Probiotics - Friendly Bacteria That Keep You Healthy


Most of us think of bacteria as the bad guys causing disease and illness. However, certain types of bacteria help keep us healthy. Probiotics, "the good guys," are health-promoting, friendly bacteria with many potential benefits.
 
How probiotics help us
  • Probiotics help maintain and restore the delicate balance of both "good" and "bad" bacteria necessary for a healthy digestive system. Without that balance, harmful bacteria can multiply and take over, causing gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea or abdominal pain.
  • Most of us have taken antibiotics and suffered side effects of diarrhea or intestinal pain and distress. This is because some antibiotics destroy both good and bad bacteria in the digestive tract, thereby upsetting the balance. Stress can affect some people in this same way, by reducing good bacteria, thereby allowing harmful bacteria to multiply and take over.
  • Probiotic bacteria can also help relieve the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis and alcoholic liver disease. The probiotic bacteria may help relieve constipation by improving intestinal mobility.
  • Although testing on humans is limited, preliminary evidence shows that probiotics can help boost the immune system.
  • Various forms of lactic acid bacteria added when manufacturing yogurt, acidophilus milk and fermented milk products such as kefir can help lessen the effects of lactose intolerance. This inability to digest the sugars that occur naturally in milk affects nearly 70 percent of the world's population.
  • There is also evidence that probiotics may help to prevent certain kinds of allergies because they have a beneficial effect on mucous membranes.
  • Probiotic consumption may reduce the risk for colon, liver and breast cancers.
Where do I find probiotics?
 
In the United States, dairy products are the primary food source of these health-promoting bacteria. Milk that has probiotic bacteria added to it - such as acidophilus milk or cultured milk such as kefir - and yogurt are the primary sources of probiotics in our food supply.
 
Some researchers believe that the various nutrients in dairy products somehow "turn on" the beneficial genes in probiotic bacteria. That means dairy foods carry these bacteria straight to your gut, where they can go to work! When you buy yogurt, look for the "live active culture" seal, which indicates that probiotics have been added.
 
Some forms of probiotics are available in supplement form, which may seem convenient until you stop and ask yourself what you're missing. Foods contain a unique package of naturally occurring nutrients that cannot be duplicated in a single pill. What's more, when you eat, your stomach produces acids that help stabilize the probiotics you've consumed.
 
How much do I need?
Since it appears that most probiotics don't permanently stay in the intestine, but do their good work as they multiply and pass along through the intestine, it makes good sense to try to include food containing probiotics in your daily diet to optimize their benefits.
 
Ways to increase probiotics in your diet
  • Have yogurt as part of your breakfast or lunch.
  • Make yogurt your midday snack or evening dessert.
  • Use acidophilus milk for cereal or coffee, or drink it on its own.
  • Make a smoothie with yogurt or acidophilus milk. Find recipes that include yogurt tonight!

 

For more helpful tips and healthy holiday recipes, visit www.mealsmatter.org.  Meals Matter – www.mealsmatter.org – is a non-commercial website supported by Dairy Council of California, staffed by registered dietitians and dedicated to promoting healthy food choices for families.
 

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