The world of health and nutrition can be an incredibly confusing one. People will tell you to take all sorts of herbs and supplements, and it can be hard to know whether you actually need to take them at all. One common piece of advice is that people should take probiotics, which are often found in things like kombucha, yogurt and kefir. Do you really need to take them?
The answer to this depends on the individual. There are a couple of ways that you can tell if you need to take probiotics, however. Here’s everything you need to know.
What Are Probiotics?
You may have heard of probiotics before, but what exactly are they? Well, these are essentially kinds of good bacteria for your gut. You can usually find them in certain foods and you can get them in supplements.
Probiotics are good for you because it has been suggested that they can reduce the amount of bad bacteria in your gut. This means you can reduce your chances of becoming ill. They are especially useful for people that suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea.
There’s also some anecdotal evidence to suggest that probiotics can help with yeast infections, allergies, lactose intolerance and so much more.
Signs You Need to Take Probiotics
So how do you know if you need to take probiotics? Here are 9 signs you should look out for.
1. You’ve Recently Had Food Poisoning
Food poisoning – it isn’t fun for anyone, especially your stomach. The problem is that food poisoning can often result in nasty bacteria getting into your body that can fester there and make you sick. If you take probiotics then they can help your body to get rid of the bad bacteria so that your bowel movements can return to their usual functioning.
Try to take some probiotics when you are traveling abroad. It can help you to prevent food poisoning. Your body will be able to defend against bad bacteria much more easily.
2. You’ve Taken Antibiotics
Antibiotics come with a bunch of benefits, including fighting off all sorts of illnesses. The problem is that they can also come with some downsides. Sure, they’re killing bad things that come into your body but they can also remove a lot of the good kinds of bacteria that’s living inside of your gut. That is not good at all!
If you’ve taken any antibiotics recently then it’s a good idea to take a probiotic as this can help to ensure that you still have plenty of good bacteria in your body.
The best thing to do is take probiotics after you’ve finished a course of antibiotics. Don’t take them at the same time!
3. You Struggle With Skin Issues
All of the parts of your body are linked – that includes your gut and your skin. In fact, there’s even data to suggest that your digestive system’s quality can be shown just by looking at your skin.People who have digestive issues may be a little more likely to have problems with their skin. If you have a good gut microbiome then it’s more likely that your skin will have a healthy glow.
There’s data to suggest that if you have eczema, hives, rashes, acne or psoriasis that there’s a good chance that you have poor digestion. If you start using probiotics then there’s a good chance that your skin may clear up too.
Now, things may not always go this smoothly! In this case, you could consider using digestive aids like enzymes and HCLs to help you to clean up the intestinal lining. Check out your hormones if you have acne too – it could be a big reason why you’re struggling with skin issues.
4. You Have Digestive Issues
If you have been struggling with your gut for a while, then a probiotic supplement could be useful. It may help you to reduce your symptoms and you may not even need medication. There’s a lot of data to suggest that probiotics are very good when you struggle with things like gas, diarrhea, IBD, Crohn’s and H. pylori infections.
Of course, it’s always a good idea to make sure your diet is good first and always follow the advice of your doctor.
5. You Have Mood Issues
Stress and anxiety are pretty commonplace. It’s always important to ensure that you speak to someone you can trust if you are struggling in life. With that being said though, there’s a chance that your intestinal flora isn’t in its best condition, so solving that issue may help you too. It may help your neurotransmitters to perform more optimally.
6. You Struggle With Asthma or Allergies
Allergies and asthma can be a real pain! You may find that your allergies reduce if you take probiotics, however. They may even be helpful for reducing the severity of your asthma too.
7. You Have Weak Immunity
Some people get it rough with things like the seasonal flu!
If you’re tired of using up all of your sick days then probiotics may help you. They can help to improve the immune system and help your body to react better to illnesses. Your body will then be ready to fight off any diseases much more easily.
8. You Suffer with Yeast Infections
If you struggle with yeast infections then it’s worth taking probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria, meaning that if you put more of them into your body then the bad bacteria will be pushed out.
9. You Have Autism
There’s data to suggest that taking probiotics can help if you have autism. In studies, communicative, and sensorimotor behaviors were improved when healthy probiotics were introduced into the body.
Conclusion
What are you waiting for? Probiotics can be good for your health, so it’s time to get a nice yogurt and get more of that good gut bacteria into your body!
