Keeping Your Immune System Strong
WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH PROBIOTICS AND YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM ANYWAY?
According to scientists, the human gut has up to 100 trillion bacteria. Yes, you read that right. And those 100 trillion bacteria are vital to your health. They work very hard to help you digest food and utilize the nutrients from the food you've eaten.
The bacteria in your gut (also called "microbiota") are the first line of defense against the bad guys (aka cold viruses etc.) and when you eat, you are either feeding those microbiotas with what they need to flourish, OR you are causing damage that weakens the army. No Bueno. You want to arm up your internal fighters so that when a pathogen does try to invade the fort, the army is ready. In other words, your immune system is functioning optimally and you can ward off sickness much more easily and effectively. And your kids too. The goal is to have a healthy balance of bacteria. And when you do, the good overpowers the bad. Score!
WHAT'S ENVIRONMENT GOT TO DO WITH IT?
As you age, your gut and it's bugs will have been affected by antibiotic use, stress, toxins, the environment, a poor diet, not getting enough exercise, jet lag and more. As a result, you may start to notice that things may be going, err, not so well in the lower region (ie: gas, bloating) as well as getting sick more often, your sleep is disturbed, your skin starts having issues, you start having issues with food intolerances, you can't poop or you poop too much and the list goes on.
Listen, it's almost like you've got to walk around in a bubble and live in quarantine. Naked, No hair dye and never enjoy some of life's treats – because it's like everyyyything can kill you these days. But that's just not reality and no way to live.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Populate your gut with an army of good bacteria. These good bacteria can be found in foods, like those that are fermented such as sauerkraut, pickles, and kefir, or in bone broth and kombucha. If these kinds of foods are not to your liking, then the get them via a quality probiotic. Regardless of whether you eat fermented foods, take a probiotic. More than likely, you won't be getting enough just from food alone.
I also highly recommend that you include a prebiotic along with your probiotic. The reason why is because the prebiotic feeds the good bacteria in your gut. It’s the water, sunshine and fertilizer in the garden of your gut while the probiotic is the seed you’ve planted in the gut garden.
There are many prebiotic foods available to us however, while you may eat a variety of these foods, getting enough of them to do the job is the problem. Here is where a prebiotic supplement can come in very handy. I personally take Prebiotin and have had no problems from taking it. If anything, I notice when I DON’T take it every day!
WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A PROBIOTIC
One word: Diversity. Think of a making a big, beautiful salad….you don't just put romaine lettuce in the bowl. That would be quite boring and probably not very tasty. But if you add in some spinach, arugula, tomatoes, basil, carrots, cucumbers, radish, maybe even some avocado, chopped up apples and sweet peppers….oh girl you have a feast right there. So think of your probiotic just like THAT. The various strains of bacteria in your probiotic are like the different veggies (and fruit) that you put into your gorgeous salad bowl.
There are some really great brands available to you like:
TAKING THEM
You are introducing new bacteria into your body so you want to go slow and steady at first. Trust me on this.
Adults will want to start by taking one capsule before bed every night for seven to ten days. Not gonna lie, you may experience more gas and farting at first. And you'll definitely poop a lot more. But don’t worry, the side effects shouldn't be anything horrible. Once your body has adjusted to the new addition of bacteria, go ahead and add in a second dose. This would look like one capsule in the morning and one more before bed.
ALSO, If you are taking antibiotics, you will definitely need to take at least two per day, if not three. Why? Because antibiotics destroy all of the bacteria in the gut, which can lead to a deadly infection called C.Difficile. Which I am a survivor of. And believe me sister, you don't want to get it. It sucks and can take a really long time to fully recover from (it took me 2.5 years).
HAVE QUESTIONS?
I’m happy to help you. Comment below or send me an email!