Good Bacteria – Probiotics and a Healthy Gut
We normally associate the word bacteria with disease, but just like there are good and bad foods, there also exists good and bad bacteria. Our bodies are really just large microbiomes of microbes, or bacteria, fungi, and viruses. These microbes can be found all over the body: on our skin, mouths, ears, nose, and yes – the intestinal tract. There are trillions of little microbes all throughout the body. Not all bacteria are the same though. Scientists are now linking bad bacteria to many diseases: Crohn’s Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, anxiety, autsim, OCD, Depression, etc. Many diseases are caused by inflammation and a bacterial imbalance in the gut can cause that inflammation. Good bacteria in your gut help aid in digestion which can actually combat the bad bacteria and make you healthier. It’s those good microbes that signal the immune system when something is wrong. The bad bacteria, however, wreak havoc on our bodies and cause all sorts of troubles. It’s this symbiotic relationship between your body and good microbes that dictates your digestive health. This is summed up by Dr. Joseph Petrosino, Director of the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research at Baylor College of Medicine, who says: “If you have a wide array of bacteria that can break down lots of different food sources, produce lots of different molecules that help mature your immune system, and produce the molecules that your brain needs to function properly, you can see how that would potentially be a benefit over a less diverse gut microbiome” (WebMD). Dr. Petrosino also says that with long-term changes to your diet – moving from a high-fat, high-sugar diet to a leaner, more fiber-rich diet – you can give your gut a healthier profile, improve immune function, decrease inflammation, and lead to overall better health.
So how do we combat the bad bacteria? There are two sure fire ways: probiotics and a healthy, diverse diet. The graphic below shows you some foods you can consumer regularly to help aid digestion and improve that balance between good and bad bacteria. Probiotics can also be used for this purpose. Probiotics are living bacteria, the good ones that are naturally found in our bodies already, but sometimes need to be supplemented for those with an overabundance of the bad bacteria in their guts. This isn’t always caused by a bad diet, although it definitely can be. Certain antibiotics can kill the good bacteria as well, thus throwing off the balance. Probiotics can be eaten naturally in certain foods – yogurt, miso soup, kefir, and fortified milk – or taken as supplements (such as Isotonix Digestive Enzymes with Probiotics).
A healthy gut leads to a healthy body and happier life. You have to make an effort to balance the good and bad bacteria in your gut – probiotics are an excellent and vital way to do just that. Between you and me, I’d rather enjoy some probiotic in my diet then resort to the alternative…scientists have actually performed fecal transplantation. I’ll let you research that one on your own!
An update, I have been having some gut issues and come to find out that when I am taking my probiotics & aloe I feel fine. Once I stop for awhile the pain comes back. After several tests and exams we still don't know the underlying cause without doing exploritory surgery. As long as these 2 products are helping I'm good. Below are the 2 products I have been taking.
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