Kickstarting Your Gut For An immune System Boost
What type of supplements can really help you? Here are some important facts you need to know in order to make good choices with our busy lives during the holidays. If you are out shopping, at parties, doing air travel, and spending late nights at the office, what do you do when you are starting to feel run down or want to bullet proof your immune system?
Here's why you should consider taking a good probiotic and phytonutrients for an immune system boost. The immune system begins in our GI tract, with 50% of the immune system living there, and 75% of our antibodies being produced there as well. When our intestinal tract becomes unhealthy and out of balance, our immune system becomes compromised. We have about 7 pounds of bacteria that live in the large and small intestine, which can either work for or against us. Unhealthy or bad bacteria thrive on sugar but healthy bacteria thrives on fiber. Medications, antacids, and processed food all upset the balance of our intestinal flora and can set your body up for disease. This in turn can lower your metabolism and reduce vitamin absorption. Since most vitamins that you buy at the local drug store have no bilogically active compounds in them, they have a very low absorption rate, (i.e. 15-25%), you eliminate much of the vitamin content every time you use the restroom. So, even if you are taking supplements and vitamins for an immune system boost, as the intestinal tract gets out of balance, your absorption level decreases even more.
The best thing you can do to for intestinal health is buy high quality probiotics for an immune system boost. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that are ingested for the purpose of inoculating your intestines. There are three things to know when buying probiotics:
Just about every manufacturer will make fantastic claims in these three areas. Everyone's stomach acid levels are different so you may want to try some different brands. When intestinal flora is balanced, you will notice that many digestive issues you have been experiencing can be greatly reduced. You can also consume healthy bacteria through fermented vegetables and dairy products such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir or yogurt, which all have live strains of bacteria,
In addition to a good probiotic, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. These are loaded with phytonutrients which are bioactive compounds that have profound protective effects on our cells. If you can't eat the real thing, the closer you stick to nature, the more nutrition can be absorbed. There have been many studies showing that good nutrition equals disease prevention. Juicing is a great if you have the time and access to a large variety of organic fruits and vegetables. If not, than look for plant based supplements, packed with super foods, that are in the form of whole food concentrates. These usually come in a powder form and are reconstituted by adding water or other liquid. Whole food concentrates are minimally processed and packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and micronutrients.
Here's why you should consider taking a good probiotic and phytonutrients for an immune system boost. The immune system begins in our GI tract, with 50% of the immune system living there, and 75% of our antibodies being produced there as well. When our intestinal tract becomes unhealthy and out of balance, our immune system becomes compromised. We have about 7 pounds of bacteria that live in the large and small intestine, which can either work for or against us. Unhealthy or bad bacteria thrive on sugar but healthy bacteria thrives on fiber. Medications, antacids, and processed food all upset the balance of our intestinal flora and can set your body up for disease. This in turn can lower your metabolism and reduce vitamin absorption. Since most vitamins that you buy at the local drug store have no bilogically active compounds in them, they have a very low absorption rate, (i.e. 15-25%), you eliminate much of the vitamin content every time you use the restroom. So, even if you are taking supplements and vitamins for an immune system boost, as the intestinal tract gets out of balance, your absorption level decreases even more.
The best thing you can do to for intestinal health is buy high quality probiotics for an immune system boost. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that are ingested for the purpose of inoculating your intestines. There are three things to know when buying probiotics:
- It should contain multiple strains of bacteria
- It should have over 10 billion CFU's (this number is debatable)
- It is packaged in a way that can survive stomach acid and intestinal bile.
Just about every manufacturer will make fantastic claims in these three areas. Everyone's stomach acid levels are different so you may want to try some different brands. When intestinal flora is balanced, you will notice that many digestive issues you have been experiencing can be greatly reduced. You can also consume healthy bacteria through fermented vegetables and dairy products such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir or yogurt, which all have live strains of bacteria,
In addition to a good probiotic, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. These are loaded with phytonutrients which are bioactive compounds that have profound protective effects on our cells. If you can't eat the real thing, the closer you stick to nature, the more nutrition can be absorbed. There have been many studies showing that good nutrition equals disease prevention. Juicing is a great if you have the time and access to a large variety of organic fruits and vegetables. If not, than look for plant based supplements, packed with super foods, that are in the form of whole food concentrates. These usually come in a powder form and are reconstituted by adding water or other liquid. Whole food concentrates are minimally processed and packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and micronutrients.
Source...