Probiotics

Probiotics are live friendly bacteria and yeasts that are good for your gut and that then benefit your overall health.

What are the health benefits?

These is a lot of new research looking at the health benefits of probiotics. They have been shown to  help balance the gut’s good and bad bacteria, helping ‘crowd out’ the bad bacteria. Benefits  include boosting the immune system, improving mood, hormone balance and reducing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome like bloating, constipation and diarrhea. There are a variety of strains which may have different purposes with some promoting bowel regularity and others reducing the risk of pathogen invasion. There is a lot to still learn in the area with the increase in studies in the area of gut health.

Where/how can we consume them?

Probiotics can present in food such as probiotic milk drinks, yoghurt, fermented teas like Kombucha and fermented vegetables like sauerkraut (non pasteurised- refrigerated varieties). Probiotics can also be consumed in supplement form.