Bacteria are of two types: good and bad. Your body needs good bacteria so that all your bodily functions work well. Generally, your gut or intestinal tract will host a lot of these bacteria. These bacteria help in absorption of nutrients from food and get rid of unhealthy elements from your digestive system. They also help in boosting your immune system. Probiotics is a great way to ensure that your body has sufficient good bacteria.

Probiotics are essentially food that has been fermented. The process of fermentation lead to growth of healthy bacteria that chemically react with the food to make it rich with probiotic nutrients. You can easily make good probiotic-based products at home. Here are three top-rated probiotic products you can make at home and make them a part of your daily diet.

1. Pickles: Believe it or not pickles the the best non-dairy based probiotic food. If you are lactose-intolerant, you can meet your body’s requirement of probiotic nutrients by consuming pickles. All you need is any vegetable (cucumber, carrot, green beans, cauliflower, peppers etc.), spices, water, salt and some time to let the pickle ferment. You can also make good ol’ sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) to fulfill your body’s probiotic requirement.

2. Yogurt: the most basic of probiotic-based product. You can easily make yogurt, if you are not keen on buying them from the supermarket. You will need half a gallon of milk and some ready-made yogurt with live active cultures.
Heat the milk by stirring it continuously. Heat it close to boiling, but do not boil the milk. Let it cool at room temperature. Mix yogurt in a cup of the cooled milk. Whisk it. Gently whisk the thinned yogurt into the remaining milk. Cover the vessel in which you are making your yogurt and keep it at a warm place. Make sure that you keep it at the same place overnight. Do not move the vessel around and keep it steady.

3. Smoothies and shakes: Many yogurt-based or kefir- based smoothies and shakes are rich in probiotics. Not only are they great substitutes for snacks, but they are healthy and delicious as well. You can take your any favorite fruit or a mix of fruits; people usually prefer frozen fruits as they make the smoothies and shakes thicker in consistency. You can add protein powder to make it a protein-powered drink. Chia seeds can be added for additional nutritional value. You can mix in almond or coconut milk or cream an honey as well to make your drink more flavorsome.