I feel that one of the hardest parts about changing into a healthier lifestyle is deciding what vitamins and supplements you need, and even harder than that, what brands and types actually work. When I say I have pretty much tried every single cleanse, diet pill, fat burner, probiotic, fad diet, etc., trust me, I have. And while it is true that supplements are not one-size-fits-all, there are ways to weed out the ones that have the highest chance in showing results.
The one supplement I cannot live
without is a probiotic. If you have ever tried to pick one out, you know that
there are endless variations, brands, and options to choose from. Probiotics
can also be extremely pricey and that is why you should take the time to do a
little research before picking one out. To help you sort through this
ridiculously saturated market, I am going to tell you three things;
- What is does for you/why you need it.
- What to look for in a product before purchasing.
- Some of my favorite brands and products that have
worked for me.
So let's learn about the number one
supplement that I would not survive without- Probiotics!
PART ONE: PROBIOTICS
This is the single most important
supplement I take every day. If I was stranded on an island and could bring 3
things, it would be matches, mascara, and probiotics (and yes, I gave that
exact answer in an interview once). This is one supplement that has undeniable
and limitless evidence of the benefits they provide on every person under the
age of 65 (this is because as we age our immune system is weakened so
probiotics might actually be harmful to the elderly). Anyways, the health of
our gut effects virtually every other function of the human body, most
importantly, our immune system and hormone production.
1. What they do and why you need
them.
The simple answer is that they
provide good bacteria to your intestines and this balances out your natural
flora to help you fight disease, ease digestion, and eliminate bad bacteria. Do
you have problems with digestion? Symptoms could be not going to the bathroom
several times a day or going to the bathroom way too often each day, bloating,
cramps or upset stomach, yeast infections, or getting sick super often. All of
these are often caused by the ratio of bad bacteria in the gut being much greater
than that of good bacteria in the gut. Probiotics help you balance this out.
If you've never in your life taken a
probiotic, even if you feel like your digestion is fine, YOU NEED ONE. Without
the help of probiotics killing off the bad bacteria, your bad bacteria has been
chilling inside you for about 20 years feasting and hoarding away all the nasty
unhealthy, processed foods you eat. There is a really good chance that you
could have at least 5 pounds of bloat just sitting inside you for the last decade
simply because the bad bacteria won't let it pass. 99% of cleanses contain some
type of probiotic in it, that's why when first time cleansers lose 5 pounds in
a short amount of time, it's actually due to the probiotic working its magic
and pushing all the toxins out of their bodies. PSA: Don't get discouraged when
you don't drop as much weight the second time you cleanse, that actually could
mean that you're healthier now than you were the first time!
2. What do look for when purchasing
a probiotic
The market is ridiculously saturated
with probiotics these days. Every brand wants a piece of the growing health and
wellness markets and are constantly trying to create ways to better themselves
from other brands. For example, you will see a ton of brands claiming to have
created new strains of bacteria that only they use. However, when it comes to
probiotics, the smartest thing is to stick to the basics. This is because the
only two types of bacteria that have undeniable proof in positively effecting
our bodies are bifidobacterium and lactobacillus. All these "new
strains" have little to no evidence in actually having an effect on us. If
I have learned anything in my 1000s of dollars wasted on health and wellness
products, its to pick the products that contain ingredients that have the most
successful research to back them up.
The main things to look for when
purchasing a probiotic are the number (in billions) of colony forming units,
how effective the delivery system is, and the strains they contain (for newbies
to probiotics I would suggest just looking for bifodobacterium and
lactobacillus, keep it simple).
When it comes to the number of
billions in a product, pick according to how experienced you are in taking
them. I've been taking them so long that I can take a probiotic that has 100s
of billions of CFUs and it will affect me perfectly. However, if someone who
has never taken a probiotic took one that powerful they would probably get a
very upset stomach and spend the rest of the day in the bathroom.... :) For
newbies I recommend anywhere between 2 and 6 billion CFUs. For more
experienced, definitively consider a higher CFU count but stay tuned for more
details in the next section.
Delivery system is SO. IMPORTANT.
Quick background- Certain strains of bacteria can only survive a certain
temperature or PH for a certain amount of time. So if you buy a probiotic
capsule that breaks down in your stomach acid, then all those little probiotic
babies are going to die in your stomach and never make it to their new home in
your intestines. Sad story I know. So make sure the probiotic that you are
buying mentions something about the capsule being able to survive until it
reaches your gut.
You are going to be so overwhelmed
when looking for certain strains of bacteria because its just a lot of big
complicated words that all sort of look the same but end in different letters.
So keep it simple. Look for something with several strains of bifodobacterium
and lactobacillus. If you are looking at a product with neither of those I
probably wouldn't buy it.
3. Some of my favorite brands and
products that have worked for me
Top Choice: Silverfern Brand Ultimate Probiotic
BUY THIS PRODUCT! From a research
perspective, this brand is the best you can buy for the price. One thing that
sets this apart from any other brand I've tested is that it is DNA verified
(meaning, the capsules actually contain what the label says they contain). Yes,
supplements technically don't have to contain what their labels say, making
your decision process even more important. Even more awesome than that, this
probiotic guarantees survivability. That means that the good bacterial will
survive digestion in the harsh PH of your stomach and arrive safely to your
gut!
Second Choice: Plexus Worldwide ProBio5
This is one of my favorites, which
is surprising because it only contains 2 billion CFUs. BUT, it also contains
digestive enzymes to further aid in digestion. If you can't tell a difference
in your body when you're taking a probiotic and when you are not, then you are
taking the wrong probiotic. I can always tell a difference when I take this
product.
if you would rather sip on your
supplements than swallow them in capsules, I recommend this brand! Ora Organic
went the extra mile and threw in prebiotics inside this product as well.
Prebiotics are food for the probiotics and just like us, probiotics work better
when they aren't hungry! This powder also has 5 grams of fiber in each
serving. All three of these ingredients make this product a probiotic
powerhouse!
Live and Active Probiotics: Yogurt,
kombucha, fermented foods
On top of taking a probiotic
supplement each morning 30 minutes before breakfast, I try and eat or drink
live probiotics all day long. My favorite sources are yogurts (check out Coconut Cult and Siggis Dairy products), kombucha
(check out Health Ade and Brew Dr. Kombucha), and other
fermented foods such as Farmhouse
Culture products like Gut Punch, krauts and their other
products. This helps me keep my digestion regular all throughout the day.
So that is my spill on probiotics!
The base of all illness starts in the immune system and the immune system
correlates directly with gut health (go ahead and google that ish). Therefore,
everyone should be adding these into their diets because the benefits go beyond
just digestion. You can thank me later.
