The Best Probiotic Supplements

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Bacteria in our bodies have a huge role to play in keeping us healthy and can help.  The right bacteria is necessary for healthy digestion, enhancing nutrient absorption, strengthening our immune systems and thereby fighting infections.

Some bacteria are bad and can lBead to infections and problems in digestive tract but the majority are not.  These good bacteria are called “probiotic”, from the Greek language meaning “for life”.

The Best Probiotic Supplements: Good bacteria

If conditions are right the good bacteria will help us to keep the back bacteria under control.  The two main strains that are beneficial to your health are Lactobacilus and Bifodobacterium.

What you eat will make all the difference o the balance of your bacteria.

Studies have shown that Bulgarian peasants drinking fermented milk were living long and healthy lives. Added to animal feed it is shown to increase animals’ growth and reduce signs of stress.

Fermented foods such as yogurt, cottage cheese, pickles, soya products, wine and sour dough bread should be included regularly in your diet as they promote healthy bacterial growth.

Unfortunately only yogurt and fermented dairy products contain bacteria from lactobacillus strain. These bacteria are non resident and pass through the gut. They will make vitamins and produce lactic acid which inhibits disease causing microbes.

However, it would be better to supplement with strains that easily colonise the digestive tract and remain resident so what is the best probiotic supplements?

Well lets delve a little deeper, as you get older the amount of colonic bacteria decreases so it is important to keep up this balance of good bacteria.

The Best Probiotic Supplements: Conditions

If you suffer with any of the conditions listed below probiotics may help.

•  Infections such as sore throats, Candida or bladder infections
• Food poisoning
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Crohns Disease or Colitis
• Cancer of the stomach or bowel
• Constipation
• Indigestion
• Stress
• Also useful after surgery or a course of anti biotics

Healthy bacteria can be promoted by eating foods that feed them. The best source to promote this are foods containing fructo-oligosaccharides or FOS and is sometimes known as prebiotic.

Bananas are rich in FOS and will also thicken the stomach lining as well as other fruits, barley, jerusalem artichoke, onions, garlic, soya beans and wheat. The diet high in fruit and vegetable will be naturally high in FOS and therefore encouraging healthy bacteria and the fibre content encourages a quicker transit time.

On the other hand a diet high in meat constitutes to a primary source of gastro intestinal infections and slows down transit time.

 The best probiotic supplements have the following in them:

• One that has at least 100m CFU’s (colony forming unit)
• One that has FOS
• One that has a coating that protects the probiotic on its way to the large intestine.
• And one that uses a strain from Lactobacilus and Bifodobacterium

If you want me to recommend the best probiotic supplements that I have been using for the last five years then leave a comment below.

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