Praised be the probiotics!

Did you know that a woman can begin nutritionally prepping her baby's microbiome during pregnancy?

By consuming probiotic-rich foods and/or supplements, especially in the 3rd trimester, she increases the balance of beneficial bacteria that are present in her birth canal and breast milk. If born vaginally and/or breast fed, this will help her newborn begin populating their own beneficial microbes to strengthen their immunity, improve digestion, and lower their risk of allergies, asthma, thrush and eczema in the future.

Probiotics are especially important for women who have compromised digestion, were given antibiotics during pregnancy and/or frequently before becoming pregnant, and those who were tested positive for GBS. It can be also highly beneficial for babies who have digestive troubles, were/are formula-fed, those born via c-section or en caul, and those who or whose mothers were given antibiotics.

So where can you find probiotics in food?

Most traditionally fermented foods, beverages and fermented dairy are rich in probiotics. Pictured here are a few of my personal favorites (which are relatively easy to find in Munich): miso paste, milk kefir, fresh sauerkraut, fresh kimchi, kombucha, and full-fat goat's milk yogurt. The traditionally fermented foods listed above are always sold in the refrigerator section, or homemade (not on the store shelf and not in vinegar brine!)*.

*If you're based in Munich, you can find them in health/organic product stores such as Basic or Schmatz. 😉

And what about baby?

One of the best thing parents can do for the health of their baby is offering probiotic-rich foods too, so make sure to include them in your list of first foods to offer. Yogurt, for instance, is generally healthy and normally well-accepted by baby's palate from early on.

Dairy should nonetheless be avoided until baby is ~10 months old (because it's a common allergen), but you can feel free to offer alternatives such as high-quality coconut yogurt. What do I mean by high-quality?

• No unnecessary additives

• No artificial flavors

• No sugar or salt

• Plain

• Full-fat

• Organic

This is obviously a non-sponsored post, but I love this particular coconut yogurt pictured above because it's the ONLY one I could find in Munich that ticks all the boxes above. While coconut yogurt is generally easy to find, most of them either have added salt, or aren't full fat, or have artificial flavors, etc.. So make sure to read the label!