This is a question I get all the time. Whenever I’m chatting healthy kids, this comes up as one of our daily supplements for the kiddos, so it’s always helpful for me to be able to clarify based on questions about which strains are best, why some are refrigerated and others aren’t etc.
I’ll dive in with a bit of context if you’re new to this conversation, and then share some compelling facts and ideas about which ones are most beneficial for little tummies and little immune systems.
(As well as big tummies and immune systems of course, I take the same ones in fact)
In recent years, there’s been a large amount of studies done that link gut health with not only immune health, but also overall well-being, brain health and mood. Which makes sense if we understand the gut is like a 2nd brain. “Trust your gut” they told us. Well, we have to work extra hard in this day to feed our guts what they need to be able to work properly and have us “trust them”:) This is because the standard american diet is a gut flora killer–tons of sugar, tons of processed foods, and gluten, are some of the main triggers of depleting a gut of good bacteria. Then, we add the common cycle (yes, we were there too, you can read more of our story here) of antibiotics prescribed for little ones’ ear infections and more, and then we get to a new level of gut depletion and the need for replenishment, on top of months of sugar and indulgence from Oct 31 through January 1. No wonder so many parents dread the winter months, and all the bugs that they expect to cycle through.
Here are some of the sources touting the benefits of probiotics:
http://cdrf.org/home/checkoff-investments/usprobiotics/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170523124119.htm
Thankfully, some of my health coach mom friends shared some invaluable knowledge with me, and early on, after a year and a half of regular sickness and poor immune health, my daughter was able to build up her immunity with precisely this program. She has only really been consistent with 3 supplements, and her diet changed slightly with less sugar and processed foods, but essentially nothing else changed. So I’m very grateful, and you can connect more with me about all of that via email or by 15 min health consults, which I love to do for moms, focused on their families overall health.
Back to probiotics. Here’s a great infographic about food sources, which, while super helpful, are not the complete answer. Why? Because our stomach acid kills of most of the good live bacteria before they can reach the small intestine.
I’ll do a FAQ in hopes that handles most of it. Tons more resources to offer, so if you’re intrigued by this, definitely check out the link at the bottom, or email me and we can connect about it all. Fascinating stuff, and I’m immensely grateful for the complete healthy gut transformation we’ve all experienced over here from about probiotics and finding the brand that’s most effective for delivery of those lovely flora.
Q: I’ve seen that there are so many strains of probiotics, and some supplements advertise that they have more than 10 different types of prob strains. What’s the of that?
A: Well, it’s actually more of a marketing gimmick than anything, as most probiotic strains haven’t been widely studied. There are 2 main ones that all the research has been done with, and so it’s safe to stay if you stick with those strains, and simply increase the dosage if need be, you should be getting what you need.
The strains are: bifidobacterium longum and Lactobaccillus acidophilus. These are the ones found in the recommended brand below.
Q: Why do I see some probiotics stored in the fridge with “live cultures” signs on them, and others aren’t?
A. Similarly to yogurt and other foods with probiotic qualities, the probiotics that are in the fridge are active and are meant to be kept alive. However, the sad news is that similarly to food, without a protective coating, they will be killed of by the stomach acid and less than 10% will reach their final destination to be maximally effective.
Q. What makes the biggest difference in a high quality probiotic?
A. The encapsulation and delivery system for the bacteria is the measure of whether they are effective or a waste of money.
I’d like to try the probiotics you’re discussing.
I’d like to connect more about all of this info (submit below).