CrockerFitness

Most of you hear bacteria, and think pass the hand sanitizer. But let’s talk about how bacteria can be good for you. Yes, Really! And let’s start with what we already have living inside of us. There are over 100 trillion bacteria living inside us, known as your gut flora. This “friendly bacteria” benefits us by helping us detoxify, fight off BAD micro-organisms, digest and absorb our food, produce vitamin and other nutrients, balance our immune systems and keep yeast levels in check. There is even some new research about them helping us lose and maintain a healthy weight. All of these are great benefits, and most of us could use one or more of them. By some point in our life we will complain about one or more of the following symptoms. The biggest one I hear is the gas, bloating, and basic stomach issues. Another common one is yeast overgrowth symptoms such as brain fog, body aches/arthritis, skin blemishes, headaches/migraines, stomach issues such as gas and bloating, and our favorite - trouble losing weight.

 

You may know someone or it may even be you. You have been horribly sick this season and can’t seem to get out from under this illness. You have been to the doctor and taken two rounds of antibiotics but just haven’t felt quite right since. I am not a doctor, and there could be something more going on with you, but if your doctor has said there is nothing he can find. Maybe consider a probiotic. You see when we are under a lot of stress (very common these days) our flora balance is compromised leading to a weakened immune system. We get sick easier and then may end up on antibiotics. This can further kill off your good bacteria. If you are not replenishing the good stuff you can get caught in an upset digestive tract, more trouble absorbing nutrition and lower immune system cycle that you either keep getting sick or have an upset digestive tract for months. I have read numerous articles discussing our over use of antibiotics. We are being fed antibiotics thru our meats these days, so you combine that with a highly processed/low fiber diet and artificial sweeteners, you could be in for some problems.

 

Now for the exciting new weight-loss research… As a personal trainer anything that could help with stubborn weight-loss is definitely worth some consideration. At this point, I have read a few articles discussing studies done on mice and humans. A particular study done at Washington University in St. Louis found that the micro-flora in obese and lean people differed greatly and when an obese person lost weight their micro-flora changed. But which came first - weight-loss or better flora? So they furthered the study and took pairs of twins, one obese and one lean. They transferred the flora from the obese twin to some mice and gave the lean twins flora to another group of mice. The obese flora mice gained more weight while the lean mice stayed the same. Then allowing the mice to mix, they ate each others poop (yea, I know gross) but that’s what mice do. The obese mice gained some of the flora from the lean mice poop and they began to lose weight. They took the study even further and found that all of this was diet dependent. A low-fat, high fiber diet was the ticket. Without the proper diet the good bacteria doesn’t seem to populate the gut. You will also read further in this article about the benefits to blood sugar control and metabolic syndrome, of course this helps with weight-loss as well. This is all great news for someone looking for answers as to why they are having so much trouble losing weight. So how do you take advantage of these probiotics?

 

Here are some guidelines for increasing your probiotic intake.

~Start slowly. There can be some discomfort such as gas. This could mean you took too much too soon and your body has not adjusted, so back off and work up slower.

 

~Experiment with different products. Find what works for you. There are different multiple strains for focused benefits. Key strains to look for are the species of Lactobacillus (acidophilus, rhamnosus, paracasei) and Bifidobacterium (lactis, bifidum, and longum) these have been found to improve metabolic syndrome, reduce inflammation, support immune system, improve blood sugar, and decrease liver inflammation. WOW!

 

~Make sure you are consuming foods that contain prebiotics. Prebiotics are a specific type of fiber that feed the good bacteria and stimulate their growth. Some natural sources of prebiotics are onions, leeks, garlic, artichokes, apples, bananas, berries, whole grains and yakon syrup, most recently mentioned on the Dr. Oz show.

 

~Try adding a fermented food here and there such as sauerkraut, miso soup, fermented soft cheese, and kefir (a fermented milk)

 

~And of course, eat yogurt. But watch the sugar and artificial sweeteners. Your best bet is to go with a plain yogurt and sweeten it yourself with berries, honey or even try the yakon syrup. There is research on how artificial sweeteners can actually lower your gut flora. So if you drink diet sodas or crystal light regularly you could be harming your good bacteria.

 

With all this great evidence out there, probiotics would make a great addition to anyone’s supplement cabinet. Whether you are looking for digestive relief, immune support or even help with stubborn weight-loss give them a try. There are also infant/children products that could benefit your child’s immune systems. When I was pregnant and interviewing pediatricians, I told them I was going to be using probiotics and they said that was great. My little one has made it a year and a half with no more then a little sniffle. Could be more to it, but why not consider the benefits.

 

My top probiotic picks are Garden of Life RAW probiotics, Jarrow Formula Jarro-dophilus EPS, Natures Way Reuteri, Ultimate Flora’s many different to choose from, and The Vitamin Shoppes Ultimate 10. Look for these at your local supplement store. Most should be refrigerated, but my rule of thumb is refrigerate ALL of them. These are living organisms and refrigeration keeps them active longer.