Hi everyone, Monica Reinagel here with another episode of the Nutrition Divas quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous.

And today I have a special guest joining me. My colleague

Lee Fallon, also known as Everyday Einstein, will be adding his two cents worth on

today's topic, which is prebiotics.

Nutrition Diva Fan Nicki writes,

can you explain the difference between probiotic

and prebiotic foods, and where do cheese and wine fit in?

Well, as far as I'm concerned, Nicki,

cheese and wine fit in right about 6 p.m. or so

while I'm making dinner.

Or if you're feeling continental continental wine and cheese also fit in

well after dinner instead of dessert. No seriously this is a terrific question

because many people don't realize that both cheese and wine, as well as beer, are good sources of probiotic bacteria.

As I talked about in my previous episode on fermented foods, probiotics are friendly bacteria

that normally inhabit the human digestive tract,

where they perform all kinds of useful tricks, such as helping to digest our food and protecting us from harmful bacteria.

Probiotic bacteria even manufacture vitamins for us,

including vitamin K and B12.

In fact, up to three pounds of your body weight

actually consists of beneficial bacteria.

So which foods contain probiotics?

Well we often think of probiotics mostly in terms of dairy products like yogurt or

...