SOS probióticos

Did you know that there is evidence that our ancestors consciously consumed fermented milk more than 5,000 years ago? That the consumption of fermentative bacteria led to changes in our DNA, such as the one that now allows us to digest the lactose in milk? That sauerkraut helped Chinese workers build their Great Wall? That the ships of overseas discoveries carried lots of fermented foods that helped the passengers endure the hardships of the voyage? That the Mongols conquered their vast empire by feeding on fermented mare's milk and cured horse meat under their saddle? That the nursing mother can transmit her own character to the baby with the probiotics in the milk with which she nourishes him? Although until recently we have not been aware of its existence and its importance in our health, our intestinal flora is degenerating compared to that of our ancestors. Due to marketing needs, probiotics are removed from most fermented foods that are marketed in distribution chains. Products rich in live and active probiotics are a functional food at all levels, with multiple beneficial effects on our body, such as those they exert on the digestive, nervous, and arterial systems, on plasma lipids, or on the osteoarticular system. Lately, we have been reminded of the importance of consuming foods with probiotics through recommendations plagued with exotic names: kombucha, kefir, miso, kimchi, sauerkraut... But, in reality, we have always had at our disposal foods loaded with microorganisms, which have been enriching our intestinal flora through the centuries, and that are much closer to our Mediterranean diet, such as raw cured meats, olives, beer, wine, honey, salted fish or cheese.