Organic yogurt is abundant with probiotics.

Given the origins of their name (Pro-Latin for “in favor of”-and biotic-Greek for “pertaining to life”) we can deduce that these organisms are advocates of vitality.  Indeed, probiotics are our body’s tiny yet tremendously powerful balance boosters. For centuries probiotics were simply consumed by way of cultured foods.  The book Nourishing Traditions provides a thorough account of how foods such as yogurt, kefir, tempeh, kimchi and  sauerkraut were eaten regularly in their respective regions and thus supplied highly helpful bacteria to their consumers.

However with the advent of refrigeration fewer foods were cultured, and with pasteurization and processing of much of our food supply many good cultures were removed (along with vitamins and minerals). At the same time our foods have more sugar (according to the FDA the average American ingests 20 tsp of added sugar everyday) and less fiber (which is stripped from grains such as white flour and white rice). In addition, the consumption of antibiotics, both intentionally for infection, and inadvertently through our food supply (which is laced with antibiotics found in conventionally raised meat and dairy products), kills off good bacteria.

Probiotics are natural aids to the digestive tract.

Enter yeast. Yeast and other pathogens thrive in an environment of excess sugar, including sugars found in alcohol and fruit, and thus easily flourish in the Standard American Diet (aptly abbreviated SAD). Without probiotics-yeast’s natural foe-yeast is allowed to thrive in our bodies and in doing so wreak all kinds of havoc. Yeast and good bacteria both vie for space in the host body, particularly in the intestinal tract; yeast consuming sugars and emitting toxins into the bloodstream and probiotics breaking down foods and enabling more thorough digestion, assimilation and elimination.

When I discovered probiotics I was absolutely amazed at the instantaneous relief I got from an array of ailments that were all rooted in my imbalanced intestinal environment.  After one week I had clearer skin, less bloating and greatly improved digestion and elimination.  Once I became educated I began consuming probiotics daily in an effort to obtain yeast/probiotic equilibrium and looked into ways to include more good bacteria into my diet by consuming cultured yogurt, cottage cheese and other foods.  I am not a proponent of daily supplementation use for life so I now weigh my consumption of whole and cultured foods with that of sugary foods and alcohol and take probiotics when I know the scales to be off kilter.

There is abundant literature on clinical trials which have shown probiotics to help all sorts of ailments such as Crohn’s, IBS, Vaginitis/Yeast Infections, Thrush, colic in babies, weakened immune systems and more, and the World Health Organization agrees that probiotics “confer a health benefit on the host..” If you think you may benefit from the use of probiotics talk to your doctor or naturopath.  Be sure to look for probiotics that are high in the billions per serving and ideally are refrigerated.  New Chapter, Ethical Nutrients and Bio K all offer high quality options.

In Balance,

Jenica