Wondering which probiotic is best for you? Find out why you need a probiotic and prebiotic combination, and how to find the best one.
I’ve been testing a probiotic for you all behind the scenes for about three weeks now. I’ve taken probiotics before and, to be completely honest, I didn’t have high expectations. However, my skin is glowing, I’m no longer experiencing bloat, irregularity, and I even lived through my husband’s recent illness unscathed.
They say 70% of our immune system is in our gut, and now I can see why. The “gut” is considered the core of your body’s overall health and well-being and it can affect your entire body, including immunity, digestion, skin and more.
But first, let’s review a little bit of 6th grade science.
What is good bacteria, and why we need it
About 38 trillion microorganisms, mostly bacteria, living in and on your body. The majority of them reside in your gastrointestinal tract, but many others live in diverse places like your mouth, your skin, and your armpits. They represent 50% of you by cell count. This is known as the microbiome. (source)
The microbiome also includes all of the microbial genes (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc) in your body. Together, they weigh about three to five pounds. Crazy, right?
My gynecologists have always recommended consuming yogurt to help with the female reproductive system’s microbiome. However, since I had to cut dairy out of my diet, yogurt was out of the question for me.
Where does the microbiome come from?
You probably remember from sixth grade biology that you inherit your genes from your parents. But did you know that your mother passes you your microbiome too?
The process of receiving these foundational microbes is called seeding.
They colonize your gastrointestinal system at birth (through the vaginal canal, skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and interacting with your surrounding environment) and form the foundation of your immune system, serving as the instructors of what’s dangerous and what’s not.
What is a probiotic?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), probiotics are “live microorganisms which, when consumed in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” (source)
To qualify as a probiotic, a product must meet this strict, scientific definition. Let’s break that down:
- live microorganism: it must survive the digestive tract all the way to the colon, where their work begins
- adequate amounts: a clinically-verified dose measured by CFUs
- health benefit: each specific strain (not just the species) must have been clinically studied and shown to be beneficial
- host: clinically-studied benefits shown to have an effect in the human body
While fermented foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, miso, and yogurt contain live microorganisms, they don’t technically satisfy the scientific definition of a probiotic (the four bullet points above).
How do we know that the microorganisms in yogurt, for example, survived the stomach acids to reach your intestinal tract?
Even after consuming yogurt, as per my gynecologist’s repeated recommendation, I kept hearing about the importance of beneficial bacteria at each visit. So, despite the Greek yogurt I consumed in my smoothies, it seems like it didn’t make the change she wanted to see in my health. I knew then that I needed a reliable source of beneficial bacteria (i.e. not dairy, as it causes my inflammatory acne, and there’s no way to know that it actually survives the stomach acids).
Not every probiotic is created equal. And not every probiotic is clinically tested and proven to provide benefits.
Many probiotics are sold in the refrigerated section at grocery stores and retailers. However, unlike perishable food products, refrigeration doesn’t mean ‘freshness’ or superiority.
In fact, if a probiotic does not survive at room temperature outside of the refrigerator, it can reflect weak stability of the product, low viable organism count, or inadequate overages in formulation.
So, I knew I needed a probiotic, per my doctors’ recommendations, but which one? And, will it travel through the stomach acids and arrive, intact, where it needs to in order to work?
Probiotic with Prebiotic
Seed’s Daily Synbiotic is a probiotic that’s backed by science. When you combine a probiotic with a prebiotic we have what’s called a synbiotic. A synbiotic is a combination of probiotics and prebiotics.
Their probiotic combines 24 DNA verified, human-based, naturally-occurring probiotic bacterial strains with a prebiotic and a strong capsule. I haven’t seen this anywhere in the supplement market! (psst… use the code LISETTE to get 15% off the first month of Seed’s Daily Synbiotic probiotic + prebiotic subscription!)
See how the Seed daily synbiotic breaks down below:
What is a prebiotic?
Remember when I mentioned the possibility of a probiotic not surviving the stomach acids? That’s where a prebiotic comes into play. Seed has a 2-in-1 prebiotic outer capsule that serves two purposes: to protect and feed the probiotic inside.
Prebiotics are a special form of dietary fiber that act as a fertilizer for the good bacteria in your gut.
Seed’s prebiotic capsule protects the probiotic from your stomach acids, as well as any light entering the storage location. Oh, and did I mention that Seed is a probiotic free from fillers? With Seed Daily Synbiotic, you get nothing but the good stuff.
While many probiotic brands out there don’t have extensive research, Seed’s probiotic strains have collectively been studied in 23 human clinical studies including double-blind, placebo-controlled trials conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and Japan. (meet the scientists at Seed).
Plus, Seed not only adheres to FDA regulations but also looks to higher global regulatory standards like the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and Japan’s Foods for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) in the manufacture of probiotics, which goes above and beyond most other brands of probiotics.
Probiotics help your digestive system
Yes, we’re going there. We’re going to talk about poop, specifically if you have problems with either loose stool or constipation.
If you’re a woman, you’re no stranger to diarrhea during your cycle. I just learned that this was a normal reaction due to the extra prostaglandins released that help the uterus contract. This hormone also makes the intestines contract, leading to loose stool (source).
Taking a quality probiotic will help stabilize your digestive system. Lots of digestive issues can be attributed to not having enough of the good bacteria that help keep your system working as it should be.
Probiotics are essentially good bacteria, and if constipation is one of those issues, a good probiotic will help with constipation. And, prebiotics have fiber, which help reduce loose stools.
Probiotics improve the health of your skin
Skin barrier structure and function is essential to human health. Think about it. You skin is your largest organ. It helps protect your other organs from viruses and bad bacteria. But I recently learned that your gut biome can also affect your skin. Strengthening your gut biome can help the health of your skin.
Seed
Daily Synbiotic – $48 + free shipping
Probiotic encapsulated in a prebiotic to survive the acids of the stomach and help your biome. Use LISETTE for 15% off first month supply.
My Experience with Seed Daily Synbiotic
There’s more to health to than just eating well and exercise. After taking Seed Daily Synbiotic for three weeks, I feel my health has a support system. Let me explain below:
I have more energy. Normally, during my monthly cycle, I am completely drained, but not the past several weeks. I also haven’t experienced the mental fog that usually accompanies my cycle.
My skin is glowing. While I am experimenting with a few new clean beauty skincare products recommended to me by a clean beauty esthetician, my recent skin woes seem to have leveled out and it’s looking bright and youthful.
My immune system is stronger. My husband was sick with fevers, chills, runny nose, and an intense coughs for over a week. My sleep suffered, which normally reduces my immune system’s ability to fight off a cold. However, I did not get sick at all. Not even a cough.
I’m less bloated. I experience occasional painful bloat depending on what I eat, or if I go too long without eating. I haven’t had to reach for my anti-gas meds since starting Seed.
There you have it–the benefits of taking a probiotic with a prebiotic. Are you ready to start “seeding?”
If you’re interested in trying Seed’s Daily Synbiotic for yourself, use the code LISETTE to get 15% off your first month’s subscription!
Here are some other fun facts about Seed that makes them stand out:
- The female formulation of Seed’s Daily Probiotic is the first to include probiotic strains that increase the production of folate which is important for pregnancy.
- It’s vegan, gluten-free, preservative-free, allergen-free, vegan, and free from GMOs, binders, fillers, and preservatives.
- No refrigeration required–easy for traveling! And it comes with a free glass travel vial that fits a week’s worth, so I never miss a dose.
- They created a sustainable refill system that starts with a beautiful, reusable green glass jar and continues with monthly refills. The packaging is biodegradable and it decomposes in soil within 30 days. There is no single-use plastic in sight. Win-win!
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