5 Reasons why probiotics are fantastic for your health
We’re here to share the amazing benefits of probiotics and where you can find them. Hint: At Grape Tree, we’re pretty big probiotic fans, so stay tuned to find the best probiotics for you.
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are live bacteria (the good kind!). You can get probiotics by consuming fermented foods or taking a probiotic supplement. Probiotics are vital for a healthy, functioning digestive system.
How Probiotics are Incredible for Your Body
Now you know what probiotics are, let’s get into how they enhance your health and well-being.
1. Probiotics Strengthen Your Gut Health
Probiotics are crucial to help you feel good. But why? Well, it all comes down to your gut. Your digestive system has a mini ecosystem made of healthy gut bacteria (known as microbiome). Microbiomes are alive and need the right foods to grow.
Your gut is intimately connected to your brain, so when it’s unhealthy, it impacts your entire body. Things like stress, junk food, sugar and poor-quality sleep upset the microbiome. This can lead to headaches, decreased heart health, and a higher cancer risk.
Microbiome needs care and attention to thrive, which is where probiotics come in. Probiotics feed your gut bacteria so it stays healthy and balanced. And if your gut is happy, so is the rest of you.
2. Probiotics Support a Healthy Immune System
Your immune system prevents you from getting sick and helps you fight off harmful bacteria. When you have a poor immune system, you easily pick up colds or struggle to recover when unwell.
Probiotics stimulate and support cells in your digestion to strengthen your immune system. This means immune cells are better at defending you against pathogens (organisms that cause disease). They also re-store the microbiome, so you heal quickly from an illness.
3. Probiotics Help Sleep
Your digestive system signals to the brain to release the sleep hormone melatonin. When you don’t have enough melatonin, you may need rest, but don’t feel sleepy. Being exhausted but unable to drift off is an example of tiredness without a sleepy feeling.
Probiotics harmonise your gut bacteria to tell your brain when to produce melatonin. When your sleep hormone is correctly stimulated, you’ll feel your eyes getting heavy, and you will sleep better.
4. Probiotics Decrease Stress
Stress is everywhere, from traffic jams to the kids running riot. It’s inevitable, but if stress spirals out of control, it severely affects your physical and mental health.
When your body secretes the stress hormone cortisol, it tips your nervous system into fight-or-flight mode. This can make you feel anxious and lose sleep. A small amount of cortisol is good; it keeps you alert and functioning. However, too much of it produces free radicals.
Free radicals are atoms that attack cells, breaking down and damaging them. The process can cause hair loss, impact heart health and even increase the risk of cancer.
However, probiotics decrease the production of cortisol. They also increase dopamine and serotonin (your happy hormones) for a balanced nervous system and lower stress levels.
5. Probiotics Enhance Your Skin and Hair Health
You may have unbalanced gut bacteria if you struggle with hair loss, acne, and dry skin. An imbalance in your stomach can lead to an imbalance of hormones, which causes inflammation.
Inflammation is when something irritates your cells, leading to swelling hair follicles. This stops your hair from growing as quickly and eventually cuts off blood supply to the follicles, causing hair loss. Inflammation can also cause acne or damage your skin barrier, letting moisture escape and resulting in dry skin.
Regular probiotic foods and a probiotic supplement harmonise your digestive system to soothe inflammation for healthy hair and skin.
What Foods Have Probiotics?
If you want to get probiotics, you need to eat things containing live cultures to feed your microbiome. Live cultures in food happen through the process of fermentation. Here is a list of great probiotic foods:
- Kimchi - Kimchi is made of fermented vegetables, such as cabbage, garlic and chilli. We only choose high-quality kimchi for you to enjoy.
- Kombucha - Kombucha is a fermented, flavoured tea made into a tasty sparkling drink. We’ve got a range of kombucha flavours, from mango to raspberry.
- Miso - Miso is fermented soybeans turned into a paste which you can add to recipes. Our miso soup paste has a delicious, full-body flavour.
- Sauerkraut - Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage that tastes great as a side dish. We have delicious sauerkraut infused with either turmeric, juniper berries or beetroot for an extra health kick.
- Tempeh - Tempeh is fermented soybeans pressed into a block that you can use as a meat replacement or for enhanced nutrition. You can read more about the benefits of tempeh here.
Who Should Take Probiotics?
Anyone can take probiotics, no matter what your gender or age. They’re great for everyone but especially beneficial if you’re struggling with gut issues. Signs of digestive problems include regular indigestion, bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and constipation.
The Best Way to Take Probiotics
The best way to take probiotics is to have them consistently. That means consuming probiotic foods and a probiotic supplement every day.
Adding fermented foods to meals is an easy way to get your probiotics, for example, miso and kimchi soup. Make sure you don’t overheat your probiotic food or warm it in the microwave, as it will kill the live cultures. If you’re using probiotic supplements, then have them with food.
It usually takes around three months to feel the effects of a healthy body change, so keep going.
Start Taking Probiotics With Grape Tree
If you’re new to probiotics, then don’t worry. We have a range for you to try. Whether it’s kimchi or a probiotic supplement, you can trust that we choose only the highest quality. Try probiotics today for a healthy and thriving lifestyle.
