GET PROBIOTICS IN FOOD (NOT PILL FORM)!
GET PROBIOTICS IN FOOD (NOT PILL FORM)!
Check out this article in the Atlantic about the benefits of getting probiotics from fresh food, rather than packaged on a shelf. And not just fermented foods, but just regular fruits and vegetables! “…Fresh produce and grains also give us more than fiber. An exciting, emerging idea is that fruits and vegetables are healthier than the sum of their parts, not just because of nutrients and fibrous skeletons, but because they contain microbes themselves.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/08/probitoic-foods/595687/
For all of human history, the gut microbiome has gone without bacterial pills. Fermented foods have been part of many cuisines around the world, but our ancestors didn’t live on kombucha. There had to be another source.
And, it turns out, there is: fresh produce.
In a study from July in Frontiers in Microbiology, researchers found that the average apple contains about 100 million bacteria. Most are inside, not on the skin. They came from many different taxa—as opposed to the probiotic-supplement pills, which tend to be only one type of bacteria. Of the millions of bacteria in any given apple, very rarely are any the sort that cause diseases; most are innocuous or even beneficial.
The idea, the apple researchers explain, is that these bacteria join and interact with the trillions of microbes that are in our guts already—which are vital to our digestion and metabolic health, and the functioning of our immune systems. Food is the main way that our gut biomes are populated throughout our lives, and microbe-rich foods seem to be important to maintaining diversity. The researchers suggest that microbial profiles could eventually become standard information on nutrition labels (currently limited to fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals).
Read more details in the article and then come visit our amazing dietitian for additional information on how to optimize the health and diversity of your gut microbiome. Our team is eager to help with any of your wellness goals. Call 224.407.4400 to schedule an appointment or visit compgihealth.com for more information.