What are probiotics? Probiotics are small micro organisms that your gut requires to function properly. They are essentially the fuel source behind maintaining the small normal bacteria that line your gut. We have over 100 Trillion bacteria in our gut that make up the microbiota to make sure the body is digesting food properly. If the gut microbiota gets disrupted or destroyed this can result in very detrimental damage to body function. Problems resulting from bad gut function include: Autoimmune diseases, thyroid problems, bad immune system function, IBS, constipation or diarrhea, heartburn, skin rashes, eczema, fatigue and sleep issues and mental health problems.
As you can see, a lot of that list above are very common issues that many Americans have affecting their everyday life. Placing importance on gut health can be a massive missing link to helping your body function at optimum. So where can we get probiotics? Well these can be found in fermented foods or taken in supplement form. Food sources include: Yogurt, Kefir, Sauerkraut, Tempeh, Kimchi, Miso, Kombucha, Pickles and Karma water. When looking at sources of these foods you want to make sure that they are unpasteurized as well because the pasteurization process actually kills the live and active bacteria thus taking away the probiotic properties. It is also important to make sure that you are eating a variety of these choices because if you are only getting one strain of probiotic you are not fully supplying the broad spectrum of fuel needed for our microbiota.
Supplements can be a great alternative option if you are someone who does not like the food options listed in the paragraph above. Probiotics should be consumed everyday or at least 5 out of 7 days of the week which can be intimidating when thinking about eating those foods everyday which is why I recommend finding a good probiotic supplement. You can take the supplements once a day preferably on an empty stomach or right before a meal so that the gut can focus on their breakdown and supply the food the gut microbiota needs for the day. Just like all supplements, not all products are made of the same quality. There is no current regulation of supplements in the US so this makes finding good sources an even tougher task. A lot of products contain fillers and different low quality synthetic grade materials that are tough for the body to digest properly. This is why we choose to use standard process as the supplements we use through the office. These products are properly tested and do not use synthetic fillers in their products while also using actual food sources as their products
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