When people come to Optimum Health Vitamins and they are just looking for a basic protocol to help them maintain wellness, there are five areas that I feel are highly important to address. Health is a very individual process and cannot be guaranteed by simply eating certain foods or taking certain vitamins. However, despite biochemical individuality and the changes we experience in it over time, there are a few common denominators that can apply to most individuals seeking good health. This month, I am going to talk about the importance of probiotic supplements.
These little bacteria helpers have been receiving a lot of attention in the media lately, and rightfully so. Without a gutful of these critters, we would quickly perish. Probiotics help us digest our food and obtain nutrients from it; they modulate our immune system; they control inflammation in the body; they regulate waste disposal; and they keep bad bacteria and yeast at bay. The list could literally go on and on for pages about what these resilient bacteria do for us daily.
Simply put, our diets are far too deficient in fermented foods and the proper bacteria ratios to keep up with the amount of probiotic loss we endure due to antibiotic overconsumption, stress, poor diet and the proliferation of yeast in the gut. Probiotic supplements also ensures a focused delivery of the most imperative bacterial strains in a form that is readily available.
However, not all probiotics are created equal, and not all good probiotics will work in every body. When choosing a probiotic, it is very important to read the ingredients. There are many products out there that have confusing labels. The two strains that have rightfully received the most attention are Lactobacilli Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium Bifidum. Acidophilus is the most prominent bacteria in your upper or small intestine, or at least, it should be. Bifidum is most commonly found in the large intestine and is essential for colon health and proper elimination. If you look closely at the labels on products in a health food store, you will find that often, probiotics that are marketed as Acidophilus and Bifidum supplements, can actually contain significant amounts of less vital bacteria and minimal amounts of these two essentials. It is very important when choosing a general probiotic to make sure that these two strains are present in the highest doses.
I have many clients ask me if eating commercial yogurt products supplies them with enough bacteria. By my estimates, the answer to that is no. Firstly, most commercial yogurts contain too many added sugars that help proliferate yeast in the body. This can be counter-productive. If there are no added sugars, this often means that harmful chemical sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose have been added instead – substances that many studies have shown not only negatively affect human cells, but also contribute to intestinal probiotic loss. Check your labels! Also, these yogurts tend to contain the cheapest strains of bacteria available that are often not the most essential and/or are sourced from animals. If that wasn’t enough, most commercial yogurts are not organic, meaning that a whole slough of hormones and antibiotics can be present in your breakfast – hardly, an appetizing thought! Taking a simple capsule daily is the most efficient and convenient option available. If you are going to stick with yogurt, make sure it is plain flavoured and organic.
Bear in mind that even in a perfect world, probiotics are indispensable to achieve optimum health. This means that even if you eat a perfect, proportionate diet from 100% organic sources, odds are that you could be functioning below par. The word “optimum” here is important because so much of allopathic, Western medicine is focused on treating illness, rather than living the best life you possibly can.
Related Article: Who Needs Probiotics?