We see those little bottles everywhere and keep hearing about how they clear up everything from a bloated gut to a depressed mind and much more! But what are Probiotics? And do they deserve all the attention and praise? Rubin Tabares gives you a Probiotics 101.
PROBIOTICS Positives & Negatives
I was recently asked in a lecture what simple rules I live by and in what order are they most important to me?
The answer in order of importance was as follows:
- Clean Air
- Fresh clean water that is alive and full of energy
- Locally produced organic produce
- Probiotics
- Absence of stress or rather Happiness
Some people may be surprised to find probiotics in the top five but to be honest I wish I could place it higher on the list.
Most people may not be aware that the immune system or the majority of it, about 80% in fact, resides in your gastrointestinal tract in the form of receptor cells. This is prime territory in terms of location and what happens in your gut can have a significant effect on your immune system function.
When your gut is healthy, you have a very large and thriving population of good friendly bacteria or probiotics supporting your immune system receptor cells. These probiotics form a protective barrier within your colon and intestines which help eliminate harmful pathogens and bacteria which may come into your body. Boosting your good bacteria is one of the most powerful things you can do for your overall health and well-being.
Some of the most important roles of probiotics include boosting your immune system, as we have seen above it is crucial for keeping you healthy.
Weight loss; this is in fact one of my many secrets in getting my Hollywood clients and clients in general to lose weight quickly, especially with women, there is a particular probiotic called acidophilus rhamnosus which in scientific studies has been proved to help women lose weight.
Probiotics are helpful in digesting and absorbing carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals as well as helping to remove waste and toxins from your body. Your body needs good bacteria in order to help your gut absorb certain undigested starches, fibre and sugars in food. A good balance of beneficial bacteria helps your body convert these carbohydrates into valuable sources of nutrients and energy. They also help your body produce vitamin K which is helpful in blood clotting when you cut yourself and in the production of B vitamins. Probiotics also help promote mineral absorption from the foods we eat.
Psychological and emotional health support.
Many people may also be surprised to learn that your gut is essentially your second brain. The beneficial bacteria in your gut helps produce more serotonin than your brain, serotonin is the mood-influencing neurotransmitter.
They also help with skin support and indeed the some skin conditions clear up when your gut health is at its optimum.
There is no doubt in my mind that probiotics are good for you and I have yet to come across a negative reason for taking them.
You should always take probiotics especially after taking anti-biotics and if you are going into the world of probiotics for the first time it is a good idea to start eating fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut and pickles.
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Ruben Tabares is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at The Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum- Turkey.