Because
of the abundance of antibiotics in our livestock, most people could benefit
from additional probiotics in their diet. If eating fermented food does not
appeal to you, you could take probiotic supplements. As an everyday supplement,
take a probiotic with 10 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) per day. These are
available in capsules.
If
you have just finished a course of antibiotics, supplement with 20-30 billion
CFUs per day. While you are taking antibiotics, saccharomyces boulardii can be used
to keep digestive problems at bay. It is not a beneficial bacteria but a yeast.
Antibiotics target bacteria, not yeast,
so S. boulardii can survive the antibiotics. Always consult your health care
provider before starting a supplementation regimen.
When
purchasing probiotics, look for a freeze-dried capsules. Freeze-drying sends
the bacteria into hibernation, assuring the best quality. They
can be found in the refrigerator section of a whole foods market or health food
store. Keep your probiotics in the refrigerator, though a few days at room
temperature will not destroy them.
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Take
probiotics with food, especially foods that are high in fructooligosacchrides
(FOS) Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and raffinose oligosaccharides. These will
all work well to feed the microbes.
Don’t
take your probiotics with stomach acid suppressants or calcium carbonates like
Rolaids and Tums. Stomach acid improves the environment for the microbes. This
assists the microbes in reaching their destination, the small intestine and
colon.
Adults
and children benefit from a wide variety of microbes. This includes strains of
lactobacillus and bifidobacteria species, as well S. boulardii yeast.
Lactobacillus are native to the small intestine and bifidobacteria reside in
the colon.
A
special strain of bifidobacteria B. infantis is best suited for babies. The
easiest way to give probiotics to infants is to apply the probiotic powder to
the nipple of the nursing mother.
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