Probiotics

Before you read on you will run into the following words:

STRAINS- This means individual bacteria found inside a capsule.  It's like if you look at your multivitamin and notice VITAMIN A and VITAMIN D- That would be 2 strains....get it?

PROBIOTIC- A good bacteria that helps with digestion and immune system.

Do they need to be refrigerated?

If you find them in the fridge at the health food store, then put them in the fridge (they are live bacteria), but they can be out of the fridge for a few days.
I use the non- refrigerated kind when traveling, these are still good....I don't care what anyone says (Stick with PEARLS or RENEW LIFE).

Let's get started....

PROBIOTICS

"I get enough probiotics because I eat yogurt everyday".

If you walk into a health food store and make this statement, you are sure to get laughed at when you walk out the door.
Television has the world believing that a little supermarket yogurt helps you get the right amount of friendly bacteria in your gut and bowel.  This is a farce, but the first thing the public does is hit the grocery store to buy pack of yogurt to eat daily.

Yogurt does contain probiotics, but the probiotics inside are very unstable and do not last in high amounts due to shelf life, processing and handling. If your eating yogurt to get good bacteria, you get just enough to give you a small amount of probiotic yet not really enough to make a difference.

This is the exact reason why you want to supplement with a good probiotic capsule daily.  The good bacteria in each pill is essential for good digestion, immune system and to keep yeast under control that leads to yeast infections and candida (yeast overgrowth).
A supplement is measured out and stable, so you get exactly what is on the label and not some claim about "probiotics added"- this is a hype statement in my opinion.

Probiotics are great for everyday use but you should also keep them in an emergency, such as food poisoning or upset stomach it can help to regulate things by repopulating the gut with goodness when your feeling a little yucky!

Which should I take?

Many people read a book, magazine article or even hear a radio show about some magic probiotic and get so caught up looking they miss out on simply taking a probiotic daily.  My advice, take a good probiotic, there are no magic ones.  I want you to look for the following:

Make sure it has a few different strains of probiotics countaining minimum 5 billion count at expiration.  (Just ask someone at the health food store, you'll sound like you know what your talking about)

For everyday use I love Natural Factors ULTIMATE MULTI PROBIOTIC, it's a 12 billion, 12 strain probiotic....It covers all your needs.

If you suffer from anything chronic such as IBS, candida, excess amounts of antibiotics.  Basically if you are treating anything to get better, buy Renew Life ULTIMATE FLORA 50 BILLION.  It's a one per day probiotic that will treat your chronic issues and help you get better.

If you are travelling, go to the health food store and get a probiotic that is not in the fridge.  The dose may not be as high but they do the trick if you eat any funky foods.  I like FLORASMART EXTRA STRENGTH by Renew Life.

Listen, probiotics are difficult to understand.  Stick with great brands, spend at most 30 bucks per month and you will be fine.

Stay motivated
Shane C.