Did you know about 80% of your immune system resides in your gut? This is why it is so important to maintain a healthy gut flora that is thriving with good bacteria. These good bacteria, known as probiotics, help form a protective barrier that line your digestive tract and support your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and ward off infection.
As a matter of fact, probiotics are present in our systems when we enter the world as a newborn baby. The baby is exposed to the bacteria of his or her mother for the first time when they are in the birth canal of the mother during delivery. How neat is that!
In simple terms, good health begins in the gut.
Health Benefits of Probiotics
- Boost immune system
- Improve digestion
- Healthier skin
- Reduce toxins in the body
- Weight management
How to Get More Probiotics from Food
- Eat fermented foods
- Sauerkraut
- Kimchi
- Miso
- Kombucha (I recommend this brand)
- Consume good, high-quality fiber
- Chia Seeds (Have you tried chia seed pudding yet? Check out this recipe for Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding!)
- Sweet Potatoes
How to maximize the benefits of probiotics:
Here are the main probiotic inhibitors that can prevent your body from absorbing all the benefits it needs:
- Antibiotics and other medications
- Sugar
- Unfiltered water
- Foods containing GMO’s
- Emotional stress
- Chemicals
In order to improve your gut flora balance, make sure to avoid these probiotic inhibitors. It’s just a fact of life that the majority of us will be exposed to toxins and stressors on a daily basis. In order to improve your digestive health, you need to make a conscious effort to limit these.
What brand of probiotics is best?
Personally, I recommend Kimberly Snyder’s Beauty Detox Probiotics to all of my clients and have been using them for two years. I have noticed a significant difference in my immune system, digestion, and skin.
Kimberly Snyder’s probiotics are so unique because she uses Soil Based Organisms (SBO’s) found in nature. SBO’s are normally found in nature when eating organic foods from the earth.
The SBO’s in probiotics can work against pathogens, which helps reduce or eliminate yeast, molds and other unwanted bacteria that can develop in the gut. At the same time, good bacteria enters your gut flora, helping improve your digestion.
How to start implementing probiotics into your diet right away:
- Consume 2 servings of probiotic-rich foods every day (see list above)
- Take a probiotic supplement (in the morning on an empty stomach and before bed)
- Cut back on your sugar intake
- Filter all tap water before drinking it
- Find natural ways to deal with emotional stress (yoga, meditation, reading, exercise)
