Probiotics are good living microorganisms that make up the human microbiome. Often, people call them “good bacteria” however, probiotics can include yeast.
So why do you need to supplement with probiotics?
1. You’re deficient and not getting enough via diet
It is simple. When is the last time you ate any fermented vegetables like Kimchi, sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), Miso (fermented soy, barley &fungus), Natto (fermented soy beans), or kefir? Now, if you live outside of America then there is pretty good chance that you have consumed the aforementioned foods. But, if you are in America then there is a pretty good chance that you don’t eat fermented food often. Let me admit that they are an acquired taste. But worth getting used to!
2. Your diet doesn’t contain enough raw plant fiber so the good bacteria in your gut starve to death
We cook everything in America. In short, cooking food kills the fiber and in killing the fiber we don’t get enough of it into our diets. Not only does cooking food kill fiber but it can kill vital vitamins and minerals. Even if you go out and buy the best probiotic supplements on the market (which I’ll mention) you have to feed them RAW PLANT FIBER or they’ll die. You can not avoid adding salads and smoothies to your diet. The good bacteria fight off the bad guys so they need to be fed.
3. Good bacteria helps create ALL B-vitamins, fighter T cells, and NK cells.
(Making all efforts to avoid a short biology class) In short, this screams immune defense and stress response. B vitamins help your body respond to stress and are usually the first things to deplete when faced with ongoing stress (like most Americans are faced with). The fighter T cells and NK cells help recognize infections and stop viruses. We live in a world where we constantly face stress, viruses, and bad bacteria. Probiotics will help you make the soldiers you need for war!
So now that I’ve convinced you that you need probiotics the next question becomes “what brand should I buy?” By now, you know I like to keep things simple and to the point. My favorite brands are Inner Eco and Dr. Ohhira's (click the links to purchase). I encourage you to try different brands and comment below with your experience
Liquid vs Powder
Because bacteria love and thrive in warm and moist environments liquid makes more sense. You need as many live strains as possible. Inner Eco is essentially coconut water turned into kefir and Dr. Ohirra’s is liquid gel encapsulated.
Strains and CFU’s
Your upper gut needs acidophilus and your lower gut needs bifidus but you want as many different strains as possible and at least 50 billion CFU’s (I prefer 100 billion) CFU’s are the number of good soldiers being delivered. Keep in mind that many of these guys won’t make it pass your stomach acid so the more the merrier.