Cholesterol

But the newest claims on the latest foods are worthy of our attention, say dietitians and food scientists, and it's because today's food is so clean.Bacteria - both good and bad - have been processed out of our diet, they say.

Milk and ready-made foods are heated to bacteria-destroying temperatures, raw food is washed and rinsed and salads disinfected in chlorinated baths.

The result is that, without beneficial bacteria, we are less protected from disease, and, if we suffer from a digestive tract disorder, more likely to experience discomfort.

View Larger ImageProbiotic products have active bacterial cultures added.

Prebiotics have soluble fibre added, which encourages good bacteria to multiply.

Pictured here, milk from Lactantia with prebiotic fibre and Natrel's probiotic milk.Canadian PressEmail to a friendPrinter friendlyFont: ****"We used to get a lot of bacteria in the food supply, both good and bad," said dietitian Kim Arrey.

"Now everything is so sterile, there's a lot less bacteria in food.

And we eat less fermented food, like sauerkraut, than our grandparents did, so there's another loss of bacteria."So the food industry is marketing products - special milk, yogurt, cheese, bread - that put the good bacteria back into our systems.

The products are labelled either prebiotic or probiotic and are promoted as good for our health.The idea is to sell food that is a...

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