Why Are Probiotics SO Important?
Probiotics have been one of THE most important part of my diet for the last year or so, as it has significantly improved my digestive health as well as my overall health! How many of you would love to have a flatter belly? ...well, probiotics helps! What about not getting sick with colds and flus even though all those around you are? ...probiotics helps with this too! Maybe you'd like to have clearer skin or deal with bowel irregularities, or even want to just feel better in general...honestly, probiotics takes care of all these issues! It's amazing how much sicknesses, diseases and issues begins in the gut! In Joy Life's contributing Health writer and my nutrition consultant, Loretta Hill, gives us the scoop on Probiotics and why it is so important to our health.
You may have heard of the term "probiotics" as it has been advertised on TV a lot lately; and you may have also heard that yogurt has Acidophilus and that it's good for you. But, what are these "friendly bacterias" good for?
In the 1950's the "miracle medicine" antibiotics was developed and many lives were saved through the use of the antibiotics. So, it was then thought that by the year 2,000 infectious diseases would be gone forever. Unfortunately, today more than 19,000 people die every year from untreatable diseases caused by drug resistant bacterias. You see, antibiotics kills bad and good bacterias so the cascade of imbalance begins from your first dose of antibiotics as a child.
Your Intestinal tract is home to around 100 trillion microorganisms and not all of them are friendly. Some of the most dangerous offenders enter your body through the foods you eat, water you drink and even the air you breathe. Many of these bacterias are mere nuisances but some will make you ill for days or months. The worst can be deadly.
No matter where you live there is no escape. Once dangerous bacterias enter your body, the fight is on. Unfriendly microorganisms come in many guises. Some are easily identified as disease carriers others are chameleons. They can be neutral under certain conditions but like the bacteria Candida Albicans, the inoffensive yeast can turn into a predatory and dangerous fungus.
So what is the solution? There is a guardian called probiotic bacteria meaning "Pro-Life" which may be ingested in supplement form and also in fermented foods. This guardian can help lower cholesterol, fight cancer, ward off ulcers, and protect against food poisoning. It boosts your immune system function by producing its own antibodies that are effective against harmful bacterias, viruses and fungi. It controls the overgrowth of Candida(yeast) and it helps to cancel out environmental toxins you can't avoid. It corrects and prevents many bowel problems including constipation, diarrhea, colitis,and IBS as well as protect urinary tract infections. It works against migraine headaches, rheumatic and arthritic complaints, skin conditions like acne, psoriasis and eczema. Probiotics also participate in the digestive process producing enzymes and some B vitamins and Serotonin (your feel good neurotransmitter). Adequate Serotonin will alleviate depression and carbohydrate cravings so the benefit for weight loss is substantial.
It may be time for you to do a "Gut Check". Are you feeling inflamed, bloated, have acid reflux, itchy skin or are you catching colds frequently? Probiotics are in order! It's important that you select a probiotic product that is of very high quality or else it's a waste of money. A Refrigerated, live culture, multi-strain supplement is best.
Good health truly begins in your digestive tract!
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| Loretta Hill |
To order the Probiotics that I use, or to contact Loretta for a free consultation, visit her website: Vital Health AZ
As most of you know, I have made the commitment
to eating healthier by eating a lot more whole foods and eliminating as much
added sugars, dairy products, and processed foods from my diet as
possible. While I was looking through the Whole Foods (the
store) website, I found a 28 day challenge to eating healthier and I
thought I'd share it with you all. I'm not sharing this
as a "diet", but in hopes of initiating a healthier
"lifestyle".
I know some of you already live a healthy
lifestyle so cheers to you! Please share any tips and suggestions that you
might have for those of us that are new to this.
For those who might have more of a challenge
trying to figure how to start eating healthy, the link below to the Whole Foods
page will give you tips and pointers on what to start shopping for and how to
batch cook for the week, etc. It also includes a 28-day meal plan, which
I think is fantastic and is an awesome way to shift our mindset
towards healthier ways of cooking and eating. It takes away the
guesswork and frustration from trying to figure out what to eat and not to
eat.
For me, I attempted to start eating healthy
several times over the last couple years, but always got frustrated with not
knowing exactly what to buy and eat… plus it seemed like it would be SO MUCH
more work on top of my already busy life...so I would get overwhelmed just from
thinking about it and then resort to what was familiar and what was easy.
But because our body is a temple, we need to
take care of it and also be healthy for our children. The healthier of a
lifestyle you live, the less likely you are to get colds, sicknesses, etc..
Doing research on the foods that are in stores and restaurants have completely
convinced me to change my lifestyle when it especially comes to the foods I eat
and what I feed my children. It's amazing the amount of chemicals
(pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.) that are used on foods, and the
engineering of foods (changing the genetic component of the food) that
goes on; and humans are ingesting all these things on daily basis...It's
no wonder that there’s so much sicknesses and diseases in our society.
I could go on and on with this subject with all
the things I’m finding out in my research. However, ultimately, it is important
that we are diligent with our health and what we put into our bodies and our
children's bodies. I challenge you to check out the link below and do the
28-day challenge.
I recommend buying a good blender (you can find
good slightly used ones at garage sales and even Craigslist!) so you can blend
your vegetables and fruits into tasty smoothies...the fruits make it
sweet, so really it is not bad!! You can be creative with all the greens that
God has given us to nourish our bodies with and come up with your own
concoctions! Please share :)
Lastly, I want to add the importance of
exercising! Part of taking care of our bodies is exercising. It's
also important that our children see that we make it a point to exercise. How
else will they make it a priority in their lives when they are young
adults/adults if they don't see us making it a priority? Exercising
along with eating healthy can bring us to our optimal health! And I know,
I know....TIME IS A FACTOR, right? I feel you! Start small.
Even if it's in your living room...instead of turning on the TV to unwind in
the evening, take 20 minutes to do some stretching exercises and sit ups (this
also relaxes your body and your mind). There are also great workout
videos that you can borrow at the local public library or borrow from a
friend if you can't afford to buy one. OR you can take a fast walk/run in
your neighborhood (tuck in your tummy tight and walk as fast as you can around
your neighborhood for 15 - 20 min); this simple action will work out your abs,
calves, thighs and glutes! The point is to make exercising a part of
your regular routine...It will pay off :)
Remember, it's the small little steps that we
take now, that will lead us to success.
Love you all!
"Simple little disciplines that,
done consistently over time, will add up to the very biggest accomplishments" - Jeff Olson ('The Slight Edge)
Benefits of Juicing
by Fruitful Provision
My First Green1 peeled Cucumber
5 Kale leaves
Leaves of 5 Parsley stems
Ginger, peeled and cut to sugar cube size
1 cup Spinach, roughly chopped
5 stems of Dandelion Greens
1 Lemon, rind removed & cut in half (keeping as much of the white area on the fruit as you can)
http://fruitfulprovision.blogspot.com
http://www.fruitfulprovision.com
