Are Probiotics Necessary?

2,000 years ago Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician, said “All disease begins in the gut”.

Do you – or someone you love – have stomach issues? You would know within an hour or two after you eat a certain item, if your stomach just feels blech. For me, it’s dairy and carbohydrates.

Many of us have stomach or digestive problems, but we ignore them, or simply live with the discomfort because we don’t want to give up the ice cream, or whatever the culprit is.

Gut Health

First you need to understand what is going on in your belly. There are over 100 trillion microorganisms down there and they contain good bacteria and bad bacteria. The good bacteria actually protect us from the bad and helps us digest our food better. It’s when these good bacteria are low or disturbed in some way that your stomach starts to feel yucky.

Bad bacteria is caused by things like diets that are high in refined sugar, carbs and processed food and even antibiotics.   With our food supply containing more pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified organisms than ever before, taking a probiotic becomes necessary for most adults and children.

What is a probiotic?

A probiotic is a living organism that can be taken in a pill or food form. Food such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and kefir are made with “active live cultures” and “enjoyed as part of a regular diet, they offer plenty of other nutritional benefits“. Probiotics create good “gut flora”, which creates normal gastrointestinal function.

Here are more reasons why it is important to take a probiotic:

• Did you know that 70% of your immune system is linked to your gut? Taking a probiotic doesn’t only make your tummy feel better, but it makes your gut balanced and ready to tackle germs – this is especially needed with cold and flu season fast approaching.
• Common stomach issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, diarrhea, and other gut inflammations can be avoided if one takes a probiotic.
• Relieve symptoms from Celiac disease and gluten allergies.
• “A healthy gut flora balance helps prevent cancer by nourishing enzymes that inhibit tumor production throughout the body” (source).
• Taking a probiotic can actually boost energy and increase your metabolism.
• Have a colicky baby? This can happen if a nursing mother has too much bad gut bacteria and not enough good. When the soon-to-be mother takes a probiotic, this can ease the baby’s suffering too.
• Reduce your risk of colon cancer.

Here are some probiotics that I recommend:

Do you have a story to share in regard to gut health? I’d love to hear all about it!

Leann Forst, MBA, CHC — Family Health & Cancer Coach

Leann is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, holding a Master’s degree from Drake University and a Bachelor of Science from Upper Iowa University. Leann is accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. And she is an award winning author of 2 books “How to Get Your Kids to Beg for Veggies” and “100 Ways to Lose Weight.”

Born and raised as an Iowa farm girl, she moved to Texas in 1998 where she lives with her husband and 2 kids.

As a wife of a brain cancer survivor, Leann has a special interest in anti-cancer nutrition and detoxification. She works with individuals and groups, and speaks regularly at hospitals, schools and organizations to teach people how to attain optimal health by getting to the root cause of chronic and inflammatory conditions, while using healing modalities such as essential oils. You can download Leann’s Essential Oils 101 report here.

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.

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