What’s the Deal with Probiotics?
It’s likely that you’ve read an article or heard someone talk about probiotics. They are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. That’s right, they are bacteria that are GOOD for you. People usually associate bacteria with disease, but your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are the good guys because they help keep your gut healthy.
So what do probiotics do? In simple terms, they help move food through your digestive system. Researchers are still trying to figure out which are best for certain health problems. Some common conditions they help with are Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Infectious diarrhea (caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites) and Antibiotic-related diarrhea.
You may not realize how critical our digestive tracts are to our health. Did you know that 80% of your entire immune system is located in your digestive tract?! Your digestive system is also the second largest part of our neurological system. You may have heard your gut called you “second brain” for this reason.
Many people with health issues, such as thyroid imbalances, chronic fatigue, joint pain, psoriasis, autism and many other conditions don’t realize that these illnesses originate in the gut.
There is also some recent research showing that they can lend a hand for other parts of the body as well. Some examples of conditions that probiotics have helped with are skin conditions (like eczema), urinary and vaginal health, allergies and colds and overall oral health.
What happens to the probiotics that we already have in our body? Why would we need to supplement with them? Today, there are many foods, toxins and stressors that kill the good bacteria in your gut. If you want to improve your digestive health, you must not only take in probiotics, but eliminate the sources that feed the bad bacteria and kill off the friendly bacteria. If these are not addressed, your gut micro-organisms become imbalanced, and your system can become a breeding ground for bad bacteria, yeast, viruses, fungi and parasites.
Here are some of the common probiotic killers that prevent you from restoring your gut to optimal health: Prescription antibiotics, sugar, GMO foods, grains, stress and medications.
The only way to fix this issue and heal your gut is to eliminate the foods that feed bad bacteria and start consuming probiotic-rich foods and supplements so probiotics benefits can work their magic.
Where do you turn to get some good probiotics? I love to research things, but I also know that my time is valuable. I trust the people at Reviews.com to do a thorough job of reviewing products and their review of probiotic supplements a few months ago was no exception.
They started off with over 220 different probiotics that you can find on the shelves in your local grocery or health food store. They then looked at several important criteria such as which ones had the most diverse strains of bacteria and how long the bacteria will stay alive (they won’t do you any good if they are dead by the time you ingest them). They also eliminated those brands that had artificial sweeteners.
When the dust settled, they determined the best probiotic on the market for overall health and came up with a list of 8 products that can help you with specific gut-related issues such as IBS and IBD. They also list those that are best for helping with immune system boosting or weight loss.
You can check out the full review at the link below.
My wife and I have been taking probiotics on an off for years both to help with gut issues when they arise and also as a preventative measure. If you are suffering from any GI-related issues, I recommend taking one of the probiotics mentioned in the review for a month or two and see if you notice a difference. Let me know if you see a change!
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Wishing you optimal health and peak performance,
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