PROBIOTICS - PROS AND CONS

Probiotics are a big and rapidly growing business, with annual global sales of products expected to rise to $42 billion by 2016. The term probiotic refers to dietary supplements (tablets, capsules, powders, lozenges and gums) and foods (such as yogurt and other fermented products) that contain “beneficial” or “friendly” bacteria. The organisms themselves are also called probiotics.

They are promoted to improve digestion, strengthen immunity, help in weight loss and even protect against periodontal disease, among other proposed benefits, as well as for general health. Will the friendly bacteria in these supplements and foods keep you healthy?

Proponents claim that probiotics (meaning “for life,” as opposed to antibiotics) confer health benefits primarily by rebalancing the normal microflora in the large intestine (colon). There are many general types of bacteria used as probiotics (two common ones are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium), and many different species as well as strains within species. They have different physiological effects—and thus possibly different health benefits (as well as possible risks). Some yeasts, such as Saccharmyces, can also act as probiotics.

EVERYDAY FOODS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.

Unfortunately, summer has ended and cold and flu season has started to arrive.  

Many individuals are quick to receive their flu shot in an effort to prevent a weeks worth of malaise and illness, but did you know that the foods you eat every day can also boost your immune system?  Try incorporating in these four foods as part of your regular diet…well at least from November through February.  

Garlic. Containing an organosulfur compound called Allicin, garlic has been proven to boost immunity by preventing viral illness. In the unfortunate event you do get sick, it has also proven to decrease the severity and length of illness.

How to include this in your diet?  Chop 1-2 cloves of garlic and allow to sit for a few minutes.  Allicin is created when garlic is chopped and exposed to the air. Try incorporating into salad dressing to avoid cooking garlic, which can destroy allicin.  Don’t like salads all that much?  Try a garlic hummus for a great immune boosting snack.

Immune Boosting Juice

Good juice to boost your immune system. What do you think?

5 Benefits Of Probiotics Other Than Digestion.

While we typically think of bacteria as a bad thing, certain microorganisms, in the right doses, may actually help keep us healthy. For years doctors have been suggesting probiotics as a way to help an irregular gut, but thanks to a growing body of newer research, it now looks like they can do much more than settle an upset stomach. 

"The microbes that colonize our body really do have an impact on health, and that impact seems to extend far beyond the gut," says Mary Ellen Sanders, PhD, executive science officer for the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics.