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Which Probiotics? Product Review: Gutsy Probiotics

17th January 2018 · Leave a Comment

Who else is finding their new year good intentions are already proving hard to stick to? I know I am! In addition to my yoga goal for the month, there’s also my general nutrition ‘goals’ (targets? requirements? things I’d like to achieve? Whatever you’d like to call them). Like getting enough vegetables each day, snacking sensibly (lactation cookies, anyone?), and remembering to take my probiotics.

Why probiotics?

Probiotics are shown to improve health by balancing your gut bacteria. Gut bacteria help you to digest foods, produce some vitamins, aid the absorption of nutrients, neutralise toxic digestive by-products, and discourage ‘bad’ bacteria. Your gut bacteria, or microbiota, are also now known to be linked to your mental health and immune health. So, pretty important. And after an indulgent month like December, it’s a great time to give your gut and microbiota a helping hand to get back on track. But which probiotics should you be taking?

which probiotics

Forgot your probiotics?

It’s not always easy to take probiotics: keeping them refrigerated, then remembering to find the capsules hidden in the fridge, or spooning out the right amount of powder. Seriously, a third of a teaspoon?! How much even IS that?

So, it definitely helps matters if your probiotics happen to be a delicious drink. Who doesn’t want to drink a delicious, thirst-quenching, fruity drink?

Which probiotics?

It just so happens I have come across a probiotic drink that even my hubby and threenager want to be involved in. And my husband never wants to be involved with food and drink that includes the term ‘healthy’, so that’s a real testament!

which probiotics

My drink that my hubby ‘stole’!

Gutsy have a range of probiotic sachets that make improving your gut health in 2018 super-easy & super-delicious. Proven by my husband, who drank my whole glass, when he was only meant to ‘taste’ it! I struggle to get him to drink more water, but elderberry & lime flavoured probiotics he will do!! #gutsylife

What Gutsy does.

Gutsy uses specific probiotic strains that act as ‘starter bugs’ which work to repopulate your gut with the good guys, helping to balance your gut microbiota, keep you regular, & improve your immune health. Especially useful if you have taken antibiotics in the past, ever had gastro, or struggle with bowel regularity!

which probiotics

Individually wrapped serves, and no need to refrigerate!

Gutsy also contains a prebiotic, which essentially is food for the probiotic bacteria, to help them settle into their new home with a slap up meal! Plus, it uses natural fruit juices and a natural sweetener, to help give it that delicious taste. So, they’re even great for our smaller household members (kids aged three and over). That’s win-win in my book! And now you know which probiotics!

Different probiotic strains help with different conditions. But if you’re looking for an overall boost to your microbiota and well being, then Gutsy might just be the ticket! Check them out at https://www.gutsy.life/

Lucy x

Note: Gutsy were kind enough to send me a sample of their delicious probiotics to try. However, the opinions in this post are all my own.

Filed In: General Health, Gut Health / Tagged: australia, bad bacteria, bloating, constipation, good bacteria, gut flora, gut health, healthy poo, microbiota, probiotics

“Great Guts!” A guide for need-to-know gut health terminology.

27th October 2017 · Leave a Comment

Ever felt a bit confused by all the gut health terminology floating around? Even within the health industry, there seems to be some confusion around what some of the terms mean, and they can often be mis-used.

Read on for explanations on the top terms used when talking about gut health…

Gut health terminology

The Top 7 Gut Health Terms You Need to Know

Microbiota

Simply put, this is the community of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, archaea, protists and fungi) found on and in your body. The largest population is found in the digestive tract, more commonly known as the ‘gut flora’ or microflora.

There are between 10-100 trillion microbial cells in your body – outnumbering human cells 10 to one! The microbiota plays a really important role in your health. For example, it aids your digestion by improving foods’ digestibility, which in turn improves your nutritional status. However, it also improves your immunity and exerts positive effects on your brain and behaviour.

The more diverse your diet, the more diverse your microbiota, the greater a positive effect it can have. Essentially, “all hail, the microbiota”, it’s a pretty damn awesome community!

Microbiome

Not to be confused with ‘microbiota’ above, the microbiome is the entire habitat including the genetic material of the microbiota. It also gets mistaken for the term ‘metagenome’, which refers only to the genetic material of the microbiota.

Each microbial cell contains its own set of DNA, which play a significant role in your body. Most of these genes encode for enzymes and proteins that influence your body’s cells. As a result, gut microbes and their genetics have an impact on your energy balance via metabolism regulation. Did you know, they also influence brain development and function?

gut-brain axis

The gut-brain axis, or microbiome-gut-brain axis, refers to the two-way signalling between your brain and gut microbiome. It involves brain and hormone signalling mechanisms via the central nervous system. Studies show that gut microbes are involved in the formation of chemical messengers identical to those produced by humans. These include hormones like cortisol, and neurotransmitters like dopamine or serotonin. They are critical to your mood regulation, therefore showing how the microbiome plays a direct role in stress management, anxiety and depression.

Dysbiosis

Essentially, this refers to the imbalance of the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria in your gastrointestinal system. Or the community of microorganisms in your body. Or your microbiota, as you now call it!

Dysbiosis may lead to other health issues, particularly gut-related ones, and requires good gut care to rebalance the microbiota and repair any damage. One of the ways to rebalance the bacteria is with targeted probiotics.

Probiotics

Also known as ‘friendly’ or ‘good’ bacteria, probiotics are live microorganisms that can be consumed as a food or dietary supplement. In addition, they can maintain or restore beneficial bacteria to the digestive tract.Probiotics

There are varying levels of what can be sold to you as probiotics:

  • ‘Live / active cultures’ – general fermented foods which don’t need specific research to back their claims;
  • Probiotics that do not make a health claim – usually general supplements containing general beneficial/safe microbes;
  • Probiotics that do make a health claim – these must contain defined probiotic strains (see below), and convincing evidence for the specific strains’ health indications. They must also have proof of delivery of a viable strain at an effective dose level at the end of the shelf life. Meaning: if it says you will receive 35million CFU (colony forming units, or how many microbes there are) then you will still get that amount even at the best before date, provided you have kept the probiotics in a suitable environment (usually the fridge).

Strains

Probiotic strains are specific bacteria with particular functions. Don’t confuse them with probiotic ‘species’, which are the equivalent to the ‘family name’ of the probiotics. The strains within these ‘families’ are like ‘cousins’ and, whilst related, can be quite different in their actions. In fact, when we refer to what benefits probiotics can offer, we are likely referring to a very specific strain. For example, the well-known Lactobacillus is a probiotic species, but the Lactobacillus Acidophilus is a strain within that species, which offers different actions to Lactobacillus Rhamnosus.

Whilst there is often some benefit to be had from selecting a probiotic supplement that contains multiple strains, there is usually more benefit from selecting a probiotic supplement that contains specific strains which target the exact problem you have.

Prebiotics

gut health antibiotics

Prebiotics are ‘food’ for the microbes (or ‘friendly bacteria’) in your gut. These are completely different to probiotics, but they are connected as they’re food for them as well. Their technical definition is that they selectively stimulate growth or activity of specific microbe species in your gut microbiota, which then results in health benefits to you.

Prebiotics consist of non-digestible carbohydrates, or dietary fibre, and can be found in various foods in a healthy diet. Resistant starch is a type of indigestible fibre found in cooked and cooled potatoes. Inulin is another type, found in banana, garlic, onion, leek, asparagus, and Jerusalem artichoke. Other examples of prebiotics include the beta-glucan found in barley and whole oats, oligosaccharides in wheat bran, and pectin in apples. Flaxseeds are another favourite source, as they contain other great health benefits too!

The downsides to prebiotics is they can feed and fuel an existing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), if there is one. Those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or a FODMAPs intolerance can also find prebiotics make their symptoms worse. In these instances, it’s best talking with your friendly nutritionist on a way to help resolve your gut issues.

Antibiotics

Most people know these as medicine to get better, and they wouldn’t be wrong, exactly. Antibiotics are drugs used to treat bacterial infections, and in many cases entirely necessary. Generally speaking, an antibiotic is a substance produced by one microorganism that selectively inhibits the growth of another. But what are the other consequences of taking antibiotics?

Many antibiotics we know today are synthetic ‘broad-spectrum’ versions, created to work on a range of bacteria. These are the ones that can be particularly problematic, as they also target the ‘good bacteria’ that we need in our guts. By killing off both the good and bad bacteria in the gut, potentially permanently, the microbiome is left with a smaller number of beneficial bacterial species, counterbalancing the resistant ‘bad’ bacteria. This is where help from a nutritionist is important to repopulate your body with the right kind of probiotic strains, and prebiotics to encourage their growth.

In conclusion…

Understanding these gut-related terms are just the start in helping you understand what is happening inside your body. Ongoing studies are intensively resarching gut health, as it is such a complex place. Most of all, though, it’s absolutely the underpinning of overall good health, so I hope you find this terminology guide useful.

Perhaps you need help with your gut microbiota and digestive issues, or want to know which probiotics you should be taking? If so, get in touch and make an appointment, and I will be happy to help!the real nutritionist gut health

Research

https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-015-0094-5
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4259177/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/307998.php
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12309/full
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/probiotic
https://www.medicinenet.com/probiotics/article.htm
https://www.wired.com/2011/08/killing-beneficial-bacteria/

Filed In: Gut Health / Tagged: antibiotics, bacteria, good bacteria, gut health, microbiome, microbiota, prebiotics, probiotics

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The Real Nutritionist is about optimising your health and wellbeing. It's honest and holistic, yet balanced and realistic.

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