Probiotics are all the rage, but what are they? They are live bacteria and yeasts that can benefit your health in numerous ways.

It’s not the bad kind of bacteria that will make you sick, but it’s a ‘good’ kind that will help you and your gut. Even the World Health Organization lists probiotics as anything that is alive that gives a benefit when ingested. They are naturally occurring in your body plus you can take them as a supplement as well. Knowing what they can help with is essential to determining if you need to increase your intake (which it could never hurt) and how to go about getting them.

Different types of probiotics and what they benefit.

The first one that comes to most people’s minds is yogurt. But that for sure isn’t the only place to get additional Probiotics as they are also found in other fermented food. This type of probiotic is called Lactobacillus which can help with diarrhea and also help digest lactose (think Lactaid milk). If you take a look below you can see other sources of probiotics that don’t include yogurt.

There is also Bifidobacterium which is found in different types of dairy foods. This probiotic can help with irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and antibiotic related and infectious diarrhea. Those sound terrible, but hopefully getting some Probiotics in the system can help with that. It can also help with immunity so when you are eating something that has high levels of Probiotics you’re helping your body to fight off illness. You want to keep your intake high in general but this would be especially important during the winter months when colds run rampant.

Not only can they help with the gut they can also help with skin issues like eczema, urinary and vaginal health, allergies and colds, and oral health. Using probiotics can help heal the body from the inside out. Having optimal gut health improves everything from the stomach and digestive track to the skin and the exterior. This could be beneficial to those who have skin issues and have had no relief from topical treatments. This is an amazing variety of issues that Probiotics can help with. Now just to find where to get them.

Ways to get probiotics into your body

First there are multiple foods that can offer you the benefits of Probiotics. Some of them are Kefir, Sauerkraut, miso, pickles, tempeh, kimchi and kombucha tea. Now these are just foods but a simple search will show there are tons of supplements that you can take in order to increase your probiotic intake.

Probiotics are beneficial in so many ways, and now that you know you don’t have to get them solely from yogurt, you can find another way to add them into your diet, be it a different food, or a supplement to go along with your daily regimen. Take note of how your feel beforehand an after taking them for a while, because once you see the benefits, I’m positive you won’t want to go back.

What are the best probiotic supplements?

Reviews.com has created an excellent resource detailing the best probiotic supplement based on a number of different factors, such as best for digestive health and best for immune health.

You can view their run down of the best probiotic supplements here .