What are probiotics?
Yea, that’s a great question. Here are answers to some of the most asked questions about probiotics.
Basically, it’s everything you’ve ever wanted to know about probiotics. So, next time someone wonders out loud what they’re good for, you’ll be fully ready to break it down for them like a pro.
SO, WHAT ARE PROBIOTICS?
OK! Let’s jump right in.
Probiotics are the live bacteria or yeasts that we should have in our gut.
These little guys support our ability to absorb nutrients, keep our gut system in working order and play a major role in maintaining our immune system. They keep many of our hormones in check and support reduced inflammation all over our body.
They’re our body’s superstars.
Everything that we actually have in our intestinal system are called our microbiome.
Balance is everything for the microbiome. That balance can be thrown off if we get sick, have to take antibiotics or generally have a crap diet. A healthy microbiota keeps our body’s inflammation to a bare minimum.
Taking a probiotic can help restore intestinal health and balance. This is a big part of what can keep us feeling energized, healthy and generally feeling fantastic.
OK, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? REALLY, WHY DO I CARE?
Again, I’m glad you asked!
Our intestine is the gatekeeper filtering what we eat or drink into the parts we can use (nutrients) and the parts we can’t (waste).
Our microbiota lives on the top layer of the intestinal tract. It does a lot of the work (along with our liver) deciding what we absorb and what we get rid of in the bathroom.
The top layer in your gut can actually start to breakdown after getting hit after hit from things we eat. When this happens our microbiota changes and we can start to feel sick.
I DON’T GET IT. I NEED AN EXAMPLE.
You got it:
Think of your gut’s microbiota as a beautiful healthy forest. All of the plants and animals are in there is living their best life in happy natural balance.
Doing things like spraying chemicals, chopping down trees, or introducing new animals that were never supposed to live there changes the forest. When that happens, it loses that happy natural balance.
Once we’ve screwed up the forest, it can be hard see how damaged it is until it’s too late.
By that time we’ve already started to see the whole environment change. Regrowing the forest from scratch becomes our only choice.
WHAT ARE PROBIOTICS SUPPOSED TO DO FOR ME?
You’re asking excellent questions! Taking probiotics has a 2 part goal.
First, they protect us from the process of digestion.
We don’t always eat the way we’d like. Processed foods, fast foods, junk foods – they’re all full of bad stuff our body can’t use that can cause inflammation and lead to bigger problems.
A quality probiotic supports our microbiome. Keeping our gut healthy makes it easy to filter out all that bad stuff.
Second, probiotics will increase and support something called Short-Chain Fatty Acid production.
Our gut bacteria eat the non-digestible carbs (AKA insoluble fiber) we eat, and pump out these fatty acids. This is the fiber found in whole grains, beans and legumes, and most vegetables.
SCFAs produced keep the intestinal cells that our microbiota live on, healthy. This well-fed microbiotia is a big part of what helps keep inflammation in check.
Eating healthy meals with a lot of fiber ultimately keep our gut cells healthy by keeping our gut bacteria healthy. And helps to keep our whole body healthy.
It’s the circle of life. Literally,
HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED TO TAKE A PROBIOTIC?
Ever feel like your stomach has a mind of its own?
Do you have diabetes or heart disease or any kind of digestive condition?
Do you eat fast food more often than never?
Answer ANY of these questions YES, and probiotics are a good choice.
Taking a daily probiotic might be one of the most impactful things you can do to keep yourself healthy. It helps the most if you’re not quite at the all-organic, all-home cooked, all-from scratch stage of life.
Start taking a probiotic daily for an easy way to make a big change to your health. It’s simple, it’s fast and your gut will thank you.
To make your life as easy as possible, check out this post on how to choose a great probiotic.
Once you choose one you like, you might also want to take a look at how to avoid making these mistakes when you take your probiotic.