It is important to understand the value of probiotics in our diet and to understand the ‘food first’ approach with naturally fermented food. I remember how my Mom used to serve me homemade yogurt-based sweet dessert called Shrikhand as well as Lassi which I would finish in a fraction of minutes and would not even feel guilty about it! And my granny used to make pickled sweet lemons which when served with khichdi was a soothing delight on any given day! Food does make one nostalgic. Let’s take a look at probiotics and understand more about them. Our body is a storehouse of trillions of bacteria. Good and bad ones. When this ratio is imbalanced in our gut, our body becomes more susceptible to infections, digestive disorders, mental problems and inflammation. A new-born’s good bacterial microbiome in the body may suffer if the mother’s gut flora is inadequate during pregnancy and birth. This may also affect the baby’s health through the various milestones if the gut flora remains inadequate and he is prone to low immunity. Hence, it becomes necessary to nurture our digestive health and strengthen it with lacto fermented food coming in naturally through our diets. While probiotic supplements are widely utilised, many prefer using a “food first” approach by recommending naturally fermented foods.
