Even though we’ve learned much about probiotics during the last 20 years, there is still much to explore about how specific strains of bacteria affect human health; this is one of the most exciting fields of medicine today. And the best part, it’s all natural.
Probiotics promote a low pH in your stomach which is good since harmful bacteria and Candida cannot thrive in an acidic environment. Probiotics also stimulates digestion of lactose which is beneficial if you are lactose intolerant.
Probiotics daily
You need a daily dose of friendly bacteria to maintain a healthy balance in your gut. In earlier times people got probiotics from wild berries, fermented vegetables, and yogurt. But today’s fast-food culture and pasteurized milk products is not supporting your gut the natural way; most people need a good probiotics supplement for optimal health.
Some good foods that stimulate the growth of probiotics are onion, garlic, oatmeal, fermented or cultures vegetables, yogurt, asparagus, bananas, red wine, Spirulina, aloe vera juice and many others. Best are organic products (USDA) as they are free of most pesticides. Traditional probiotics like yogurt have a positive effect on your mouth, throat and airways.
Prevent growth of bad bacteria
Among other things, probiotics produce lactic acid that prevents harmful bacteria to grow. Several strains of probiotic bacteria also produce hydrogen peroxide which has proven effective against some bad bacteria strains of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and yeast infections like Candida.
Probiotics perform an amazing job in your body: They attach themselves to the walls of your intestine and consume nutrients that otherwise could feed harmful bacteria. Left without food sources bad bacteria will not grow or harm the lining of the intestine. Probiotic bacteria also produce an antiseptic substance that protects the lining of the intestine.
If you take a good probiotics supplement and eat healthy you will enjoy a well balanced intestinal microflora; this affects the health of your whole body. The precise mechanism between the different strains differs as to how and where in your body they produce protective substances. That’s why it’s important to supply your gut with several of the healthy strains of bacteria. Many supplements contain 5, 10 or more different strains.
The best probiotics
Producers of probiotics have lately focused on the intestine. A definition of good probiotics is this: Probiotic strains that survive the transfer through your stomach and reach into the intestine. Traditional probiotics in yogurt or kefir don’t seem to survive the journey through your stomach; just a small amount reaches the intestine alive. But they are still health-promoting; dead probiotic bacteria contain lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide and nutrients that are released from dead bacteria.
Daily use of probiotics
If you use probiotics right, they will increase in your body until they reach their optimal level. This optimal level is a delicate balance in your body that you can maintain by healthy eating and by using a good probiotics supplement daily.
To reach the full effect and to keep your body working optimal it’s not enough to take probiotics now and then; this is too sporadic to reap the full benefits. But with daily use it has a positive effect on your overall health and will help combat many health problems.
Eat prebiotics to support probiotics
Prebiotics are oligosaccharides-these are two or more sugar molecules connected to each other in a chain. Why is this important? Because prebiotics stimulates the growth of probiotics; you can find prebiotics in milk, tomatoes, bananas, oat, garlic and honey and other foods.
The reason prebiotics are important is that these sugar molecules don’t get digested in your stomach but reaches the intestine where the good bacteria feed on them. Don’t eat too much oligosaccharides though; you could get problems with gas. You might have experienced this when eating too much beans.