Food And Drinks With Probiotics
You can get probiotics into your digestive system with the choices you make in food and drink:
- Soy drinks
- Some soft cheeses such as Gouda
- Also in miso, tempeh, kefir, kimchi, and unpasteurized sauerkraut
Look for labels that identify “live active cultures” or that include the full name of the type or strain of bacteria on the nutritional label. Most of these are of the Lactobacillus and Bifdobacterium variety.
Health Benefits Of Probiotics
There is increasing evidence in favour of the claims of beneficial effects attributed to probiotics, including improvement of intestinal health, enhancement of the immune response, reduction of serum cholesterol, and cancer prevention. These health properties are strain specific and are impacted by the various mechanisms mentioned above. While some of the health benefits are well documented others require additional studies in order to be established. In fact, there is substantial evidence to support probiotic use in the treatment of acute diarrhoeal diseases, prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, and improvement of lactose metabolism, but there is insufficient evidence to recommend them for use in other clinical conditions.
Benefits For The Mind And Brain
Gut health is about more than just digestion. Scientific evidence shows that the gut and the brain stand in constant communication with each other. You may have noticed this connection when your stomach drops or you have a gut feeling. This gut-brain axis influences many mental health conditions.
More research shows the important role that gastrointestinal health plays in improving mood and supporting focus and memory.
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Mechanisms Of Probiotic Activity
Probiotics have various mechanisms of action although the exact manner in which they exert their effects is still not fully elucidated. These range from bacteriocin and short chain fatty acid production, lowering of gut pH, and nutrient competition to stimulation of mucosal barrier function and immunomodulation. The latter in particular has been the subject of numerous studies and there is considerable evidence that probiotics influence several aspects of the acquired and innate immune response by inducing phagocytosis and IgA secretion, modifying T-cell responses, enhancing Th1 responses, and attenuating Th2 responses .
Focus On What Matters Most To You
Imagine knowing you can go somewhere with your family and not worry about the possibility of abdominal discomfort. Imagine heading into a long meeting and not worrying that youâll have to excuse yourself for occasional digestive symptoms.
According to Dustin, this is the main reason he takes probiotics: âKnowing I have a healthy gut, a healthy GI tract, means that I can spend time with my family. It means that I can go to work every day and earn the income I need to. Not needing to worry about myself, knowing that Iâm in good health, helps me know that Iâll be able to help my family when they need it. Probiotics enabled me to enjoy life, just, day to day.â
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Reduce The Frequency Of Diarrhea
While there are many causes for diarrhea, a change in the guts bacteria can lead to loose stools. Antibiotics often disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome, leading to antibiotic-associated diarrhea and causing loss of good bacteria.
Probiotics may reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in adults aged 18-64. Omni-Biotic AB 10 contains ten carefully selected bacterial strains that restore the gut microbiome and reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
Want To Know The Benefits Of Probiotics Here You Go
Probiotics are known to promote a healthy balance between bad and good bacteria in human gut. There is an ongoing scientific investigation suggesting the importance and benefits of a healthy gut microbiome ranging from improving heart health to helping relieve symptoms of various allergic reactions. Here is a guide to some of the advantages of probiotics:
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Beware Gut Symptom Triggers
Some people find particular foods cause them problems. Acidic foods, such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, salad dressings and fizzy drinks, can trigger heartburn, while wheat and onions may cause irritable bowel syndrome.
And if you cannot digest lactose, the sugar in milk, youâll develop wind and diarrhoea after drinking milk or eating dairy products, including cream, cheese, yoghurt and chocolate.
Try to stay away from foods and drinks that trigger your digestive symptoms. Keep a food diary to work out which foods cause your symptoms.
How Probiotics Treat Acid Reflux
While you can see how probiotics supplements are becoming so popular, what you really want to know is how probiotics help acid reflux. This is one of those areas where science is still very actively studying the results of probiotics on acid reflux, but there are some theories why this natural remedy works.
Prevent fermentation: One theory is that an overgrowth of the bad bacteria in your stomach causes fermentation, resulting in extra gas. The belief is that these gas forces open the lower esophageal sphincter, which then allows acid and other stomach contents to flow upward into the esophagus.
The use of probiotics balances out the good and bad bacteria in the body, reducing the gas and eliminating fermentation.
The stomach works faster: Probiotics may promote faster absorption and stomach emptying. Many sufferers of acid reflux report that they suffer more symptoms after overeating.
This full-stomach feeling may be emotionally satisfying but it makes it much easier for food to back up into the esophagus. When your stomach empties faster, youre closing the window on regurgitation and other GERD symptoms.
When acid reflux reaches the point of GERD, or when it continually creeps up into the esophagus, the lining is irritated and inflammation results. Probiotics have anti-inflammatory properties and can ease these acid reflux symptoms, provided you buy one with the right probiotic strains.
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Love Grace Probiotic Smoothie
Love Grace Probiotic Smoothie uses the same strain of probiotics as in the MELT organic butter spread, GanedenBC30, says Koszyk. The vegan smoothie contains a good dosage of the probiotic, but every 16-ounce bottle contains 245 calories and 21 grams of carbohydrates from the fruit, so be aware of how much you drink.
The Bottom Line: Drink this! But split it into two servings if youre watching your carb intake.
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Can Probiotics Hurt Me
For most healthy people, probiotics dont cause any harm. They are generally considered safe and are often given a try to see if they could help with various medical conditions. Theres a lot of research around the topic of probiotics. Scientists are trying to determine when and how they should be used, as well as how effective they are. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting a probiotic supplement because there are some cases where you shouldnt be taking them. Its always best to have the conversation first before starting a new supplement.
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Are Probiotics Safe For Kids Heres What You Need To Know
You may have passed them in the health food aisle at your local grocery store or seen a reference to them in your favorite healthy living blog probiotics.
Many adults use these supplements to help regulate their digestive systems. Some claim that probiotics can help with conditions like eczema and even yeast infections.
But probiotics dont always work the same for children.
Probiotics are useful for keeping your digestive tract healthy, says Dr. Joy Drass, pediatrician at Geisinger Port Matilda. But its important to know which probiotics you can give to your child, since they may not work the same way they do in adults.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Probiotic Bacteria
Though there are many types of bacteria that can be considered probiotics, there are two specific types of bacteria that are common probiotics found in stores. These include:
- Lactobacillus.
- Bifidobacterium.
Probiotics are also made up of good yeast. The most common type of yeast found in probiotics is:
- Saccharomyces boulardii.
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Probiotics And Bloating How Do Probiotics Help With Bloat
There are a large number of factors that can cause bloating in your gut however it is mostly caused by excessive fermentation or excessive gas in the GI tract. Probiotics that contain high content of lactobacillus andBifidobacterium may help alleviate the symptoms of bloating by increasing the bacterial count in your gut, and in turn, help reduce inflammation and gas. Bloating can be the result of too much gas in your gut. This is a normal byproduct of digestion but when too much gas is produced the symptoms associated with bloating can occur.
Bloating can be caused by either malabsorption and difficulty digesting particular complex sugars found in dairy , beans, wheat, etc. Bloating can also be the cause of bacterial overgrowth of gut throwing off normal concentrations of different types. Also bloating can be a result of hypersensitivity. With the help of probiotics, the microbe balance can be tipped towards less gaseous bacterial strains, and helping potentially with some causes.
Summary: Bloating can be caused by increased malabsorption of carbohydrates and excessive bacterial fermentation. Some studies suggest that probiotics work by tipping the balance in favor of less gas producing bacteria or boosting the different types of bacteria in the gut.
Probiotic Foods To Help Balance Your Gut
Itâs true that probiotics can be found in some foods. You might already include them in your diet, or you may be able to replace a food currently in your diet with another that specifically contains probiotics. But picking a probiotic food is not as easy as picking any yogurt off the shelves at the store, and not all fermented foods have probiotics in them.
Finding foods with live cultures is easy. Finding foods with live cultures that have proven health benefits requires attention to detail and research. Plus, you need to make sure youâre getting enough probiotics from those foods in your diet to actually get the health benefit you want.
Yogurt is a classic example. All yogurts do contain live cultures at some point as they are being made. However, as a part of the manufacturing process, the live cultures donât always survive until the yogurt makes it to store shelves. Alternatively, some yogurts still contain live cultures post-processing, however, the specific strains used to make the yogurt provide no benefits to humans.
The truth is, few yogurts naturally contain a probiotic strain. Oftentimes, probiotics are added to the yogurt, but not used as part of the production process.
If you donât already eat fermented foods, there are other options to help you add probiotics to your gut without making a significant dietary change. Probiotic supplements like Align DualBiotic Prebiotic + Probiotic Gummies will guarantee you add more good bacteria to your gut.*
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Can I Use Probiotics To Help With Medical Conditions
There is currently a large amount of research happening around the idea of what probiotics can do for your body. Even though there are a lot of possibly positive outcomes, researchers are still working to find definitive answers about how probiotics can help with various conditions.
However, there are some medical conditions where probiotics may help. This can vary between people meaning that what works for one person may not work for another. These can also vary based on the certain probiotic that is taken.
Some of the conditions that might be helped by increasing the amount of probiotics in your body include:
- Upper respiratory infections .
- .
The Best Way To Benefit From Probiotics
You can get probiotics from a variety of foods or supplements.
If you want to buy a probiotic supplement, then there is an with thousands of customer reviews.
Live probiotic cultures are often found in fermented dairy products such as yogurts and milk drinks. Fermented foods like pickled vegetables, tempeh, miso, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and soy products may also contain some lactic acid bacteria.
You can also take probiotics as tablets, capsules and powders that contain the bacteria in dried form.
However, be aware that some probiotics can be destroyed by stomach acid before they even reach the gut meaning that you get none of the intended benefits.
If you want to experience any of the health benefits discussed above, its important that you consume adequate amounts.
Most of the studies showing benefits used dosages of 1 billion to 100 billion live organisms or colony-forming units per day.
More about probiotics:
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The Benefits Of Probiotics
In every healthy digestive system, there is a balance. Probiotics help to keep the digestive system in balance. There are many reasons a digestive system becomes unbalanced. These include illness, taking antibiotics, a poor diet, or an overgrowth of bad bacteria. Gastrointestinal problems can result from such an imbalance.
More research on probiotics is needed. However, there is evidence that:
S To Maintain Optimal Digestion
If you’re looking for some easy ways to support your digestive system, these five simple steps will help keep your digestion on track:
1. Eat Raw
Raw, unprocessed plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and nuts are excellent sources of enzymes. Cooking destroys the natural enzymes in foods, so go raw as frequently as possible.
2. Try Fermented
Rich in nutrients, fermented foodslike yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kombuchaprovide a powerful one-two punch of enzymes and probiotics. In fact, by the time they hit your mouth, fermented foods are already partially digested by the beneficial bacteria, making digestion and nutrient absorption a piece of cake .
3. Combine Foods Properly
Making sure to eat foods that combine well together is a great game plan for maintaining healthy, comfortable digestion.
- Dont eat proteins and starches in the same meal, as they require different pH levels to digest and will neutralize each other in the stomach.
- Dont combine fruits and vegetables because fruits dont fully break down until they reach the small intestine. If they get trapped in the stomach with other foods, your digestion is impaired.
- Do eat melon by itselfit doesnt digest well with any other foods.
4. Eat 2-3 Hours Before Sleep
Waiting at least 2-3 hours after you eat to sleep gives your gut time to clean out and repair while you rest. Also, try fasting from an early dinner in the evening until a late breakfast the next day to give your gut a break.
References:
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What Do Probiotics Do
When it comes to probiotics, it’s important to understand that there are a plethora of different strains of probiotics that can all have potentially different effects on your body. So even though it is difficult to explain how each strain works, the concept behind the popular probiotics on the market is similar — to populate healthy bacteria in your gut.
“The theory with probiotics is that they mimic the effects of our intact microbiota. In other words, just like our healthy gut microbes, these probiotics should optimize our immune system, reduce inflammation, inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, correct leaky gut and restore gut barrier integrity, reestablish intestinal motility, even improve mood,” Dr. Bulsiewicz says.
You can purchase probiotics in supplement form, but they are also found naturally in food — particularly food that is fermented. Examples of probiotic-rich foods include yogurt, kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut.
Can Probiotics Help Digestion Summary
Probiotics are integral to the human body. They serve multiple roles and one of the things they do is aid digestion.
Consuming probiotic food or supplements appears to be an effective way to alleviate the symptoms of certain digestive problems, including IBS and ulcerative colitis.
However, the value of probiotics in other areas, such as treating irritable bowel disease, requires further study.
That does not mean probiotics have no value in the disputed areas. It means the researchers require further proof before they can recommend the use of probiotics for certain digestive conditions.
Its also important to bear in mind probiotics may not be a suitable option for certain individuals.
For instance, people who have HIV or other conditions that impair immune function would do well to avoid this type of product.
If you have any known health issues or have concerns about how suitable probiotic products may be for you, the best thing to do is seek the advice of your doctor.
There is no substitute for professional medical advice especially where probiotics and digestion are concerned.
About Chris Hill
Chris Hill’s understanding of the supplement industry is second to none and he has contacts within the industry that allow him access to information most people cant obtain.
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Signs Your Probiotics Are Not Working
No improvement: If you dont see any improvements in your digestion or the digestive issues you are experiencing, this is likely not the right product for you.
If the probiotic works for you, at the very least you should be seeing an improvement in your digestion within four weeks of taking the product.
Side Effects: Some individuals experience minor side effects like mild bloating, flatulence or more frequent bowel movements for the first few days of taking a new probiotic.
This is your body getting used to the probiotic and potentially cleaning out harmful substances like pathogens. However, if these side effects persist beyond the first week of taking the probiotic, stop taking the product and consult a physician. If you experience more serious side effects like allergic reactions, dizziness, swelling or difficulty breathing, discontinue the product and contact your physician immediately.
How Do Probiotics Work
The main job of probiotics, or good bacteria, is to maintain a healthy balance in your body. Think of it as keeping your body in neutral. When you are sick, bad bacteria enters your body and increases in number. This knocks your body out of balance. Good bacteria works to fight off the bad bacteria and restore the balance within your body, making you feel better.
Good bacteria keeps you healthy by supporting your immune function and controlling inflammation. Certain types of good bacteria can also:
- Help your body digest food.
- Keep bad bacteria from getting out of control and making you sick.
- Create vitamins.
- Help support the cells that line your gut to prevent bad bacteria that you may have consumed from entering your blood.
- Breakdown and absorb medications.
This balancing act is naturally happening in your body all of the time. You dont actually need to take probiotic supplements to make it happen. Good bacteria is just a natural part of your body. Eating a well-balanced diet rich in fiber every day helps to keep the number of good bacteria at proper levels.
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