Book excerpt: Probiotic foods are fermented foods cultured by live beneficial microorganisms. Those most familiar to us are yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, and buttermilk. Many more have been enjoyed for centuries in different parts of the world, but are largely unknown to us. Fermented foods help keep our bodies healthy. They protect us from harmful foodborne pathogens that have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics. These two grave and growing problems - foodborne illness and antibiotic resistance - can cause many disorders, from allergy and asthma to yeast infections and heart disease, among others. It's time we get acquainted with probiotic foods as nutritional and therapeutic treasures. Probiotic Foods for Good Health discusses in detail more than forty traditional probiotic foods based on milk, vegetables, beans, and cereal grains. It also provides practical information about reliable sources for commercially available fermented foods, at-home starter cultures, and shopping tips that make it easy to add these delicious, health-promoting foods to your daily diet. Book jacket.