Last week, I attended a bloggers meet conducted by Dupont where I learnt all the health benefits of using probiotics. It was a pretty eye-opening session and I thought I'd share some of my learnings with you.
What are probiotics and why should I be interested in them?
Probiotics are good bacteria in our stomach that promote gut health. Doctors frequently prescribe them as medicines when you have a stomach upset, or if you are on antibiotics.
But what I didn't know until today, was just how useful probiotics are for regular maintenance of health, and how less we are getting of it.
As a South Indian, I thought I was getting enough probiotics just because my diet is rich in curd, and fermented foods. But that is not the case.
Some common benefits of probiotics:
- Helps digestive system run smoothly
- Keeps your immune system strong
- Boosts nutrient absorption
Prateek Nag, Regional Product Manager of DuPont Nutrition and Health talking about the benefits of probiotics
How can I improve my consumption of probiotics?
Just having a lot of curd and fermented foods is not enough. It makes sense to buy foods that contain probiotics. You may still need dietary supplements.
Real-life example of the value of probiotics
Recently my son was diagnosed with a severe vitamin deficiency. It seems his body was not absorbing the nutrition from food properly. To deal with this issue, his doctor prescribed a bunch of vitamin supplements. In addition, she recommended a dose of probiotics every day. These probiotics would clean his gut and make sure that the vitamins are absorbed properly as they should be.
So, when Dr. Anders Henriksson spoke about how in modern life, our bodies are not absorbing nutrition from food as they used to in the old days, or that the food that we consume is lacking in nutrition because of our cultivation patterns, I was nodding my head in agreement.
Dr. Anders Henriksson, Principal Specialist, DuPont Nutrition and Health
Even if we had the perfect microbial start to life, our modern lifestyles inevitably lead to some depletion of our good bacteria. Fortunately, including more probiotics in your diet ensures that you are giving your gut the best chance to balance itself.
Dr. Anders Henriksson
How can I get my probiotics, and is there such a thing as too much probiotics?
Not to worry, it would be very, very difficult to overdose on probiotics. Even if there is excess, they are water-soluble meaning any excess is excreted out, without any damage to the body.
You can increase probiotics in your diet in many ways. Some of these foods are rich in probiotics.
- Yogurt
- Fermented foods such as idli, dosa, kimchi
- Traditional buttermilk
- Some types of cheese
You can also check at the local chemist for supplements that contain probiotics.
If you are still skeptical about the use of probiotics, know that probiotics can help you lose belly fat and weight in general. I am sure now that you will be racing to educate yourself further on this wonder food 🙂
