I’m sure you’ve all heard of your microbiome, if not let me briefly explain what it is. A microbiome is the biome that is living on and in your body, you have countless microbes floating in and on you. Bacteria, fungi, protists, archaea, and viruses are all types of microbes that make up the balance of your microbiome. Microbes are so fundamental to life that they outnumber human cells by about 10 to 1.
Our microbiome is full of all kinds of microbes, both good and bad. When our microbiome is balanced, the good ones work hard to keep us happy and healthy. However, when we have too many of the bad ones, the good bacteria lose the fight and can’t do their jobs properly.
The good news is that we can swing the balance of the microbes in our microbiome in our favour by consuming probiotics, or beneficial bacteria. Probiotics work to replenish the beneficial bacteria in our body and provide a lots of important, supportive health benefits.
Here are some reasons why taking a daily probiotic supplement is one of the best things you can do to support your overall health and wellness.
Support nutrient absorption
No matter how many super foods you eat, your body won’t be able to benefit from them if your gut environment doesn’t have enough healthy bacteria. You see, enzymes and digestive bacteria help to break down the food you eat into molecules that make their way into your bloodstream to nourish your body.
A daily probiotic can help your body naturally absorb all of the goodness from your food and supplements so that you’re getting the most out of your efforts to stay healthy.
Maintain your mood
Your “gut feeling” is more than just a hunch. In fact, your mental and emotional balance hinge on a healthy gut environment.
The good bacteria in your intestinal tract support the production of hundreds of nervous system chemicals that regulate your moods. Indeed, almost 95% of your body’s serotonin—the happiness chemical also found in the brain—is manufactured in your gut, so replenishing them often is one of the best things you can do to support healthy emotional function.
Encourage a balanced microbiome
Modern diets filled with sugar and additives and exposure to antibiotics in both medicine and food, can wreak havoc on your body’s delicate balance of bacteria. Even aging, stress, environmental toxins, and medications (such as antacids, birth control, and steroids) can have indiscriminate effects on your healthy microflora balance.
Your microbiome can quickly shift and create issues that are less than ideal. Luckily, consuming probiotic supplements can replenish your body’s levels of healthy bacteria and encourage the maintenance of healthy conditions in your body.
Support healthy weight management
Having a healthy balance of microflora in your gut helps support your metabolism and can even encourage healthy weight management. An unbalanced gut can also lead to changes in mood and hormone levels that trigger “comfort food” cravings, leading to unwanted extra pounds.
Improve the appearance of your skin
It’s not just about vanity! Your skin is your largest organ, and it protects your body from countless external threats. But, what many people don’t realise is that your skin is an important reflection of your internal health. Skin problems can result from nutritional and hormonal imbalances, as well as immune system disruptions, all issues that begin in the gut.
By helping you to better absorb the nutrients from your foods and supporting immune system response, probiotics can help you achieve healthier-looking skin that glows
Support immune function
Can you believe that the vast majority—approximately 80%—of your immune system is located in your gut? Because so many of your immune cells inhabit your intestinal tract, a healthy and balanced immune response is largely dependent on strong communities of beneficial bacteria existing within the gut environment. A high-quality supplement (preferably with multiple strains of good bacteria) works to crowd out the bad guys and support the foundation of your health at its core
Reduce fatigue
Have you ever felt tired even after getting enough rest? Well, it turns out that a balanced gut can help reinvigorate you. That’s because fatigue (and the resulting irritability) are often signs of poor digestion, which occurs as a result of an unhealthy gut. Taking beneficial probiotics can help support your body’s ability to properly digest and process all the healthy nutrients you eat so you can maintain your vitality.
Probiotics have formed a vital part of Mediterranean diets for thousands of years. Usually in the form of pickled foods and fermented milk products, probiotics may in part be responsible for the relatively low rates of chronic age-related diseases in these regions even if these cultures were not aware of them.
We use and I recommend Mega Probiotic ND by Food Science of Vermont as this is suitable for adults and children over 2 years of age. We take it either with breakfast or immediately afterwards. For children who cannot swallow a capsule, simply open the contents of the capsule and empty into juice or water, or simply sprinkle onto the breakfast cereal since it is virtually tasteless.
Shelley x
