bottom of stories. Yes, probiotics may prove vital in energy harvest and optimum metabolism but most assuredly will not slash extra weight in the MOST EFFECTIVE DIET EVER!!
- Spread the good news. If you are reading this, you know more about probiotics than most people. Send a link, retweet, post to Facebook, or comment on a blog in casual conversation. You will be surprised at how many friends are curious about this whole microbe thing; as a bonus it is safe from divisive political rhetoric.
And here’s a little trick to re-order your priorities: think of those colonies not as guests—like fish, they may prove malodorous in three days—but like family. In other words, feed them, make them a comfy bed and don’t stress them. They will love you back.
Toast to growth in 2017!