Having a healthy gut is an important part of living a healthy life!
A healthy gastrointestinal tract is better able to break down food and absorb critical nutrients. When your gut is healthy it supports the health of your entire body, from your immune function to your emotions.
And a very important part of a healthy gut is healthy bacteria!
How Do Gut Bacteria Support Our Health?
Healthy adults typically house over 1,000 species of bacteria in their gut. This “microbiome” has been connected with various aspects of health, including emotions, weight, and immune function.
Bacterial microbes living in our lower intestinal tract help us to digest food, reduce harmful bacteria, and regulate our immune system. If an imbalance of bacteria occurs, it can lead to health problems.
Can We Get Healthy Bacteria From Food Sources?
Eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, yogurt, and other fermented foods can help diversify the healthful bacteria in your gut. The top food sources of healthy bacteria include yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods. But trying to get them from food sources alone can be a challenge. Not all food labels indicate the specific dose or type of bacteria, so it involves a lot of guesswork.
Research has found that only a small percentage of food-sourced bacteria survive the harsh acid in the stomach, allowing relatively small numbers to make it to the gut. And if you don’t continue to consume these foods regularly, the protective effect diminishes over time.
What About Probiotic Supplements?
High-quality, daily probiotic supplements can help us to receive the full benefits of balanced, healthy gut bacteria.
Probiotics are the good bacteria that help us maintain digestive health and boost the immune system. They can help to restore your gut health when your microbiome gets out of balance.
Probiotics have been shown to secrete protective substances that turn on the immune system, preventing pathogens from settling in and creating disease. Research has even shown that probiotic supplements may reduce the number of colds you’ll have in a year!
They also help to keep the digestive system running smoothly. Probiotics are commonly used to reduce chronic gastrointestinal symptoms such as gas, bloating, and constipation.
Probiotics must be consumed on a regular basis to continue their protective effect, so it makes sense take a probiotic supplement. High-quality supplements provide a consistent and measured daily dose.
What Should You Look For In A Probiotic Supplement?
Make sure it’s stable and has a reasonable shelf life. Bacteria should be in a dry, suspended state or refrigerated if they’re live and active.
Capsules are best because they don’t allow the bacteria to be released until after they’ve passed the stomach. Otherwise, the stomach acid will destroy most of it before it reaches the less-acidic intestines, where it can grow and provide its benefits.
The best supplements contain a blend of diverse bacteria strains that match what is typically found in a healthy gut. We should get at least 5 billion bacteria delivered live to the intestines on a daily basis.
My Recommendation
My best recommendation is doTERRA’s PB Assist+.
It’s a proprietary formula of pre-biotic fibre and six strains of probiotic microorganisms in a unique double-layer vegetable capsule. It delivers 6 billion CFUs of active probiotic cultures and soluble pre-biotic FOS (fructooligosaccharides) that encourage friendly bacterial growth. The time-release, double-capsule delivery system is designed to help protect the sensitive probiotic cultures from stomach acid.
PB Assist+ offers a unique, safe, and effective way to deliver the well-recognized digestive and immune system support benefits of probiotics. One capsule taken three times daily can help to promote colonization of friendly digestive flora. PB Assist+ is both convenient to take and highly effective – it’s a daily step in our family’s routine!
If you want to chat about probiotic support or other recommendations for a healthy digestive tract, I’m here to help!
