Probiotics (from pro and biota, meaning “for life”) are live micro-organisms (mostly bacteria) living in the human gut. They keep pathogens (harmful micro-organisms) at bay, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function. Let’s face it – we have about 100 trillion micro-organisms from more than 500 species in every normal, healthy bowel at any one time – so we need them!
All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes which help plants grow and self-repair while they are alive. Enzymes work as catalysts to begin or speed up biological processes in plants, so when we eat them they facilitate normal digestion and other functions in our bodies too.
Centuries ago, long before science proved that cooking or processing food kills enzymes and destroys nutrients such as vitamins, pickling was the traditional way to preserve fresh raw vegetables, fruits and herbs. North Europeans traditionally consumed large amounts of probiotics in fermented foods, while probiotic beverages are still popular in Japan.
But people don’t eat nearly enough raw food with live enzymes, and not everyone fancies fermented foods such as yoghurt, kefir, kombucha tea, sauerkraut, miso, or pickled vegetables. This may be why interest in probiotic supplements is rising, along with scientific evidence behind the treatment and prevention of some illnesses with foods and supplements containing this good bacteria.
According to Harvard University Medical School, digestive disease specialists are recommending probiotics for disorders that frustrate conventional medicine, such as diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Since the mid-1990s, clinical studies have established that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal ills, delay the development of allergies in children, and treat and prevent vaginal and urinary infections in women. Probiotic treatment works to restore the delicate balance of microflora in these internal environments.
All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes which help plants grow and self-repair while they are alive. Enzymes work as catalysts to begin or speed up biological processes in plants, so when we eat them they facilitate normal digestion and other functions in our bodies too.
Centuries ago, long before science proved that cooking or processing food kills enzymes and destroys nutrients such as vitamins, pickling was the traditional way to preserve fresh raw vegetables, fruits and herbs. North Europeans traditionally consumed large amounts of probiotics in fermented foods, while probiotic beverages are still popular in Japan.
But people don’t eat nearly enough raw food with live enzymes, and not everyone fancies fermented foods such as yoghurt, kefir, kombucha tea, sauerkraut, miso, or pickled vegetables. This may be why interest in probiotic supplements is rising, along with scientific evidence behind the treatment and prevention of some illnesses with foods and supplements containing this good bacteria.
According to Harvard University Medical School, digestive disease specialists are recommending probiotics for disorders that frustrate conventional medicine, such as diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Since the mid-1990s, clinical studies have established that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal ills, delay the development of allergies in children, and treat and prevent vaginal and urinary infections in women. Probiotic treatment works to restore the delicate balance of microflora in these internal environments.
The beneficial bacteria
Swallowing a few billion bacteria might seem outlandish in this age of highly processed and sanitised foods and beverages, but most gut-dwelling bacteria are alive and well – and very friendly!