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Gut Check: The Role of Probiotics in Our Diets
Health | December 03, 2014
I think it’s safe to say we’ve all been pretty much bombarded by probiotics in commercials and advertisements over the last few years. While no single supplement or dietary choice is a magic bullet when it comes to our health, when made a part of a balanced diet, probiotics can give a variety of benefits.
What is Probiotic?
Probiotic literally means ‘for life’ and is a form of friendly bacteria used for maintaining proper digestive health. Friendly bacteria found in some yogurts, cheeses and fermented drinks such as kombucha and kefir are considered probiotic. Since probiotic foods and drinks are not always available or even palatable for some of us, many have turned to probiotic supplements to get their daily dose of friendly bacteria.
Friendly Bacteria
Our bodies contain literally trillions of good and bad bacteria. That’s both amazing and honestly kind of weird to think about. The good kind of bacteria aids in digestion and helps process nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Friendly bacteria also help fight off a variety of infections. Unfortunately, the current trend in the modern diet of processed foods coupled with a severe lack of fruits and vegetables has thrown our collective digestive tracts into a terrible imbalance.
Professor Esi Lamouse-Smith, a professor of pediatric medicine at Columbia University, believes probiotics help stimulate our healthy bacteria into action. Whether in a supplement, drink or food, the additional dose of probiotic bacteria nurtures our own naturally occurring bacteria in a decidedly positive manner and help balance digestive irregularities.
Benefits of Probiotics
Preliminary studies suggest a whole host of benefits in taking probiotics. Probiotics not only aid in sustaining proper gut health, some studies indicate that probiotics help in shortening the duration of illnesses such as infectious diarrhea, yeast infections and urinary tract infections. Probiotics may also help alleviate the symptoms of digestive disorders such as Irritable Bowels Syndrome (IBS) and Crohn’s disease. Probiotics might even protect against or, at least, lessen the duration of the cold and flu.
Are you currently taking a probiotic supplement? Are you a fan of kefir or kombucha or some other kind of probiotic food or drink? Let me know!
Private Member |
I usually eat just yogurt, since it makes a great snack and has probiotics too. I don’t like to take many pills whether its a herbal supplement or whatever just because I don’t like to swallow these big things. But yogurt is great 🙂
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka, I really like Kefir the Blueberry one its yummy but i take probiotic in a capsule form called PB8, it really works for me. Have you heard of it? Grazie Ciao Angelina
Private Member |
Hey Zuzka, for about 3 month I’ve been eating sauerkraut, I do it myself- 2 jars , it’s about 2 kilos- couse this one from the store is pasteurized and then has no probiotics. I eat about 3 tbsp every day- it’s delicious with carrot and bell pepper…I make it not too sour. I must say it is so good for my guts, I see huge different, my immune system is better also and you get a lot of good ptobiotics, vitamins and it is low in carbs. I can only recommend:-) I use greek yogurt too. How much fat include yours? My has almost 10% 🙂 and from time to time I drink kefir( buttermilk). Thank you for great post, probiotics are very important part of our diet, couse healthy guts = healthy people 🙂
Private Member |
I have done and tried a lot of probiotics and other stuff over the years, largely due to IBS and trying to find relief from very chronic symptoms. I was making my own water kefir for months, which helped somewhat but honestly gave me diarrhoea. I haven’t made my own sauerkraut yet though. I’ve tried different brands of probiotics, expensive, fancy brands, and nothing ever really made a difference until about a month ago when I tried Prescript-Assist. After reading so many amazing reviews about it I decided to go for it, and within one week my digestion was better than it had been in a long time. I still have a way to go, but i’m hoping upon completion of this round of probiotics to have seen a major improvement. I am still suffering from bloating, but those feelings of heaviness and irregularity have vanished, which is amazing. Considering all the positive reviews on it, I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to get relief from IBS symptoms and replenish their gut with good bacteria. Apparently the bacteria in these are soil-based, and unlike lactose-based probiotics they stay in your gut, and repopulate it (much like the idea of kefir). They apparently have strains of bacteria that are (supposed to be) most populous in the gut. So, while I am not 100% a new person, they have definitely helped me and I think they will continue to help me get back on track to having a more healthy gut flora. Also, I have had a very weak immune system over the years, due to, what I am guessing is two difficult pregnancies, multiple infections where I needed antibiotics, followed by a bad case of pneumonia (cherry on top). Since I got over pneumonia less than a year ago, I have had a cold/flu almost every two weeks… Obviously it is too early to say since I have only been taking these probiotics for a little while, but the weather in Belgium (where I live) has recently gotten very cold, and my life is very busy, and I have strangely felt much stronger and more resistant than usual. I have more energy from day to night. So who knows. As I said again, I would definitely recommend Prescript Assist, or at least google them and do some research yourself if you’re out there looking for a solution- especially after antibiotics I think they would be very useful.
Private Member |
Caroline, thanks so much for all your info. I will definitely do research for Prescrit Assist, anything that helps. Take care, Angelina
Private Member |
No problem! I realise that I sound a bit like an advertisement here but I tend to do that when I find something I really like. And gut issues are the most horrible thing, I will always put the word out if I find something that I think could benefit others with the same issues as me.
Private Member |
TRY Ketogenic Diet my friend! I have IBS too and I never have symptoms anymore! Doctors use this to help treat IBS. I know the pains of IBS, it is not deadly or severe, but no one who doesn’t have IBS realize how debilitating it can be in your life. I had problems with anxiety because I was terrified, waiting all day for my symptoms to arise. I cried a lot during that time, because once I inflamed, my day was ruined and the inflammation would rob my energy. The KETOGENIC DIET has saved my life and is a true miracle! Please check it out!!!
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campinas, sao paulo, brazil
I take my friendly bacteria everyday!
Private Member |
In the recent past I considered taking probiotics to see if it would help alleviate some abdominal discomfort I was experiencing that I believed to be related to food. Interestingly enough, I changed jobs and haven’t had a severe episode since Feb 2014, whereas before they were happening approximately every two months. This leads me to believe that stress played a huge role in the problems I was having. Also, I did some research and found that you’d have to consume significant quantities of probiotics, beyond what a person would be capable of consuming, in order to make a measurable impact on the bacterial makeup of your gut. With this in mind I’m not sure if my money is well spent on probiotic supplements or foods…and I think more clinical trials/research is needed to determine what, if anything, is the benefit of these supplements. This is my own opinion and experience; obviously if someone feels better for taking these supplements, then all the power to them.
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka! I take probiotics daily! I’m currently taking the Probiotic+ made by Kimberly Snyder! What I like about hers is that it’s made from 29 strains of SBO’s. Her philosophy about health is really inspiring and lead me to her products! Here’s a link of why her probiotics are different to other brands:
http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2013/10/31/traditional-probiotics-vs-sbos-which-are-better-for-you-2/
I love kombucha as well! GT’s Kombucha is one of my favorites, especially the ones with chia seeds in them. Give them a try! I love to eat raw sauerkraut and kimchi as well!
Private Member |
Kevita!!!! amazing probiotic drink!!!
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Shelby, I’m a great fan of Kimberly Snyder too, she’s great. I actually follow many of her recipes but I have not yet tried her probiotics. Thanks for sharing. Angelina
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I’ve been diagnosed with IBS and tried probiotic supplements, and with my experience it helped slightly, but not enough. I had chronic inflammation and this interfered with my life a lot!
What truly helped to heal my problems is the KETOGENIC DIET. This diet is a miracle worker! I had inflammation almost everyday for a years. Ever since I started the Ketogenic diet I haven’t had IBS symptoms once! Any one else who is struggling with IBS……LOOK THIS DIET UP!! It is used by doctors to help treat IBS!! and it works!!
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Hi everyone, do you have any suggestions to help get rid of gallstones
Private Member |
Definitely lemon juice!