Fermented foods vs. probiotics: What’s the difference?

Are you tempted to lump fermented foods and probiotics in the same good-for-you bucket? We get it. They’re kind of the same, but not.

Here’s why: While fermented foods contain living microbes (just like your probiotic) no one really knows the strains of microbes living in your fermented food unless they do an analysis.

And when it comes to fermented foods, we also don’t know where the benefits are coming from. Is it the microbes? The microbial metabolites? The enhanced nutrition of the food? Chances are, the benefits of fermented food extend beyond it’s microbial residents. Which helps to explain how fermented foods are distinctly different from the specific strains found in a probiotic.