Probiotics 101

Purely Contributor Kimberly Snyder explains why probiotic snacks (found within our new Honey Almond Probiotic Granola) are your new best friend.

Types of Probiotics

Probiotics are a type of live bacteria that restore balance in the body and support optimal health on many levels. Probiotics are often referred to as “good” bacteria since they are known to keep our gut healthy and aid digestion. You can find probiotics in a variety of foods as well as in probiotic supplements.

Many “regular” probiotic supplements on the market are dairy-based, which mainly contain the lactobacilli and/or bifidobacteria strains. These strains come from dairy, often found in products like probiotic yogurt and kefir. On the other hand, there is a completely different type of probiotic supplement made with soil-based organism strains, also known as SBO probiotics. SBO’s are the types of bacteria that our ancestors got from eating a small amount of soil on unwashed produce, which help us digest and assimilate carbohydrates, fats and proteins. When it comes to probiotic supplements, I much prefer SBO probiotics over “regular” probiotics, as they are vegan, more resilient in the body, and have been proven to have effective health benefits.

Foods high in probiotics include kefir, yogurt, raw sauerkraut, cultured veggies, kimchi and Purely Elizabeth’s probiotic granola. To get the most benefits, I recommend taking a daily probiotic supplement, like my Feel Good SBO Probiotics and filling your diet with probiotic-rich foods! This combination will give your body a wider range of different strains of bacteria, which is very important for overall health.

Health Benefits of Probiotics

There are countless researched health benefits of probiotics! Probiotics serve many purposes in the body, like revitalizing your immune system, strengthening your gut, boosting your mood, and even improving the appearance of your skin. They aid in digesting and assimilating food, produce vitamins, and help your body to destroy disease-causing microorganisms and hinder their growth.

Additionally, probiotics have the proven ability to regulate hormones and metabolics and support detoxification, all of which contribute to overall health and more optimal functioning throughout the body. This results in healthier cells, so you’re more likely to experience increased energy, less bloating or puffiness, more efficient digestion, brighter eyes, improved mental clarity, enhanced mood, and even weight loss.

Probiotics and Immunity/Gut Health

Probiotics are incredibly important to keep your immune system strong, which is why I consume them every day. Your immunity is closely tied to your gut health, and probiotics are essential to build and strengthen a healthy gut.

In essence, there are copious amounts of naturally occurring bacteria in your gut and throughout your body that has a huge impact on your immune system. An overgrowth of bad bacteria can cause a shift in your microbiome and increase inflammation, which puts you at risk of getting sick. We all need healthy bacteria, in the form of probiotics, to essentially balance out the bad guys so they don’t grow out of control! Probiotics actually help boost immune cells within the lining of your gut. I make sure to get probiotics from food along with daily SBO probiotic supplementation, which contains strains that are hardy enough to travel through the digestive tract to the lower intestine where they impact immunity the most!

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