Did You Know – the Importance of Probiotics?

Did you know? Did you know that probiotics (good bacteria) are one of the most important supplements we can take?

More and more studies are demonstrating disproportionately huge benefits from making sure that our intestinal micro flora are healthy. The good bacteria in our intestines works as a synergistic ally helping us both by producing important compounds like vitamin B-12, and also by making sure that the surface area of our intestines is not left unguarded and vulnerable to the more nasty bacterial strains.

I even had a heart surgeon tell me once after my FOOD 101 lecture that I needed to emphasize the importance of probiotics more than I did, since in his words; 'probiotic bacteria and a healthy gut are the absolute key to the immune system.'

And...No we do not recommend yogurt as a way to get the bacteria because yogurt is a dairy product which has many undesirable effects.

PROBIOTIC

- Pro = “for”, “in favor of.”

- Biotic = “pertaining to life”, “of or relating to living organisms.”

The word probiotic is a composite of the Latin preposition pro (“for”) and the Greek adjective (biotic), the latter derived from the noun bios (“life”).

The ideal balance between the bacteria in your body is 85 percent good and 15 percent bad.

The ideal balance between the bacteria in your body is 85 percent good and 15 percent bad.

The probiotics in your stomach and intestines play an important role in helping numerous functions throughout the body, such as:

• Digesting and absorbing certain nutrients and carbohydrates.
• Producing vitamins, assisting the body in absorbing minerals and eliminating toxins.
• Keeping bad bacteria in check.
• Preventing allergies…These friendly bacteria train your immune system to distinguish between pathogens and non-harmful antigens, and to respond appropriately.
• Providing essential support to your immune system. These beneficial bacteria have a lifelong, powerful effect on both your gut’s immune system, and your systemic immune system as well.

One Washington University professor compared the functioning of this intestinal microflora in your body to that of an “ant farm that works together as an intelligence to perform an array of functions you’re unable to manage on your own.”

Natural Ways to Get Probiotics

In the distant past and continuing today, people have used (and still use) fermented foods like sauerkraut to support their digestive health, as these foods are rich in naturally beneficial bacteria.

Fermented foods have been part of nearly every traditional culture. As far back as Roman times, people ate sauerkraut, not only because they liked its taste but because of benefits to overall health. In Asian cultures, pickled fermentations of cabbage, turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash and carrots still exist today.

If you were to eat a diet rich in unprocessed fermented foods that have NOT been pasteurized (which kills the probiotics), then you will likely enjoy great digestive health.

On the other hand, if you eat a lot of processed foods or rely on mostly cooked foods, the balance of bacteria in your digestive tract will have a hard time remaining at an optimal level. Sugar is also an incredibly efficient fertilizer for growing bad bacteria and harmful yeasts in your intestinal tract, so if you indulge in a lot of it you’re fueling the bad bacteria. In addition to taking antibiotics, stress, pollution and other environmental factors can further upset the balance in a negative way.

Since helpful bacteria are increasingly absent in most people’s diets, it is important to purposely include foods that contain live probiotic bacteria in your diet, or take a good probiotic supplement.

Make your own Probiotics…

“*CABBAGE REJUVELAC:” (*Excerpted from “The Colon Health Handbook” by Robert Gray)


Cabbage Rejuvelac

  “Cabbage is a vegetable that is teeming with lactobacteria. No starter is needed for making rejuvelac. Just start one morning by blending together 1 3/4 cups (420ml) distilled or purified water plus 3 cups (720ml) coarsely chopped, loosely packed fresh cabbage. Start the blender at low speed and then advance the blender to high speed and blend for 30 more seconds. Pour into a jar, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 3 days. At this time, strain off the liquid rejuvelac. The initial batch of cabbage rejuvelac takes 3 days to mature, but succeeding batches take 24 hours each.

“Each morning after straining off the fresh rejuvelac, blend together for 30 seconds at high speed 1 1/2 cups (360ml) distilled or purified water plus 3 cups (720ml) coarsely chopped, loosely packed fresh cabbage. Pour into a jar, add 1/4 cup (60ml) of the fresh rejuvelac just strained off, cover, shake and let stand at room temp. until the next morning.

“You can also make cabbage rejuvelac without a blender by chopping the cabbage very fine and using 2 1/2 cups (600ml) finely chopped, loosely packed cabbage listed above. The amount of distilled or purified water used should remain unchanged.

“Good quality rejuvelac tastes similar to a cross between carbonated water and the whey obtained when making yogurt. Bad quality rejuvelac has a much more putrid odor and taste and should not be consumed. Always avoid using tap water when making rejuvelac because chlorine has been added to it for the purpose of killing bacteria of any kind.

“Drink each day’s rejuvelac during the course of the day by taking 1/2 cup (120ml) 3x a day, preferably with meals.”

Probiotics with Fred Busch (VIDEO)

In the video below Fred Busch of the American Nutrition Institute (ANI) discusses some of the reasons to use probiotics in a regimen of intelligent living. Many people have intestinal ailments and malfunctions and could benefit from the use of probiotic friendly bacteria, microflora, along with a program of eliminating junk food and beginning to exercise.
Probiotic bacterial cultures are intended to assist the body's naturally occurring gut flora (an ecology of microbes) to re-establish themselves. They are sometimes recommended by doctors, and, more frequently, by nutritionists, following a cleanse, after a course of antibiotics, or as part of the treatment for gut related candidiasis.

Probiotics Offer the Following Health Benefits:

• Promote healthy digestion and nutrient assimilation.
• Replenish colonies of friendly bacteria that may be destroyed by antibiotics and certain health complications.
• Counter an overgrowth of "bad" organisms in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Enhance immune response (since a large percentage of cells of the immune system are located in the digestive tract).
• May support healthy cholesterol levels.
• Promote oral health.
• Help counter an unfavorable balance of yeast and fungus.
• Assist those that are lactose intolerant with lactose digestion.
• Support urinary tract and colon health.

Why is Supplementing with Probiotics Important?

A number of factors, including poor diet, medication, illness, stress and aging, can deplete levels of beneficial bacteria in the body. That's why it is important to incorporate a good, high-quality probiotic supplement into your daily diet.

What to Look for in a Probiotic Supplement:

• Find a probiotic supplement that guarantees its potency (the promised level of live bacteria) at time of use.
• Make sure that it contains a high-quality prebiotic to nourish and sustain existing friendly bacterial colonies within the intestines.
• Only use a probiotic supplement containing naturally occurring strains that are safe and effective for human use and are not genetically engineered (non-GMO).
• Choose one that features a good delivery technology that enables these strains to securely arrive at their destination – the intestinal tract.

Here's more...

Cabbage can also be used as a homemade probiotic...
CABBAGE REJUVELAC:

Quote: "Cabbage is a vegetable that is teeming with lactobacteria. No starter is needed for making rejuvelac. Just start one morning by blending together 1 3/4 cups (420ml) distilled or purified water plus 3 cups (720ml coarsely chopped, loosely packed fresh cabbage. Start the blender at low speed and then advance the blender to high speed and blend for 30 more seconds. Pour into a jar, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 3 days. At this time, strain off the liquid rejuvelac. The initial batch of cabbage rejuvelac takes 3 days to mature, but succeeding batches take 24 hours each.

Each morning after straining off the fresh rejuvelac, blend together for 30 seconds at high speed 1 1/2 cups (360ml) distilled or purified water plus 3 cups (720ml) coarsely chopped, loosely packed fresh cabbage. Pour into a jar, add 1/4 cup (60ml) of the fresh rejuvelac just strained off, cover, shake and let stand at room temp. until the next morning.

You can also make cabbage rejuvelac without a blender by chopping the cabbage very fine and using 2 1/2 cups (600ml) finely chopped, loosely packed cabbage listed above. The amount of distilled or purified water used should remain unchanged.

Good quality rejuvelac tastes similar to a cross between carbonated water and the whey obtained when making yogurt. Bad quality rejuvelac has a much more putrid odor and taste and should not be consumed. Always avoid using tap water when making rejuvelac because chlorine has been added to it for the purpose of killing bacteria of any kind.

Drink each day's rejuvelac during the course of the day by taking 1/2 cup (120ml) 3x a day, preferably with meals."

...Robert Gray - "The Colon Health Handbook"



And this...
CULTURED CABBAGE JUICE

Quote: "To implant friendly lactobacteria in the colon and heal damaged mucus membranes of the G.I. tract, you need to drink about 1 and 1/2 cup daily of cultured cabbage juice. Here is how to make it. Fill blender with chopped green cabbage and add distilled water until about 2/3 full. (Do not use well water or tap water). Beat at high speed in the blender for one minute. Pour mixture into bowl and repeat with two more batches. Cover with Seran wrap or similar material and let stand at room temperature. After 3 days, the cabbage juice solution is ready to use. Strain the mixture to separate the liquid from the pulp. Place the cultured cabbage juice in refrigerator. Drink 1/2 cup of this solution diluted with an equal part of water 2 or 3 times each day. When your supply gets low, make second batch just like the first one, except, add 1/2 cup of the juice from the first batch to the second batch. Your second batch will be ready just 24 hours.

This process may be repeated indefinitely. Each serving contains several billion friendly lactobacteria. The lactic acid in the culture cabbage juice will purify the G.I. tract and kill most strains of fungi, parasites and other pathogens.

You should drink this mixture until your stools float in the toilet bowl and are odor free. When that happens, you may lower your dosage of cultured cabbage juice to one serving each day as maintenance dosage. You may eat one cup of raw cabbage as a substitute for 1/2 cup of cultured cabbage juice."

Conrad Lebeau - "Natural Remedies For Intestinal Health"