The holiday season is usually filled with warmth, joy, and laughter from little children anxious to unveil their presents on Christmas day. For us adults, all the cooking, decorating, party hosting, and dinner receptions can become quite exhausting. It’s the season to indulge in gourmet meals, treat ourselves to irresistible sweets, socialize with friends and family, and drink divine liquors. However, all the excitement and celebrations often put a toll on our poor digestive systems having to work overtime to break down all the decadent meals we’ve eaten. During times like this, we can always count on our loyal companions “Mighty Probiotics”, or friendly bacteria, for a helping hand.
How do we choose the right allies to help us bring balance back to our microflora? We must choose only medicinal strains of probiotics that are supported by clinical trials showing their benefits in humans. They also need to have the ability to re-implant and reproduce in the digestive tract. In order to avoid enteric coated capsules and plasticizers, high-quality probiotic strains tested for resistance to stomach acid and bile are the preferred choice. Another important quality to possess is compatibility to survive with other probiotics in the intestines.
Dietary fiber also plays an integral part of our diet that encourages healthy and smooth functioning of our digestive and eliminative systems. Fiber is essentially the indigestible component of carbohydrates and it is divided into 2 groups: insoluble and soluble fiber. Soluble fiber absorbs water and has a soft, gelatinous texture and helps soften stools. It also binds to bile acids in the intestines and helps reduce cholesterol as it absorbs toxins and waste products and takes them out of the body quickly rather than allowing them to be re-absorbed back into the body from the intestines. Soluble fiber also provides delicious food for our probiotics. On the other hand, insoluble fiber is often used as a bulk-forming laxative, facilitating stool excretion by drawing more water into the colon during digestion. This fellow can help speed up the transit time of food matter that passes through our digestive tract. Fiber also helps promote regularity and reduces the incidence of constipation.
When choosing an age- and condition-specific blend of probiotics, along with an excellent source of dietary fiber, you are equipped with a powerful army of tiny soldiers ready to battle, restore health, and detoxify the entire digestive system. Fear no more, as we have the strongest candidates up for the challenge and they will help us fight the enemies or so-called indigestion issues such as gas, bloating, flatulence, constipation, and diarrhea.
By: Kelly H.
