Giving Buddy Bacteria A Good Home

In the past, when we thought about bacteria, we thought about the troubles they could cause us. Many people still believe that eradicating all bacteria in the kitchen is the way to go. However, in the body, we’re all becoming a lot more aware that there are kinds of bacteria that can help us. Paired with live yeasts, these are known as probiotics and have tons of health benefits for us. So, what can we do to keep our microscopic friends happy and get the most benefit from them?

Getting what you should from your food

Your stomach acids aren’t the only things that help break down foods so that you can better absorb nutrients. Those friendly bacteria help in the very same process. You can improve not only bacteria health but the production of the enzymes that improve absorption by eating more (safe!) raw foods or lightly cooked fruits and vegetables. There are also foods known as prebiotics that promote new growth of healthy bacteria. Prebiotic foods include bananas, onions, garlic, and asparagus.

Building your defenses

One of the reasons that probiotics first came to light is because of the role they play in preventing sickness. A lot of illnesses such as the cold and the flu first find their way into the body through the stomach. That happens because of an imbalance of harmful bacteria over the probiotics. Beyond addressing that imbalance, there are immune system-boosting foods like red bell peppers and citrus fruits packed with Vitamin C. Vitamin C, amongst its many other benefits, protects against immune system deficiencies. Together with probiotics, they can turn your immune system into a nigh-impenetrable wall.

Stop bellyaching

Probiotics are essential to gut health and gut health is becoming more and more important. That’s because conditions like irritable bowel syndrome are on the increase. If you deal with stomach aches, bloating, cramps, constipation and similar symptoms on a regular basis, it might be a sign you need to choose the best probiotics for IBS over generic symptom treatments. When you’re susceptible to the body of issues that make up IBS, you need to be doubly active in introducing, growing, and supporting probiotics in your body.

It’s not all gut feeling

The flora in your stomach and intestines might see the most benefit there, but that’s not the only benefit they see. The improved nutritional absorption is important for bones and muscles for instance. Perhaps the greatest secondary gains are to be seen in the condition of your skin, however. The skin, like the gut, is an agent of detoxification. When there are issues with the detoxification progress in the stomach, it shows on the skin in the form of chronic inflammation, acne, psoriasis and similar conditions. Skin cream isn’t enough to give yourself a smooth, clean surface. You need to go deeper and look at the gut, too.

Gut health is gaining more and more focus from the world of health and fitness. They help us absorb nutrients, avoid gut trouble, fight off sickness, and do a lot more besides. Be mindful of your new-found friends