You've heard about probiotics. But what are they and what do they do? We asked the Vitamin Shoppe's on-staff nutritionist Brian Tanzer for the skinny on the benefits of these good bacteria that help keep your gut healthy.
Why you need probiotics? If you eat a lot of processed foods, excess sugar or refined carbohydrates, the bacteria in your digestive tract might have a hard time staying in balance. And probiotics inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, promote good digestion, boost immune function, and increase resistance to infection.
When you should take a probiotic? If you are looking for a probiotic to take every day, try a multi-strain probiotic
starting with 5-10 billion CFU, and see how it works for
you. CFU's, or colony forming
units are used to measure probiotics potency. CFU’s can range from
1 billion up to 100 billion. The best time to take a probiotic
supplement is between meals,
ideally in the morning or in the evening.
Tip: If
you are finishing up a course of antibiotics and have chronic digestive issues,
look for a CFU count of at least 30 billion.
What if you don't want to take a supplement? If taking supplements isn't your
thing, fermented foods can offer
similar benefits to supplements, by providing more good bacteria, and
supporting a proper balance of gut bacteria. Try organic Kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso soup, tempeh and yogurt with live, active cultures.
Tip: It’s best to gradually add fermented foods into your diet as
you may feel a little more bloating than normal until your body and gut
bacteria adjust.
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