Probiotics
Re-establishing a good healthy ecology of friendly bacteria (Probiotics) is the first line defence against yeast infections.
Friendly bacteria, also known as probiotics act as a barrier against potentially harmful bacteria that pass through your digestive system, and are believed to inhibit the growth of many common disease-causing organisms, including E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Candida albicans, and C. difficile.
There are many types of bacteria found in probiotic supplements, including Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and Bifobacterium longum, help to ensure that the digestion and absorption of our food is efficient and that any harmful bugs in our food are dealt with.
Many people are now using probiotic drinks or live yoghurt as a way of improving gut ecology, however, the high sugars and the fact that stomach acid destroys most of the friendly bacteria found in yoghurt is leading people towards using probiotics supplements.
One of the crucial issues with probiotics is survival. To get to where they’re needed in the bowel, they must first pass through the stomach. A good Probiotics supplement is designed to withstand the rigours of the stomach and find a happy home in your bowel.
Once your have start to redress any imbalance it is crucial that you look at your diet as a way to maintain your gut ecology and promote a healthy friendly bacteria colony. Eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables help to provide fibers and nutrients, which act as prebiotics.
Prebiotics are non-digestible foods that make their way through our digestive system and help good bacteria grow and flourish. Prebiotics keep beneficial bacteria healthy.
Prebiotics mostly come from carbohydrate fibers called oligosaccharides. You don’t digest them, so the oligosaccharides remain in the digestive tract and stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria. Sources of oligosaccharides include fruits, legumes, garlic and whole grains. Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) may be taken as a supplement or added to foods. Yogurts made with bifidobacteria contain oligosaccharides, so the prebiotic benefits ensure that it’s still worth taking a daily amount of organic live natural yoghurt.
