Probiotics

Are all bacteria harmful to the human body? Maybe not! There are two types of bacteria in our body – good and bad. Good bacteria are the ones that aid in healthy functioning of the body, whereas the bad ones in excess presence can deteriorate an individual’s health. 

How do we increase good bacteria? Or, how do we get rid of bad bacteria? Well, not to worry – Probiotics to the rescue! 

Probiotics are good bacteria that keep us healthy and fit by supporting our immune system and fighting against bad bacteria. They promote a healthy gut, which in turn serves various key functions in the body. They also provide a strong defense against other pathogens.

Gut bacteria are not only responsible for normal bowel movements, but a lot more than that. Here are some benefits of probiotics:

• Provide a strong protection against common cold and childhood viruses
• Boost immunity against viral and bacterial pneumonia
• Help fight against urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Relieve symptoms of auto-immune diseases
• Help alleviate allergies and asthma
• Improve an individual’s mood, thereby keeping depression at bay
• Have a potential positive affect on neurodevelopmental disorders

In general, regular consumption of probiotic-rich foods will help maintain an optimum health.

Our ancestors and age-old civilisations were mostly dependent on fermented foods as a source of probiotics and included it as part of their regular diet. Notably, use of antibiotics was also not so common in those days. However, over the years, food habits and diet patterns changed and adaptation of fast-paced life has resulted in reduced consumption of fermented foods.

We live in an era, where outbreak of previously unknown diseases is rampant, and given the current sedentary lifestyle, people are often succumbing to manageable diseases like asthma and allergies. There has been a rise in allergies, asthma and hayfever in recent times. Such types of diseases were not likely common in the old days.

So, can we protect our health? Can we rebuild our health? Yes, definitely!

One way to regain and maintain our health is by making probiotics part of our regular diet. Probiotics are available in fermented foods as well as supplements. Below is a list of top most powerful probiotic-rich foods which my family and myself consume regularly:

• Kefir
  • made of milk
  • loaded with different strains
• Yogurt
  • made with milk 
  • easily available
• Natto (Vegan)
  • made from soy
  • rich in vitamin K2 which is essential for bone and heart
• Sauerkraut (Vegan)
  • traditionally made with purple cabbage (this one is my favourite)
  • loaded with vitamin C
  • increase its intake when you are down with cold or flu
• Pickled vegetables (Vegan)
  • one of the best ways to consume vegetables and make the fiber pre-digestible
• Beet kvass [kanji] (Vegan)
  • beautiful red-coloured tonic that cleanses your liver
• Gooseberries (Amla) fermented in honey
  • gooseberries are rich in vitamin C
  • they are very powerful immune boosters
• Garlic fermented in honey
  • this most potent antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral fermented dish will help boost your immunity
• Supplements
  • if you can’t access probiotic rich foods or would like  to treat a specific health problem, then probiotic supplements come really handy

I have tried and used different brands for my family and myself. Based on my usage here are a few of my recommendations:

• Infants and kids –
  • Inner health plus kids daily defence-https://amzn.to/3YaWipI
  • Herbs of gold children’s probiotics-https://amzn.to/3FrfYOG
  • Smidge infant probiotic – https://amzn.to/3H8sxQe
  • BioGaia probiotics – https://amzn.to/3iI1tNH
  • Herbs of gold – https://amzn.to/3F4emZK
• Adults –
  • Smidge Sensitive Probiotic-/https://amzn.to/3iBgDn
  • Smidge probiotic-https://amzn.to/3iNIWiZ
  • Herbs of gold-https://amzn.to/3VEjhYl
  • Garden of life probiotics – https://amzn.to/3FBALiL

The best time to consume probiotics is before going to bed. You may start to sleep like a baby!

Disclosure:

This blog contains a few affiliate links and I may receive some amount as commission if a product is purchased from the associated links.