Your body is more bacteria than human.

Just take a second to read that over …

Isn’t it crazy that with your body containing ten times more microbes than human cells, and your digestive health affecting every physiological system in your body, the focus on gut bacteria isn’t number one? It’s insane!

More than 70 million Americans suffer from poor digestive health and over forty diseases have been linked to imbalanced gut bacteria – depression, anxiety, IBS, arthritis, cancer, etc.

And your gut contains more than 500 different kinds of microorganisms that require a delicate balance to keep your body running efficiently.

It’s time for us to wake up and pay attention to this critical health component.

If you’re nodding your head like “heck ya!”, then keep on reading girlfriend!

WHAT ARE PROBIOTICS

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that line your gut and help you absorb nutrients and even fight infections. They’re a natural part of your body, so don’t worry – but they can become imbalanced.

This “good” bacteria is super important for many things like destroying bad bacteria and producing vitamin B12, vitamin K2 and more.

Gut bacteria even creates 95% of your body’s serotonin. That’s a lot!

Without the right balance of probiotics in your gut, you’re at risk for developing digestive disorders, candida, mental disorders, sicknesses, and other not-so-fun-stuff (if you know what I mean!).

Nobody wants to feel like crap, but sometimes it’s hard to recognize that our habits are detrimental to our health … and that makes it hard to see the bigger picture.

So the question really is – how do probiotics benefit your gut health?

HOW PROBIOTICS BENEFIT YOUR GUT HEALTH

Your gut is often referred to as “the second brain” (read more about that here), making it pretty important to keep healthy and balanced.

Many health issues begin in the gut, like SIBO, candida, leaky gut, hormone imbalances, anxiety, depression, fatigue, brain fog, and much, much more – and all begin with imbalanced gut bacteria.

If you want to improve your gut health, you’ve got to balance out the good vs bad bacteria in your gut.

Probiotics improve your digestive and immune systems. Actually, between 60-80% of your immune system is located in your gut … so yeah, it definitely helps prevent sicknesses.                                                                         

By crowding out the bad bacteria, yeast, and fungi with probiotics, you’re able to improve your immune and digestive systems, increase your energy, reduce weight, heal from digestive disorders, and prevent UTI’s.

Probiotics are key to a balanced gut, which creates a healthy body.

FOOD VS SUPPLEMENTATION

Now you know I’m a huge advocate for using food as medicine, period.

Unfortunately, things like antibiotics, processed foods, sugar, stress, grains, etc., reduce your good bacteria which develops poor gut health.

If you don’t take care of your gut, it can become a breeding ground for bacteria, yeast, parasites, fungi, and viruses – at which point healing your gut becomes critical. Food won’t be enough anymore and supplementation will be required.

If I’m being totally honest – I feel like 99% of people need probiotics these days, if only to counter the stresses of life and the environment!

There are many probiotic-rich foods that you can consume to help increase your beneficial bacteria:

• Kombucha
• Yogurt
• Miso
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi

However, if you’re suffering from any digestive disorder, anxiety, depression, fatigue, brain fog, food sensitivities, etc – chances are you would benefit from a good quality probiotic supplement.

When looking for a good quality probiotic supplement, there are a few key things you should watch for:

• Strains – there are many different strains, each with a different focus: immune, digestion, hormones, etc. Know which strain helps your specific needs. Also, more strains doesn’t make for a better probiotic! Bacteria are antagonistic, so they compete against each other until only one is left standing. So, that’s not super helpful, eh?
• Potency – check that each strain has the CFU (colony forming units) listed to make sure it’s protected, leading to a higher potency
• Number – more isn’t always better! The potency of the strain matters way more than the quantity. You don’t need 100 billion units if the strain is a high potency.
• Sensitivity – probiotics are sensitive little guys, especially to heat, light, and moisture. Purchase refrigerated probiotics in dark, glass containers.

If you’re worried your gut health is in rough shape and would like some extra support to heal it and re-balance your gut bacteria, contact me for a consultation!

In the meantime, try these Mango-Raspberry Popsicles to help increase your good bacteria while cooling you off this summer (dairy-free option is available!).