Over the past few weeks we’ve been looking why our gut health matters and the important role it plays in our overall health and vitality.

One key strategy to improving lower gut health is to include probiotic-rich foods such as sauerkraut, fermented vegetables, kefir, kombucha and kimchi.

"One key strategy to improving lower gut health is to include probiotic-rich foods."

Many fermented foods contain a variety of beneficial bacteria (and yeasts) hence it is often beneficial to try and consume a variety of these foods on a daily level to keep up species numbers, their diversity and support a happy, healthy microbiome.

Another benefit of consuming fermented foods is your sugar cravings decrease over time. This is because by adding in probiotics rich foods you are decreasing the number of non-beneficial bacteria, which feed on sugar and refined grains and carbohydrates.

“Another benefit of consuming fermented foods is your sugar cravings decrease over time.”

I always recommend consuming fermented foods as a starting point. But is it enough? Do you also need a probiotic?

Yes and here’s why:

• The quality of vegetables in fermented foods has changed because of the soil they are grown in. This means the overall quality of the strains of probiotic foods have changed as well.
  
  
• Modern populations don’t eat 12 serves of fermented foods per day.
  
  
• Antibiotic use is more prevalent than previous generations.
  
  
• Our lifestyles are more sanitary than that of our ancestors. We are exposed to fewer strains of helpful bacteria due to household cleaners and sanitisers.
  
  
• Many people have digestive issues with certain FODMAPS, fungal growth such as candida or have a histamine intolerance. In which case, consuming fermented foods can actually be harmful to their gut health. Instead, taking a probiotic means you can avoid inflammatory foods that your immune system reacts to and you still get the benefits of the beneficial bacteria.

Taking a closer look at antibiotics

Antibiotics are undoubtedly necessary in some circumstances. I don’t have an issue with them when used correctly. They do however have huge implications on gut health. Doctor Natasha Campbell-McBride is a gut health specialist and founder/author of the GAPS diet.

"It can take up to four years to restore and rebuild the gut biome following a course of antibiotics." She says.

We can take steps towards healing our guts with fermented foods and bone broth during this time, but true healing will be much more effective if you combine this approach with a quality probiotic.

Most adults have had at least one course of antibiotics in their lifetime. It’s actually common for us to hear in the clinic that many people have one course every year!

For this reason, I always advocate a multi-pronged approach when dealing with gut issues. Consuming fermented foods and glycine rich foods like bone broth along with probiotics and lifestyle strategies including hydration, stress reduction and proper sleep.

Probiotics and what to look for

The following are good guides to look for when choosing a probiotic.

• A multiple strain probiotic.
  
  
• Probiotic with good quantities of each strain. 
  
  
• A probiotic with stable strains. If they do need refrigeration, ensure they have been stored adequately. Also, check for acid resistant strains of bacteria so they can withstand the natural hydrochloric acid in your stomach.
  
  
• The right strains for your symptoms. To find out exactly what strains are right for you we recommend testing and also consulting your health practitioner.
  
  
• Contains prebiotics to feed the beneficial bacteria

For these reasons, we recommend taking BePure Gut Renew Probiotic. BePure Gut Renew Probiotic is an advanced daily probiotic, to provide your body with a powerful dose of beneficial bacteria to promote optimal gut health.

The BePure Gut Renew Probiotic contains 18 strains of beneficial bacteria and a minimum of 30 billion viable bacteria per serving, BePure Gut Renew Probiotic is one of the most complete probiotic formulations available for supporting lower digestive health.

Alongside these beneficial bacteria, it also contains prebiotics which feed the good bacteria. These prebiotics are inulin, apple pectin and cellulose and the lovely gut healing L-glutamine

“BePure Gut Renew Probiotic contains 18 strains of beneficial bacteria.”

It is also delivered in a scientifically designed, slow release capsule that takes two hours to break down. This ensures the viable bacteria in each serving reaches the most beneficial stage of the intestinal tract, then releases into the system to support optimal intestinal gut health.

Ensuring you are taking a quality daily probiotic is essential for supporting digestion, nutrient absorption and ultimately your health and energy status, daily.