Whether you find the holidays joyful and merry or stressful and exhausting, chances are your eating habits aren’t the same as the rest of the year. You’re out of your routine, eating rich food, fatigued from traveling, adjusting to time zones. . . and your gut isn’t exactly feeling festive. Holiday food can do a number on your digestion, leaving you feeling like you have a rock in your stomach and making time with family less enjoyable. The good news is you can help your holiday gut health without saying “no”to another helping of Aunt Gertrude’s stuffing.
Probiotics (and their counterparts, prebiotics) can help you maintain energy, balance, immunity, and overall health during the holidays. But probiotics can also be confusing and overwhelming. Just walk through the probiotic section of any health food store and you’ll find hundreds of options ranging in strains and potency.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are microorganisms that live in your gut. They’re sometimes called “good bacteria” because they help with digestion by breaking down food and maintaining balance in your system. We consume probiotics through supplements or by eating foods that contain friendly bacteria, like fermented foods.
Before we get into the benefits of probiotics and how to use them, here’s a quick overview of some of the terminology:
The strain of probiotics refers to a specific variation of bacteria within a species. You can usually find the species on the bottle at the health food store, like Lactobacillus acidophilus. (Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to spell that in a quiz later.)
The concentration of organisms is measured in Colony Forming Units, or CFU. CFU is the amount of live, active bacteria in a serving. You’ll see this number in the millions or billions.
Happy Gut, Happy Holidays
While we shouldn’t ignore gut health during other times ofthe year, there are some benefits to focusing on it around the holidays:
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- Relieve discomfort after big meals. Heavy meals, sugar, and alcohol can all destroy your gut and lead to that icky, bloated feeling. Probiotics help move things along so you feel lighter and more comfortable after those family feasts.
- Support immunity. A balanced microbiome supports immune function during cold and flu season.
- Easier travel. If you travel during the holidays, you’re probably eating foods you’re not used to, on an irregular schedule, and experiencing some stress- all of which can throw off your gut. Probiotics can help balance your digestion and make travel a little more comfortable.
- Emotional regulation. For various reasons, the holidays can be an emotionally difficult time. One benefit of probiotics that isn’t talked about enough, is their role in creating our favorite neurotransmitters such as serotonin (not enoughof it can lead to depression).
Food vs. Supplements for Gut Health
Probiotics aren’t limited to that daunting open refrigerator at Whole Foods. They can also be found in the foods we eat every day. When it comes to natural sources vs. supplements, there is no comparison: food offers a greater quantity, quality, and diversity of the microbiome.
To give you an idea of the CFU in some everyday foods:
1 tablespoon of sauerkraut juice contains 1.5 trillion CFU
1 oz of kefir contains more than 300 billion CFU
8 oz of amazake contains more than 100 billion CFU
(You can find amazake on our shelf at Ikigai! And it’s made locally by Okome Kitchen.)
4 oz of yogurt contains 5-10 billion CFU
Other fermented foods that contain probiotics:
Kim chi
Kombucha
Some cheeses
Apple cider vinegar
Miso
pickles
Getting probiotics through the foods you eat offers the additional benefit of fiber and other nutrients —not to mention it’s delicious.
While food is generally considered the more efficient way to consume probiotics, supplements can also get the job done in a pinch. Let’s face it —the holidays can be chaotic, and sometimes supplements are just easier. The downside is that quality can vary between brands. If you’re not sure what kind or how much to take, check with your healthcare provider orschedule a visit with us at Ikigai.
What about Prebiotics to Help Gut Health?
Probiotics alone can do a lot for your holiday gut health, but they work best when paired with prebiotics —the bacteria that help them thrive. Think of them as food for the probiotics that help colonies multiply and do their job.
Some foods that contain prebiotics:
Garlic
Onion
Bananas
Oats
Apples
Flax and chia seeds
Amazake
(Yep, that’s right! Amazake is also a prebiotic. Two birds, one stone.)
You can pair any of these with foods containing probiotics (for example, yogurt + banana) to get the full benefit of both.
How to Get More Probiotics (and Prebiotics) During the Holidays
Breakfast:
- Add yogurt or kefir to your breakfast smoothie
- Start your day with bananas and oats
- Use kefir in pancake or waffle batter
- Mix 1-2 oz of amazake into your favorite shake, oatmeal or chia pudding
Lunch or dinner:
- If you’re hosting, serve sauerkraut, kimchi, or pickles as a side dish
- Add miso to gravy
- Make salad dressing with yogurt, kefir, or apple cider vinegar
- Serve an ounce of amazake before the big meal – like a fun pre-meal probiotic shot!
Between meals:
- Enjoy kombucha instead of soda or alcohol. Kombucha comes in so many brands and flavors, you won’t feel like you’re missing out. (Or you can make your own!)
- Include probiotic-rich snacks like aged cheese, fruit, and yogurt.
- Remember your prebiotics! Include garlic, onion, and other fiber-rich foods in your dishes.
- If you’re traveling or eating off schedule, throw some probiotic supplements in your suitcase.
Enough is happening during the holidays without having to deal with stomach discomfort. Getting ahead of your digestion with probiotics and prebiotics lets you enjoy your time with friends and family. Because when your gut is happy, everything else feels a little more merry and bright.
Cheers to that!
