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3 Benefits of Probiotics Your Body Will Be Grateful For

Most people connect the word “bacteria” to diseases and other bad things. The truth is some of them are good for our bodies as well. There are both good and bad bacteria. Probiotic supplements provide good ones, which can help you to remove extra bad bacteria during infections.

At 5-Minute Crafts, we found out what probiotics are and what benefits you can get from them.

❗ Important: This article is only for informational purposes. Remember to consult with a specialist first if you need to.

What probiotics are

To understand probiotics, you first need to understand what the microbiome is. The microbiome is a community of different microorganisms (microbes), such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses, that exist in our body. The essential purpose of many of them is to support the body’s health.

Probiotics are one of those important microbes. They are a combination of live beneficial bacteria and/or yeast that exist in our bodies naturally. They typically live in our intestines and you can consume them without any risk, as they are present in certain foods. Probiotics can live isolated from a human. However, when present in our bodies, they have proven benefits for us.

What their role is in the body

Our bodies are exposed to bad bacteria all the time. Usually, we don’t need to do anything in particular to support the balance of bacteria in our bodies. We can thank probiotics for that, as one of their main functions is to help support our health balance by fighting off bad bacteria when they increase in number.

They also assist with immune functions and control inflammation. Additionally, some of them can support the body in the food digesting process, make vitamins, and even aid with the absorption of medications. Their benefits might vary depending on the type of probiotic.

  • Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium, for example, are bacteria. These are some of the most common probiotics found in stores. They support a healthy digestive tract (stomach and intestines).
  • Saccharomyces boulardii, on the other hand, is a type of good yeast. It helps fight against diarrhea, acne, canker sores, high cholesterol, urinary tract infections, and yeast infections.

A few examples of what probiotics do for us

Some common benefits of probiotics are:

1. They fight diarrhea. Probiotics help to prevent or reduce diarrhea, whether it is associated with antibiotics or not.

2. They help with mental health. Studies show that supplements with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains, when taken for 1-2 months, can help to ameliorate mental conditions connected with anxiety.

3. They support heart health. These good bacteria can decrease cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Foods containing probiotics

If for some reason you or your doctor thinks you need more probiotics, you may want to eat the following foods.

For breakfast:

  • Yogurt
  • Buttermilk
  • Sourdough bread

For lunch, you can try:

  • Cottage cheese
  • Kombucha
  • Tempeh

For dinner, it’s good to eat:

  • Fermented sauerkraut
  • Kimchi
  • Miso soup
Preview photo credit Depositphotos.com
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