do you need probiotics
Answers from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. You don't necessarily need probiotics â a type of good bacteria â to be healthy. However, these microorganisms may help with digestion and offer protection from harmful bacteria, just as the existing good bacteria in your body already do. Prebiotics are nondigestible carbohydrates that act as food for probiotics. When probiotics and prebiotics are combined, they form a synbiotic. Fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and kefir, are considered synbiotic because they contain live bacteria and the fuel they need to thrive. Probiotics are found in foods such as yogurt, while prebiotics are found in whole grains, bananas, onions, garlic, honey and artichokes.