The role probiotics play in the gut
Did you know that your gut is compromised of tens of trillions of bacteria? They actually outnumber our body’s cells 10:1! We don't even realize they are there but they are necessary for maintaining proper immune function, digestion and skin health.From the time we open leave the birth canal our gut begins populating with good bacteria, primarily through consuming breast milk. Unfortunately, for most of us, the consumption of probiotics (good bacteria) ends when we move on to solid food.Unlike traditional cultures who consumed fermented foods daily, they are not a staple in our diet. Sure, maybe you eat some yogurt here and there, but store bought yoghurt often contains little amounts of good bacteria as it has only fermented for a few hours as opposed to a day or two.Without probiotics, bad bacteria tend to overtake our system. They feed on sugar and refined flours, and impair our digestion process.Some symptoms of an overgrowth of bad bacteria are:
- Bloating after meals
- Impaired digestion
- Constipation
- IBS symptoms
- Bad breath
- Extreme sugar cravings
- Eczema
- Dry skin
- Dandruff
- Fungal infections
As you can see, some pretty annoying symptoms can occur to lack of good gut bacteria. Luckily with some diet changes and the addition of good quality probiotics, good bacteria can repopulate your gut, leaving you free of the previous symptoms with a boosted immunity and a new level of mental clarity.Avoid sugar: Bad bacteria including Candida feed off sugar and refined carbohydrates. Avoiding sugar and transitioning to a high fat, high protein diet will give room for the beneficial bacteria to flourish.Increase fermented foods: Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchee, organic plain yogurt and kombucha will aid in the repopulation of beneficial bacteria.Get a good quality water filter: Some of the top contaminants of water are the birth control pill. steroids and fluoride, all which kill good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. If you’re consuming water contaminated with those substances, any efforts to increase probiotics will likely be cancelled out.Of course, these are some of the most basic steps to take in a journey of healing and repopulating your gastrointestinal tract, but they will increase immunity and help many of the previous symptoms nonetheless.