Can you believe it’s mid November already? Yep, it’s only a hop, skip and a jump until Santa slims down our chimney. But for many, the celebrations of the silly season have well and truly started. Bank accounts aside, the second thing that can cop a serious blow at this time of year is our digestion. Alcohol, processed foods, sugar and stress can all affect our gut health. How’s yours looking?
If yours isn’t looking too flash (or you want to make sure it’s in tip top perfect shape) what can you do about it? How can you make sure you’re setting yourself up for a very merry end of year? Probitoics are a good place to start, and they’re so much more than just a little white tablet. We’re pretty passionate probiotic peeps so let’s take a look at how you can love your guts a little more, just in time for christmas.
What are they?
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are incredibly good for your digestive health. We usually think of bacteria as something bad that causes disease but in actual fact, your body is full of it! We’re actually made up of about 3kg of bacteria. Our bodies need a balance of both the good and bad bacteria to function properly, and there’s a whole world of delicious benefits you can get from both eating it, and taking as a supplement.
When should I have them?
A great way to find out when you should be taking a supplement or eating more probiotics is if you have any symptoms of a deficiency of good bacteria. These symptoms can include:
- bloating
- gas
- cramps (not period pain)
- diarrhoea
- constipation
- urinary tract infections
- poor immune system
- sleep disorders
- inflammatory bowel disease
- have recently taken antibiotics
Probiotics are also really important to include in your diet as the weather starts to get warmer. This is because the change in temperature creates the perfect breeding ground for bad bacteria multiply at a faster pace on the foods we eat. If we don’t have enough good bacteria in our guts, that’s when an imbalance can happen and we become unwell. So for your next meal, why not add a little sauerkraut? Or try a bottle of kombucha next time you’re at the market – we guarantee it’s delicious!
Where do I get them?
There are so many fabulous fermented food sources out there, especially ones you can make yourself! Such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha and miso. Foods rich in the soluble fibre inulin are also beneficial, as they build up good bacteria in the gut. You can also take probiotics in a popular powder or tablet form if you don’t like fermented foods.
The benefits
Probiotics can help people who suffer from ulcerative colitis, abdominal pain in IBS, diarrhoea, constipation, immune health by reducing the severity of colds, improving gut health after antibiotic use, candida, thrush, urinary tract infections, allergies, anxiety and depression.
One major thing to know is that taking a probiotic sure has it’s list of benefits, but it’s important to remember is that it isn’t going to be beneficial for you if your diet, lifestyle and stress levels are unbalanced.
What’s your favourite fermented foods for gut health?